Princess Nourah University holds first conference for Saudi women’s studies

JEDDAH: The Center for Promising Research for Social Research and Women Studies at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) will hold a two-day conference for studies on Saudi women, starting on Wednesday, Oct. 24, it was announced on Monday. The conference will be the first of its kind in the Kingdom.
The vice president for graduate studies and scientific research at PNU, Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghadeer, said the conference will discuss the personality traits of Saudi women, as well their role in culture, literature, history, language, and community service.
“The conference also aims to shed light on the importance of studying women’s participation in development, to support social and economic transformation and, subsequently, achieve the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, in addition to providing specialized scientific studies in the field of women’s studies,” he added.
Al-Ghadeer said the conference, which will bring together 70 male and female researchers from inside and outside the Kingdom, will present 48 scientific papers during 10 sessions and two discussions. The conference which examine several topics, including literature, media, arts, community service, and women’s participation in sustainable development.
He stressed his hope that the conference would achieve its goals and that its recommendations and outcomes would help achieve PNU’s vision and Vision 2030, in terms of empowering women.
The head of the Center for Promising Research for Social Research and Women Studies, Dr. Maha bint Ali Al-Khoshail, explained that the conference will contribute to raising awareness about the importance of conducting studies on Saudi women, their challenges and needs, enhancing their contribution in society, and improving their role in development to reflect “a true image stemming from the Saudi society and its strong values and identity, and allow researchers to exchange scientific experience in this field.”
The center’s deputy head, Dr. Nada Al-Rakaf, pointed out that the conference will be accompanied by an art exhibition entitled “Saudi Women: Present and Future,” featuring work from 16 students and seven Saudi female artists who “transparently express themselves and reflect Saudi artists’ views on women.”
The exhibition will present artworks by distinguished students from the Visual Arts Department at the PNU College of Arts and Design to shed light on the new image of Saudi women through figurative painting, concept art, vacuum formation, and sculptures. These students represent the promising young generation that will improve the field of arts.
The conference will be organized based on the vision of PNU in order to achieve its strategic objective to tackle women-related issues, provide a scientific environment concerned with women’s studies, in general, and Saudi women, in specific, and contribute to Saudi Arabia’s efforts to empower women as well as the success of the development plans of Vision 2030.