Rehab Nazzal Somoud In Dark Times

A lecture by Dr. Rehab Nazzal, about her new photobook.

Somoud in Dark Times stirs questions​ that have long framed photographic discourse: can photographs capture the full horror of atrocity? How​ does text shape our perception of these images and​ what language is used to describe atrocity? Palestinians in Gaza, the Occupied​ West Bank, and throughout the global diaspora know​ that they are living through or are witnessing genocide–​and domocide, the intentional and widespread​ destruction of housing.

Rehab is a Palestinian visual artist and educator. Her practice prioritizes the effects of settler-colonial violence on the minds and bodies of colonized people, on all forms of life, and on the land. In her talk, she will discuss Israel's expansion of its military campaign and land expropriation across the West Bank. Military raids, drone assassinations, home demolitions, infrastructure destruction and mass arrests have transformed daily life. However, Dr. Nazzal will also discuss Palestinians' 'somoud' - Arabic for ‘steadfastness’ — invoking both survival and refusal in the face of violence.

About the speaker

Dr. Nazzal currently teaches at Dar Al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, Palestine and has taught at Simon Fraser University, Western University and Ottawa School of Art. She was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Concordia University, and the recipient of several awards, including the Social Justice Award from Ryerson University, the Edmund and Isobel Ryan Visual Arts Award in Photography from the University of Ottawa; the Prix Iris for Best Short Documentary at the 26th Quebec Cinema Awards; the Award for best Short Film at the 68th BFI London Film Festival; The Young Jury Award, 46e Festival International du Cinéma Méditerranéen de Montpellier, among others.

Sponsored by the Social Justice Centre, the Dark Opacities Lab, Academics and Staff for Palestine-Concordia, the McGill Institute of Islamic Studies and CISSC Confronting Emergent Dystopia Working Group.