[1] Born in Cairo, Afaf Lutfi al-Sayyid was conversant in politics since her childhood.
Her father was an undersecretary of state for social affairs in the Egyptian government.
She was the first Egyptian woman to earn a doctoral degree from Oxford University.
She married Alain Marsot, also an academic and professor of political science.
[1] Dr. al-Sayyid Marsot held various visiting positions and was awarded academic honors including: - Distinguished Visiting Professor at the American University, Cairo, 1976 -George Antonius Distinguished Lecture, St. Antony's College, Oxford, 1980 -Distinguished Lecturer at Georgetown University, 1988 -Woman of the Year Award by the Arab- American Press Guild, Los Angeles, 1988 -Arab-American Muslim Achievement Award, Los Angeles, 1992 -Middle East Studies Association Mentoring Award, 2000 -Doctor of Humane Letters conferred by the American University in Cairo, 2001 -Distinguished Visiting Professor at the American University, Cairo 2009[2]