culturala #2: Digitalisation is now out – get your digital copy here

Heba Kamal

photo of Heba Kamal rowing

Heba Kamal, or Hebatallah Tolba, is a creative writer and researcher. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of East London researching the effects of Islamic religious rituals on women’s gender performativity in Egypt. She is looking at how the knowledge produced during the ritual practice by women in Egypt impact their day-to-day life and their negotiations in the private and public space. 

Tolba completed her MA degree in Education Gender and International Development at the Institute of Education in London and wrote her thesis about the bodily and emotional experience of women participating in funeral and burial rituals in Egypt. Her research interests include personal narratives, new materialism and religion, gender and religion, corporeality and the politics of emotions.

Heba’s research and writing has been published internationally with Mada Masr, Goethe institute Alexandria and the Arab council for the social sciences. She is a creative writer and storyteller and has performed in cultural and community spaces throughout Cairo. She’s also the actress and Elisabeth Tomlinson’s collaborator with The Parable of the Grounded Woman.

We use cookies to make sure you get the best out of our presence, and by using our website, you agree to our use of cookies. For more information, read our Policies or reach out to us by email.