On June 22, the femtalk “Coffee and Feminism” took place, during which Huri Piliposyan and Arpine Ghambaryan presented their research on the coffee tradition and its feminist side.
“Subhiyeh: Beyond the Coffee Cup” explores the ritualistic features of the morning coffee practice and its impact on the lives of women in Aleppo, Syria. Using an anthropological lens, Houry explores the related gendered spaces, gossip, and generational changes delving into the concept of ‘women-only’ private spaces that are born out of the need for a support system, the patterns of gossip, and how they weave into community building. She also shows how, with the younger generation, the Subhiyeh ritual has shifted from a private to a public place, comparing and contrasting different generational aspects.
“Spill the Coffee” is an interdisciplinary work that ties together Arpine’s research attempts, working to produce a multidimensional narrative, showcasing visual, textual, and ethnographic methods of analysis. Relying on the discussion of some literature about the topic, the research touches upon the epistemic dynamics of gossip in private and public settings. Through the analysis of the creative choices of two of Arpine’s films that have coffee drinking practice among women as a central message, research attempts to bring together multiple dimensions of research creation that serve as puzzle pieces that work towards establishing Arpine’s positionality in the topic. The theoretical foundations open up a large scope for the analysis of the overall discussion around the practice of gossip among women, its perceptions and functions within the private and public settings.
Above is the graphic image of the Femtalk. You can watch the video of the Femtalk on our YouTube page with the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hayEFNwENQ.
