Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series: Azza El Hassan

About the event

Award-winning Palestinian filmmaker and academic Azza El Hassan will discuss key artistic and methodological concepts from her recently published and much-acclaimed book 'The Afterlife of Palestinian Images' (2024).

In this creative study, El Hassan demonstrates how colonial violence alters and changes visual objects, which in turn affects how a society and culture relates to its own images. Based on her practice-based creative methodology, the filmmaker explores the re-use and re-appropriation of photos, film, and media equipment that have survived looting and destruction, objects which become a constant reminder of what was and what has been lost.

El Hassan goes beyond using these visual remains as simple evidence, demonstrating how artistic engagement can reconfigure them into new narratives and establish a renewed sense of cultural identity.

Please note that both speakers in this event will be joining online.

About the speaker

Azza El-Hassan is a filmmaker and a Professor of Media Practices at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. She is the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award, BAFTSS, 2025; she is also the winner of various film international awards, such as the Aleph Documentary Award, Luchino Visconti Award, Jazeera Jury Award, and the prestigious Grierson Award, among others.

Azza’s works includes 'The Unbearable Presence of Asmahan', 'Kings & Extras', and 'News Time'. Azza has a special interest in the use of visual archive, in films by nations whose archive has been destroyed or abducted. Her book, 'The Afterlife of Palestinian Images', uniquely addresses how plundered cultures relate to the actual remains of their archives.

She is the founder of The Void Project, a multi media art project that aims to restore archival films, curate exhibitions and produce narratives that centre around archive and the effect of their abduction on narratives construction.

Bio taken from Azza's website.

Visit Azza's website

About the seminar series

The Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies research seminar series, taking place during the spring semester 2026, draws upon theories and methodologies from the Humanities and Social Sciences to study Palestine through temporal and spatial narratives.

The series aims to bring together academics, writers, and artists, both in person and online, to engage critically with knowledge production in Palestine Studies. Our guest speakers will unpack timely questions about 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 for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World, The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, and The School of Social and Political Sciences. We welcome you all to join us for these timely debates and discussions!

How to attend

Events 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.

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.