Paulina Hassoun

Pauline Hassoun (Arabic: بولينا حسون; 1895–1969) was an Iraqi journalist and teacher, who was the first woman to found and publish a magazine in Iraq.

Paulina Hassoun
Born1895
Died1969
OccupationJournalist, editor, teacher
Years active1923-25
Notable worksLayla (magazine)

Biography
Layla, Issue 4, January 15, 1924 WDL342

Hassoun was born in Ottman Empire (in an area that is now Jordan) in 1895 to a father from Mesopotamia and a Syrian mother. Her family moved between the areas of the Ottoman Empire that are now Syria, Palestine and Jordan, and also spent some time in Egypt before she settled in Baghdad.[1] There, she was a founding member of the Women's Awakening Club.[2][3] Her cousin was Salim Hassoun, who was the owner of the newspaper Al-Alam Al-Arabi.[2]

Interested in journalism, Hassoun founded Layla in 1923 as a magazine that would publish "everything new and useful related to science, art, literature, society and housekeeping".[1][4] The first issue was published on 15 October 1923.[5] The magazine ran for two years, with a final issue published on 15 August 1925.[5] Hassoun closed it due financial reasons and since anti-feminist campaigns against her forced her to leave Baghdad.[2][6] She left in December 1925.[2] The magazine is considered "Iraq's first feminist journal".[7] She also worked as the head teacher of a girls' school in Baghdad.[8] Little is known of her later life and she died in 1969.[1]

Legacy

Hassoun is considered Iraq's first woman journalist and a feminist pioneer in the country.[6]

References
  1. "صحفي - ولادة رائدة في الصحافة العربية ... بولينا حسون .. أردنية المنشأ عراقية الأصول*نبال خماش". 2016-03-05. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  2. "الصحفية بولينا حسون روفائيل رائدة الصحافة النسائية في العراق". 2020-03-07. Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  3. Mohammed, Ibtisam Humoud (2021). "The Iraqi Women's Renaissance Club and Its Impact on The Development of Cultural Awareness of Women (1923-1932)". Journal of Al-Frahedis Arts. 13 (45 | Third Part).
  4. Akhoun-Schwarb, Dominique. "Layla : first Iraqi women's magazine (1923-1925) – What's new? The latest news and resources from SOAS subject librarians". Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  5. "From Layla to Nina, the legacy of Iraq's first magazine for women reborn today". Nina Middle East. 2015-01-12. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  6. Dougherty, Beth K.; Ghareeb, Edmund A. (2013-11-07). Historical Dictionary of Iraq. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7942-3.
  7. "Women's Movement in Iraq Faces Setbacks! – Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI)". Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  8. Hanna, Fadi (2015-06-25). "Paulina Hassoun". Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
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