Drawing the Unseen: Graphic Reportage of Silencing during the Arab Spring

IAS Residential Fellow Dr Sara Shaker delivers a seminar on their research -

This seminar examines the role of comic journalism in archiving the Arab Revolutions/Uprisings, with a particular focus on the graphic narratives of Arabic artists like Deena Mohammed, Yazan Al Saadi, Hamid Suleiman, and Rawand Issa. By focusing on the visual artworks of What Factors Make You Insecure?, Lebanon is Burning, An Uprising in Sudan, Freedom Hospital, and Aasiya (The Insubordinate)—the seminar explores how these visual narratives operate as counter-archives that contest the official accounts disseminated/circulated Arab state regimes. These artists act as ethical witnesses who challenge prevailing dominant political narratives and uncover state-sanctioned violence and trauma by adopting the tools of comic journalism. The seminar showcases how Arab comic artists deploy the visual-verbal power of comics to document atrocity, foreground marginalized voices, and present unfiltered testimonies. It argues that the comic platform provides an unmediated form of history witnessing-one that combines activism, resistance, and documentation.

Arrivals from 11:45 am for a 12:00 noon start. For those joining in-person, lunch will be served after the seminar from 1:00pm.

This event is hybrid format, please use the required booking button at the bottom of the page to choose either in-person or online attendance.
(Please note that in-person spaces are limited and booking is required, so we can manage numbers for catering and also the space in the seminar room)

By booking a place at this event, attendees agree to behave in a respectful manner such that everyone feels comfortable contributing as they wish. The IAS reserves the right to eject anyone who does not abide by this policy.

IAS seminars are typically recorded, minus any Q&A sessions at the end, again to encourage contributions. The recordings are then uploaded to our website on a Fellows bio page and/or Programme page, along with our IAS YouTube Channel. If you are not able to attend a seminar live, please do still register as we will email everyone who registered to let them know once the recordings are made available.