Reinterpreting History and Memory: Contemporary Art of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Sat 12 - Sun 13 Oct 2024, 09:00 - 17:00
- Accessibility
- Accessible parking
- Hearing loop
- Wheelchair accessible venue
For more information or any queries, please email [email protected]

- Venue
- Lecture Theatre, The Brunei Gallery, SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London, WC1B 5DQ
- Price
- £5-£25
- Event series
- The British Academy Conferences
Event ended
British Academy Conferences bring together scholars and specialists from around the world to consider and evaluate new research in the humanities and social sciences.
This conference will explore how history and memory is reflected through contemporary art in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), and art’s association with broader social and intellectual practices. It will examine the possibility of challenging the present through the reinterpretation of history, exploring the enduring and collective impact of recent traumatic memories. The focus will be on art closely linked with activism, both within the region and among the global diaspora, examining the strategies used by artists to critically reimagine both the distant and recent past; a past that no longer exists but continues to haunt the present. The conference also explores how these artworks challenge and address current affairs in the context of historical narratives. By bringing together academics and professionals from diverse disciplines, the conference will provide an interdisciplinary framework for studying contemporary art, shedding light on the connection between art discourse, politics, and culture in the MENA region today.
Conference convenor:
- Dr Hamid Keshmirshekan, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
Speakers across the two-day conference include:
- Dr Charlotte Bank, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
- Dr Isabelle de le Court, Independent scholar
- Professor Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University
- Professor Iftikhar Dadi, Cornell University
- Dr Hamid Keshmirshekan, SOAS
- Vasif Kortun, Research and Curatorial Advisor, Mathaf, Doha
- Driss Ksikes, HEM Research Center, LCI Education, Rabat
- Dr Zeina Maasri, University of Bristol
- Serubiri Moses, Hunter College, City University of New York
- Dr Ismail Nashef, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
- Professor Silvia Naef, University of Geneva
- Dr Sarah Rogers, Middlebury College
- Dr Nada Shabout, University of North Texas
- Professor Siobhan M Shilton, University of Bristol
- Dr Wendy Shaw, Independent scholar
- Professor Sarah Wilson, The Courtauld Institute of Art
Conference ticket prices:
- General Admission (Both Days): £25
- Concession (Both days): £10
- General Admission (1 day): £12.50
- Concession (1 day): £5
If you have any questions about this event please refer to our events FAQs or email [email protected].
Image: by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, From the Wonder Beirut: The Story of a Pyromaniac Photographer series, 1997-2006