ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that Arab women's letter-writing can be a very interesting teaching subject, and not only because it enriches curricula on Arabic literature, women's studies, and comparative literature, but also because of its engagement with the Arab nahḍah. It discusses the pedagogy of how to teach Arab women's letters. Women's letters constitute a particularly rich ground for the expression of their ideas and thus deserve to be studied more fully, especially if we bear in mind the recent attention to epistolary writing worldwide. As the purpose in women's letter-writing throughout is to communicate a message or express a feeling, these letters build up a shared code that addresses women's expectations and needs. As a new and challenging classroom experience, 'teachability' of this genre demands a systematic methodology, one that examines and classifies letters not only under the main categories of the personal and the public, but also as a repertoire of social and political engagement.
