Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Tahrir Hamdi and Louis Brehony In brief Date - 12 January 2026Venue - Room LG.09, 40 George SquareSpeakers - Professor Tahrir Hamdi (Arab Open University, Jordan), and Louis Brehony (writer, activist, and musician)Format - Discussion of speakers' recent edited volume, 'Ghassan Kanafani: Selected Political Writings' (2024) Email an IMES colleague to join online About the eventRevolutionary Palestinian thinker, journalist and political thinker Ghassan Kanafani is well-known for his ground-breaking novels such as 'Men in the Sun' (1962) and 'Returning to Haifa' (1969), among many others. But in their new book, 'Ghassan Kanafani: Selected Political Writings' (2024), Hamdi and Brehony compile and analyze, for the first time in English and with dozens of contributors, Kanafani’s impactful writings on politics, history, national liberation, and the media.Kanafani’s writings produced in the 1960s and early 1970s (before his assassination by the Israeli Mossad in 1972) provide powerful historical and political contexts for the continuing Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. His work remains vital for revolutionary Palestinian struggle and anti-colonial thought.About the speakersTahrir HamdiTahrir Hamdi is a Professor of anti-colonial and resistance literature and Director of Arab Open University in Jordan. She has been with AOU since 2004, has taught many literature courses there, and was one of the founding members of the MA in Literature programme.Professor Hamdi recently won the Palestine Book Award 2023 in the “Counter Current” category for her book 'Imagining Palestine: Cultures of Exile and National Identity' (2023), and in 2020 won the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation’s Arab Researchers’ Award in the Humanities.She is an Assistant Editor with the journal Arab Studies Quarterly, and an Associate Editor of the journal Janus Unbound. She is also a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Holy Land and Palestine Studies, the Jordan Journal of Modern Languages & Literatures and the International Journal of Arabic-English Studies.Louis BrehonyLouis Brehony is an activist, musician, researcher and educator, and a preeminent global scholar of Palestinian music.He is the director of the award-winning documentary film 'Kofia: A Revolution Through Music' (2021) and has published widely on Palestine and political culture in the Palestine Chronicle, Middle East Monitor, Arab Media and Society, and a range of other journals.Louis received his PhD from Kings College London and a Masters in Composition from the University of Salford, and performs internationally as a multi-instrumentalist.About the seminar seriesThe Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies research seminar series, taking place during the spring semester 2026, draws upon theories and methodologies in the Humanities and Social Sciences in studying Palestine across temporal and spatial narratives.The series aims to bring together academics, writers, and artists, both in person and/or online, in an effort to critically engage with knowledge production in Palestine Studies. Our guest speakers will engage with timely questions related to colonial violence and various creative counternarratives in academia, literature, music, cinema and the digital world.Some of the events are co-badged with: The Alwaleed Centre; The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities; The School of Social and Political Sciences. We welcome you all to join us for these timely debates and discussions!How to attendEvents are free and everyone is welcome. No booking is required. If you wish to join online, you can email a colleague in IMES for joining information.All talks are followed by a reception. Email an IMES colleague to join online Are you interested in studying with us?We are the only university in Scotland to offer courses in the Muslim world's three main languages, placing Arabic, Persian and Turkish in the context of history, literature, culture, religion and politics, past and present.Choose from a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, including PhD programmes. Find out more about Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Edinburgh Tags Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Jan 12 2026 17.15 - 18.30 Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Tahrir Hamdi and Louis Brehony Join us for a hybrid seminar by Professor Tahrir Hamdi (Arab Open University, Jordan), and Louis Brehony (writer, activist, and musician), discussing their recent publication 'Ghassan Kanafani: Selected Political Writings' (2024). Room LG.06 40 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9JX Find the venue: 40 George Square Email an IMES colleague to join online
Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Tahrir Hamdi and Louis Brehony In brief Date - 12 January 2026Venue - Room LG.09, 40 George SquareSpeakers - Professor Tahrir Hamdi (Arab Open University, Jordan), and Louis Brehony (writer, activist, and musician)Format - Discussion of speakers' recent edited volume, 'Ghassan Kanafani: Selected Political Writings' (2024) Email an IMES colleague to join online About the eventRevolutionary Palestinian thinker, journalist and political thinker Ghassan Kanafani is well-known for his ground-breaking novels such as 'Men in the Sun' (1962) and 'Returning to Haifa' (1969), among many others. But in their new book, 'Ghassan Kanafani: Selected Political Writings' (2024), Hamdi and Brehony compile and analyze, for the first time in English and with dozens of contributors, Kanafani’s impactful writings on politics, history, national liberation, and the media.Kanafani’s writings produced in the 1960s and early 1970s (before his assassination by the Israeli Mossad in 1972) provide powerful historical and political contexts for the continuing Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. His work remains vital for revolutionary Palestinian struggle and anti-colonial thought.About the speakersTahrir HamdiTahrir Hamdi is a Professor of anti-colonial and resistance literature and Director of Arab Open University in Jordan. She has been with AOU since 2004, has taught many literature courses there, and was one of the founding members of the MA in Literature programme.Professor Hamdi recently won the Palestine Book Award 2023 in the “Counter Current” category for her book 'Imagining Palestine: Cultures of Exile and National Identity' (2023), and in 2020 won the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation’s Arab Researchers’ Award in the Humanities.She is an Assistant Editor with the journal Arab Studies Quarterly, and an Associate Editor of the journal Janus Unbound. She is also a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Holy Land and Palestine Studies, the Jordan Journal of Modern Languages & Literatures and the International Journal of Arabic-English Studies.Louis BrehonyLouis Brehony is an activist, musician, researcher and educator, and a preeminent global scholar of Palestinian music.He is the director of the award-winning documentary film 'Kofia: A Revolution Through Music' (2021) and has published widely on Palestine and political culture in the Palestine Chronicle, Middle East Monitor, Arab Media and Society, and a range of other journals.Louis received his PhD from Kings College London and a Masters in Composition from the University of Salford, and performs internationally as a multi-instrumentalist.About the seminar seriesThe Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies research seminar series, taking place during the spring semester 2026, draws upon theories and methodologies in the Humanities and Social Sciences in studying Palestine across temporal and spatial narratives.The series aims to bring together academics, writers, and artists, both in person and/or online, in an effort to critically engage with knowledge production in Palestine Studies. Our guest speakers will engage with timely questions related to colonial violence and various creative counternarratives in academia, literature, music, cinema and the digital world.Some of the events are co-badged with: The Alwaleed Centre; The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities; The School of Social and Political Sciences. We welcome you all to join us for these timely debates and discussions!How to attendEvents are free and everyone is welcome. No booking is required. If you wish to join online, you can email a colleague in IMES for joining information.All talks are followed by a reception. Email an IMES colleague to join online Are you interested in studying with us?We are the only university in Scotland to offer courses in the Muslim world's three main languages, placing Arabic, Persian and Turkish in the context of history, literature, culture, religion and politics, past and present.Choose from a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, including PhD programmes. Find out more about Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Edinburgh Tags Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Jan 12 2026 17.15 - 18.30 Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Tahrir Hamdi and Louis Brehony Join us for a hybrid seminar by Professor Tahrir Hamdi (Arab Open University, Jordan), and Louis Brehony (writer, activist, and musician), discussing their recent publication 'Ghassan Kanafani: Selected Political Writings' (2024). Room LG.06 40 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9JX Find the venue: 40 George Square Email an IMES colleague to join online
Jan 12 2026 17.15 - 18.30 Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Tahrir Hamdi and Louis Brehony Join us for a hybrid seminar by Professor Tahrir Hamdi (Arab Open University, Jordan), and Louis Brehony (writer, activist, and musician), discussing their recent publication 'Ghassan Kanafani: Selected Political Writings' (2024).
