Ashwaq Al-Quheef

Academic Mentor: Muhsin Al-Musawi, professor of Classical and Modern Arabic Literature, Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies

Research Topic: Revisiting the Roles and Boundaries of Yemeni Women in Mohammed Abdul Wali’s Collection of Short Stories, “They Die Strangers”

Country: Yemen

Columbia Global Center: Amman

Dr. Ashwaq Naser Hussein Al-Quheef is an independent scholar from Yemen, currently based in Amman, Jordan. She earned her Bachelor of Education in English from Sana’a University in Yemen (2007), followed by an master's degree in English Language and Literature (2016), and a PhD in English, with a focus on drama and gender studies. Her dissertation—completed in India—was entitled, "Rethinking Women’s Role in the Select Plays of Henrik Ibsen and George Bernard Shaw: Feminist Perspectives."  

Al-Quheef has worked extensively in the educational sector in Yemen, particularly within the Ministry of Education's Office of Education in Amran. She held a permanent position as an English language teacher at the Secondary School for Girls in Amran city until 2014, where she taught English as part of the secondary school curriculum. In 2014, she was nominated for advanced studies and subsequently received a scholarship under the Job Training Program implemented by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Civil Service, and Ministry of Higher Education. 

Her research interests are deeply rooted in advocating for Yemeni women in academia, aiming to highlight the challenges they face, promote their empowerment, and challenge the gender stereotypes prevalent in Yemeni society. Dr. Al-Quheef is also dedicated to re-examining the portrayal of Yemeni women in literature, particularly focusing on their traumas and societal challenges, as depicted in contemporary writings. 

Her research project at the Global Center in Amman rethinks the portrayal of Yemeni women in Mohammed Abdul Wali’s collection of short stories, “They Die Strangers,” with a particular focus on the story "Land, O Salma." She aims to draw comparisons between the role and status of Yemeni women and those of women in the broader Arab world, both as writers and as subjects in literature.