A Trade in Dreams: A Century of Egyptian Print Advertising

At the end of the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution changed economic systems and redrew the global balance of power. In this changing world, advertising became more than just a means to sell products - it was a powerful tool that shaped ideas about what to buy, why to buy it and what it meant to be modern. In colonized societies, these changes happened quickly and dramatically. In her new publication, Bahia Shehab uses over 350 newspaper and magazine advertisements to show how consumer culture intertwined with political, social and economic change in Egypt between 1880 and 1980. She sheds light on how the Egyptian market dealt with the influx of European and American luxury goods - from fine fabrics and jewelry to agricultural machinery - and how these products not only became symbols of dreams of advancement, but at times also sparked a wave of national resistance. A Trade in Dreams (AUC Press, 2026) is both a visual feast and a captivating history of Egypt's trade and industry, illuminating a time when advertising did more than just sell - it reflected the dreams, ambitions and realities of a nation in transition.

The lecture and reading will be held in English.

Dr. Bahia Shehab is a professor and founder of the graphic design program at the American University in Cairo. As an artist, designer and art historian, she lectures worldwide on Arab visual culture, design education, peaceful protest and Islamic cultural heritage. Her work focuses on identity and the preservation of cultural heritage. Through her research into Islamic art history, she reinterprets contemporary Arab politics, feminist discourses and social issues. Shehab gained international recognition through her project "A Thousand Times No", in which she re-contextualized a historical Arabic script formula to challenge oppression and injustice. During the Egyptian revolution, she continued this work on the streets of Cairo. Shehab's work has received numerous awards, including a TED Senior Fellowship (2017), the Prince Claus Award (2016) and the UNESCO Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture (2017) - the first Arab woman to receive this award. She is co-author of A History of Arab Graphic Design (AUC Press, 2020).