SENIOR PROJECT
This book is no ordinary dictionary that you can find on your bookshelf. It is a dictionary of some of the essential words that we use in our day to day language which are inherently sexist and gender biased. This dictionary has been crafted to scrutinize these terms which were constructed within patriarchal societies in order to discover the weight of their true meanings and effects on reinforcing gender roles. Hence the pun in the title “Dic*tionary”, where the letter K has been censored because it is the hidden layer in those man-made words. Language is the cultural mirror to every society, and change starts from within, from the very words we use. This dictionary is a guide in English and Arabic to reflect on the vocabulary we use and to protest words reinforcing gender roles.
Unlike typical dictionaries, this one is designed to showcase every word independently so it stands out of the shadow of other words deemed to be of more importance. The words aren’t arranged in alphabetical ordwee, as a way to break the traditional structure, modernizing it and making it more playful.
This Project won the ISTD 2019 typographic award.
