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Lecture at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore: Humour and Everyday Counter-Narratives
On 29th January 2026, Dr. Noura Kamal delivered a guest lecture at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, titled “Humour and Everyday Counter-Narratives from Palestine.”
The lecture examined humour as a cultural and social practice emerging within contexts of prolonged settler colonialism in Palestine. Rather than approaching humour as mere entertainment, the talk explored how jokes, anecdotes, and artistic expressions function as everyday narrative interventions through which people interpret, endure, and respond to lived realities.
Drawing on anthropological research on Palestinian daily life, expressive culture, and practices of resistance, the lecture discussed how humour operates as:
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a mode of meaning-making under uncertainty,
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a shared social language within communities,
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a subtle form of counter-narration that challenges dominant representations,
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and a resistance tool for confronting everyday violence.
Participants engaged in discussion on humour’s analytical value for understanding resilience, memory, and agency beyond conventional political discourse.
Cities at War Lecture Series – Off University, Berlin, Germany: The Other War – Economic Occupation and Civic Resistance in Hadhramout
As part of the Cities at War Lecture Series, The Other War: Economic Occupation and Civic Resistance in Hadhramoutwas delivered by Dr. Shada Bokir on 3 December 2025.
The series is supported by the Seminar Series Award from the Urban Studies Foundation and jointly organised by the Beirut Urban Lab, the Diyarbakır Association for the Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets, Rojava University, and Off University, and hosted by the Department of Social Sciences at Humboldt Universität, Berlin.
The lecture examined the dynamics of economic control and forms of civic resistance in Hadhramout, addressing how everyday economic structures intersect with political power and shape lived realities during conflict.
The session contributed to broader discussions on urban experience, social agency, and the relationship between material conditions and resistance practices in war-affected contexts.
Vienna, Austria – January 2025 – Academic Research Training & Beyond (ART & Beyond), hosted its first online guest lecture, spotlighting Palestinian cultural resistance. The event featured renowned Palestinian writer & journalist, Bothaina Hamdan, who delivered an insightful talk on the ongoing theft of Palestinian culture and heritage, with a particular focus on Gaza’s rich cultural legacy. This milestone event marks ART & Beyond’s commitment to fostering critical dialogue on pressing global issues.
For more details in Arabic, read the full coverage on Al-Quds News جريدة القدس https://alquds.com/ar/posts/148474
Dr. Noura Kamal's Article Becomes the Most-Read of 2024 in JMEWS.
The Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies has announced that. Noura Kamal’s article, "A Palestinian Woman's Writings: Reflections on Hegemony and Resistance" (Vol. 20, No. 2), is the most-read piece published in 2024. The article remains accessible online through the end of January 2025:
