The afikra Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Maghreb Generation: Militant Artists & Pan-African Postcolonial Future | Paraska Tolan-Szkilnik Mar 16, 2026

Show notes

We explore the interconnected artistic and political lives of figures from the Maghreb and the Black diaspora who collaborated in North Africa from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s, forming what our guest calls the Maghreb Generation, and cover the iconic 1969 Pan-African Festival of Algiers, where cultural figures like Nina Simone and political groups like the Black Panthers were present. Assistant Professor of History at Cornell University and author of "Maghreb Noir: The Militant Artist of North Africa and the Struggle for a Pan-African Postcolonial Future," Dr. Paraska Tolan-Szkilnik discusses her work which re-centers artists and intellectuals from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia as key political actors in the mid-20th-century anti-colonial and pan-African movements. Dr. Tolan-Szkilnik explains how these militant artists (deeply influenced by thinkers like Frantz Fanon) championed a philosophy of continued, revolutionary decolonization beyond flag independence. The episode details the political and personal risks these activists faced, including imprisonment for figures like Moroccan poet Abdellatif Laâbi and the assassination of Algerian poet Jean Sénac. Finally, the conversation explores film as a revolutionary form of culture for the highly illiterate populace and the enduring legacy of this generation’s radical vision for South-South solidarity.

0:53 Introduction

1:37 The Path to Pan-Africanism and the Maghreb

5:51 The Pan-African Festival of Algiers (1969)

7:23 The Substance of Revolution: Beyond the Speeches

10:00 The African Union, Liberation Movements, and Algiers

12:47 Questions of Race and Algerian Reactions to Blackness

14:19 North Africa as One Entity and French Colonial Borders

16:40 Central Figures of the Maghreb Generation

23:34 Defining the "Militant Artist"

25:15 The Philosophical DNA: Continued Decolonization

26:38 Frantz Fanon as Intellectual Forefather

27:44 The Autocratic Grind: Exile, Jail, and Death

34:54 The Moroccan Poet Abdellatif Laâbi and Souffles

40:09 Film as Revolutionary Culture

45:48 Turning Away from the West

49:00 The Striking Life of Jean Sénac

53:11 Poetry of Enthusiasm and Disillusionment

Paraska Tolan-Szkilnik is a historian of 20th century Africa and the Middle East. She specializes in questions of race, gender, and sex in the post-colonial Maghreb. She has published in Jadaliyya, the Arab Studies Journal, World Art, Monde(s), The Markaz Review, and the International Journal of Middle East Studies, amongst others. Her first book "Maghreb Noir: The Militant-Artists of North Africa and the Struggle for a Pan-African, Post-colonial Future" (Stanford, 2023) tells the story of a group of militant-artists, some Maghrebi, others Angolan, Haitian, or American, who led Pan-African cultural and political projects out of the recently decolonized cities of Rabat, Algiers, and Tunis.

Connect with Paraska Tolan-Szkilnik 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/paraska-tolan-163846201

Hosted by:
Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/?hl=en-gb
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ABOUT AFIKRA
afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.
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Deep History of the Fertile Crescent to the Tigris & Euphrates Under the Ottomans | Faisal Husain Feb 23, 2026

Show notes

Historian Faisal Husain wrote the book "Rivers of the Sultan: The Tigris and Euphrates in the Ottoman Empire" and in this episode, helps us explore the history of the Tigris and Euphrates. He argued for the necessity of understanding human history within the context of geological time, discussing the rivers' origins roughly 20 million years ago, tracing their influence on civilization from the "agricultural revolution" (which some scholars argue was a mistake leading to health issues) to the rise of early urban centers like the Sumerian cities. The conversation highlights the difference between the gentle Euphrates, which attracted early settlements, and the fast and unpredictable Tigris. Shifting to the Ottoman era, Husain examines the environmental challenges of Ottoman Iraq, which was poor in essential resources like grain, metal, and wood suited for construction, and details the extraordinary story of the Euphrates river changing its course in the late 1600s due to a poorly dug irrigation canal. He emphasizes the cultural importance of the palm tree and the vital role of water buffaloes, which made life possible for a quarter of the Iraqi population in the wetlands, whose fate would have otherwise been migration to seek resources and refuge elsewhere.

0:00 Introduction

1:47 When Did the Tigris and Euphrates Start?

3:04 The Importance of Deep History

5:49 Geological Origins: 20 Million Years Ago

7:37 When the Rivers Began to Matter to Homo Sapiens

10:40 The Rationale for Writing Deep History

12:00 Starting Middle East History Before 6th Century Arabia

14:45 The Difference Between the Twin Rivers

17:05 Why Sumerian Civilization Clustered on the Euphrates

20:36 Questioning the Agricultural Revolution

23:16 How Agriculture Began: Trial and Error

27:00 The Consequences of Taming Nature

30:40 The Ottoman Conquest of Iraq

32:20 Why Iraq Was Environmentally Poor for a Major Power

36:06 Iraq’s Default Status Under Iranian States

38:25 Baghdad in the 16th Century

42:25 The Euphrates Shifts Course (Late 1600s)

47:09 Water Buffaloes: The Essential Technology of the Wetlands

49:28 Ranking the Most Important Crops

51:03 Evliya Çelebi: The Traveler

54:49 Ottoman vs. European Traveler Perspectives

58:35 The Book Cover: Baghdad on the Tigris

Faisal Husain is an environmental historian of the Ottoman Empire, with a geographical focus on its eastern provinces in Anatolia and Iraq and a temporal focus on the early modern period. His first book "Rivers of the Sultan" examined the role of the Tigris and Euphrates in the establishment of Ottoman state institutions in the Ottoman eastern borderland between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. His second book project is an environmental history of Ottoman frontier expansion east of the Euphrates during the sixteenth century. He is co-editing a book on the global histories of animals (under contract with Oxford University Press) with Emily Wakild (Boise State University) and Nancy Jacobs (Brown University). In 2024-2025, he served as a senior lecturer at Boğaziçi University’s Department of History in Istanbul through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. He serves on several editorial boards, including those of Marmara Türkiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi (Marmara University), Global Environment (White Horse Press), and the “Middle East Environmental Histories” book series (Leiden University Press).

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Graphic Design & the Arab Creative Inflection Point | Ruba Abu-Nimah Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

Award-winning creative director Ruba Abu-Nimah (known to many as @ruba on Instagram) discusses the state of creativity in the Arab world, the importance of young Arab talent embracing their culture, and the challenges of navigating corporate spaces as a Palestinian in the West. She talks about the foundational skills of graphic design, the vital role of design in communication, spaces and politics, and about her career so far. She also shares her strong belief that the Arab world is now the next frontier in global creativity.

0:00 Introduction

1:46 Passion For Graphic Design and Swiss Modernism

3:05 The Difference Between Past and Present Graphic Design Education

4:45 The Craft of Graphic Design and the Importance of Traditional Language

6:00 First Gig: Disruptive Innovation at French Glamour

8:02 Ingredients for Success: Passion, Nerdiness and London's Creative Influence

12:48 Defining Graphic Designer vs Creative Director

14:40 Graphic Design as the Foundation of Communication

15:40 The Subjectivity of Taste and the Role of Instinct

17:50 Design in the Arab World: Considered Cities vs Chaos

21:45 The Arab Creative Inflection Point: Youth, Voice and New Trends

22:47 Rejecting Emulation: Talent Rooted in Culture and Heritage

24:34 The Arab World Is the Next Frontier in Creativity

25:17 Navigating Prominent Positions as a Palestinian

26:35 Hiding in Plain Sight: The Forced Negation of Arab Origins

28:24 "Loud and Proud": The Momentum of the Arab Diaspora Today

30:21 The Prevailing Attitude: a Son's Act of Defiance

33:47 Corporate America vs Street Change

36:09 Corporate Structures Will Eventually Catch Up With Culture

40:03 The Brilliance of the Mamdani Campaign Design

41:17 Conspicuous Consumption vs Useful Design

48:45 Relationship With Social Media Platforms: Instagram and the Unhinged Threads

50:51 Instagram's Value: Finding and Commissioning Creatives

53:23 The Sweetest Revenge: Upscrolled and the Irony of Palestinian Tech Success

54:00 Recommendations: Arab Creatives To Look Up

Ruba Abu-Nimah is a Swiss creative executive of Palestinian descent who has worked in the fashion and cosmetic industries. She was the executive creative director for marketing and communications at Tiffany & Co. from March 2021 to February 2023. She previously worked at Revlon, Elle magazine, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, and Shiseido. She was the first female creative director at Elle magazine in the US. In 2018, Ruba collaborated with Nike to design the Air Force 1 Low "Love" shoe embodying equality and acceptance. She has collaborated with Phillip Lim on the New York Tougher Than Ever initiative, as well as a limited-edition sweatshirt to raise funds for Lebanon following the 2020 Beirut explosion.

Connect with Ruba Abu-Nimah 👉

https://instagram.com/ruba

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The Science of Teaching: Addressing the Global Education Crisis | ⁠Dr Asyia Kazmi Feb 09, 2026

Show notes

We delve into the stark realities of learning inequality, the crucial role of the science of teaching, and the transformative power of education, even in the face of conflict. Dr. Asyia Kazmi, CEO of WISE (World Innovation Summit for Education), an organization that is part of the Qatar Foundation, helps us explore the challenges and solutions in global education. As a former math teacher, Dr. Kazmi offers specific, evidence-based strategies for improving learning outcomes — including the concept of structured pedagogy — and discusses the nuances of AI and education, urging caution and the need for region-specific, full-stack solutions. Dr. Kazmi emphasizes that improving learning (not just access to schooling) must be the primary goal for policy. She confronts the notion that poverty is an insurmountable barrier to educational success, asserting that educators have a deep responsibility to provide a pathway out of poverty for low-income students. The conversation also delves into the unique challenges of the Arab world, highlighting the 60% learning poverty rate in our region.

This episode was produced in collaboration with Qatar Foundation.

Find out more about WISE 👉 wise-qatar.org

0:00 Introduction

2:01 From Classroom Teacher to Education Policy

6:03 Challenging Assumptions: Pedagogy Is a Science

10:18 The Focus on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy

16:42 Teacher Responsibility to Overcome Poverty

21:49 Education Challenges in the Arab World

26:14 Resilience and Integrity: Lessons from Gaza

30:28 The Perils and Promise of AI in Education

39:35 Leveraging AI to Support Teachers

44:44 The Secrets of Successful Education Systems

Dr. Asyia Kazmi brings over 30 years of experience in education across government, philanthropy, and international development, with a distinguished track record of improving learning outcomes for underserved communities. Before joining Qatar Foundation, she served as the Global Education Policy Lead at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she helped create a global edtech and AI portfolio that positively impacted 2.5 million children. She began her career as a mathematics teacher and teacher coach before moving into leadership roles in the public and private sectors. At PwC, she led the UK government’s $1 billion Girls’ Education Challenge, supporting 1.5 million girls across 17 countries. She has also served in senior roles across three UK Government departments, including as Senior Education Adviser at DFID, Project Director at the Department for Education, and Her Majesty’s Senior Inspector at Ofsted. She holds a Master’s in Applied Mathematics from Imperial College London, a Doctorate in Education from University College London, and two PGCEs in mathematics teaching and leadership development. She was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s 2022 New Year’s Honours List for her contributions to girls’ education.

Connect with Asyia Kazmi 👉

https://instagram.com/wiseqatar

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⁠Innovation Rooted in Culture: On Deep Tech, Brain Drain & Impact | ⁠Rama Chakaki Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

The president of the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), discusses her unique vision for innovation in the Arab world, emphasizing the crucial need to tie technological advancement to our roots, culture, heritage, and fundamental needs. Rama Chakaki shares insights from her career, which is defined by bridging the gap between impact and financial return, and explains QSTP's role as a platform for global innovation, nurturing deep-tech companies in sectors like AI, robotics, and biotech, with a focus on impact. The discussion delves into the pervasive "brain drain" phenomenon, with Chakaki observing a "reverse brain drain" as Arabs return to Doha and the region due to safety, resource availability, and a culture of belonging. She champions a bottom-up approach to innovation and addresses common misconceptions about Arab women in tech, highlighting their high representation in tech degrees and leadership roles. Finally, Chakaki challenges the Silicon Valley "unicorn" model, advocating for a community-built "elephant" model that prioritizes the double or triple bottom line—caring for people, the environment, and financial returns.

Explore Qatar Science and Technology Park 👉 https://qstp.qa/

This episode was produced in collaboration with Qatar Foundation.

01:33 Introduction

02:55 Defining Deep Tech

04:08 An Innovative Vision for the Arab Region

07:38 The Communal Education Framework

10:59 The State of Innovation: Green, Yellow, and Red Lights

13:42 Blending Impact and Financial Return

18:57 The Global Phenomenon of Brain Drain

26:43 QSTP's Global Mandate

28:37 Examples of Culturally Rooted Innovation

36:18 The "Elephant" Model and Triple Bottom Line

44:00 The Risk of Free Products and Data

48:15 Misconceptions About Arab Women In Tech

51:26 Advice To Her Younger Self

55:16 Suggested Reading

Syrian-American Impact Tech Entrepreneur, Investor and philanthropist, Rama Chakaki is the president of the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP). Prior to her role at QSTP, she was a partner at Transform VC, a Silicon Valley firm enabling 1000 tech founders to impact a billion and make a billion by investing in deep tech with climate and social impact. Rama was instrumental in building the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Middle East. In addition to her corporate roles, Rama runs an edTech nonprofit (VIP.fund) supporting youth impacted by conflict. Rama has been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, the Monitor, Arab Women Rising, a Wharton School of Business Publication and The power of presence, a book by Joy Moore.

Connect with Rama Chakaki 👉

https://instagram.com/rchakaki

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Founder of Mille World Sofia Guellaty | Fashion, Soft Power & the New Arab Identity Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

The unifying youth culture across the Arab region is characterized by a proud new Arab identity and the changing standards of beauty with the rise of "Arab beauty" (A beauty), which celebrates Arab features and aesthetics. The founder of Mille World and Mille Creative, Sofia Guellaty, talks about her journey launching the first Arab youth platform in the Arab world, the role of media professionals as "editors of conversations," and the emergence of a new, proud Arab identity among both Gen Z and millennials. She discusses how she uses fashion and pop culture as a tool for "soft power" to talk about liberation, representation, and diversity, moving away from superficial content. She reflects on her early career, her shift from being fascinated by the West to "unbashedly proud to be Arab," and the challenges faced by Arab talent, including visa issues and the lack of an Arab-centric market. The conversation also delves into how her platform, Mille World, aims to address the lack of authentic Arab youth representation by giving a voice to young creatives who want to define their own stories, not be perceived through a "western gaze".

Explore Mille World 👉 https://www.instagram.com/mille_world/

0:00 Introduction

2:06 The First Arab Youth Platform

3:51 Media Consumption and Identity & Obsession with the West

7:20 Fashion’s Role: Beyond Clothes to Communication Techniques

10:47 Becoming Editors of Conversations

18:47 Representation in Modeling: the Arab Face

20:07 Barriers for Arab Talent: Visa Issues and Market Size

24:46 Structurally Flawed Media and the Need for Critique

29:27 The Complexities of Arab Identity and Community

34:04 The Unifying New Arab Identity and Its Pillars

36:16 Changing Standards: The Rise of Arab Beauty

40:56 Cultural Blind Spots and Local Talent in the Region

45:00 Homegrown Talent Shaping the New Narrative

49:14 Fixing the Creative Industries with Unlimited Capital

52:57 Stories of Pride: Being the Torchbearer of Anti-Colonial Sentiment

Sofia Guellaty is the founder and creative director of Mille World, a digital magazine that chronicles Arab youth culture and style currents. She has grown the Dubai-based business into a cultural platform covering art, fashion, beauty, music and travel scenes across the Middle East and North Africa, featuring bold storytelling and sharp commentary from underrepresented voices in both Arabic and English. Under Guellaty’s leadership, Mille has become a vital alternative voice in the Arabic media landscape and a refreshing read for Gen Z and Millennials across the region. Blending her sleek editorial vision with fearless cultural commentary and an unconventional perspective, Mille explores everything from Libyan streetwear to Palestinian DJs and Lebanese jewellery designers. Beyond her editorial work, Guellaty serves as a board member of Fashion Trust Arabia and operates Mille Creative, a Dubai- and Riyadh-based marketing and creative agency producing campaigns for global brands. She launched Mille in 2017 after serving as editor of Condé Nast’s first Middle East venture, Style.com/Arabia, while contributing to Vanity Fair France. Born and raised in Tunisia, Guellaty began her media career in Paris, freelancing for Elle France and later publishing her novel ‘Le Sablier’.

Connect with Sofia Guellaty 👉

https://instagram.com/sofiaguellaty

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A History of Algeria & the Worlds of Islam | Professor James McDougall Jan 12, 2026

Show notes

The conversation covers the historical emergence of Algeria as a political and territorial unit, starting in the Ottoman period in the 16th century. Key pivotal moments in Algerian history are highlighted, including French colonialism beginning in 1830, which led to a settler colonial project, the rise of the modern mass nationalist movement in the interwar period, the War of National Liberation (1954–1962), and the decade of violence in the 1990s. The latter half of the conversation focuses on the "Worlds of Islam," emphasizing a polycentric history with no single center. A historian, professor at the University of Oxford, and author of books "A History of Algeria" and "The Worlds of Islam: A Global History", James McDougall details the diverse "technologies" of Islam's spread, including its compelling initial mission, the appeal of social mobility for non-Arabs, trade networks, and the influence of Sufism. He also discusses the historical roots of Islamophobia, which is traced to the 19th-century colonial moment. He discusses why he was drawn to studying Algeria, a country he notes is often ignored in Middle East studies and is known as "the land of a million martyrs" for its iconic history of resistance to colonialism.

0:00 Introduction

2:08 Intellectual Curiosity and Addressing Poor Understanding of the Region

7:37 When Did Algeria Begin to Exist? Debunking the Colonial Narrative

12:38 Pivotal Moments in Algerian History

13:48 The Ottoman Period (16th–19th Century) and Connection to the Levant

16:29 Settler Colonialism Under the French (1830 Onwards)

19:46 The War of National Liberation (1954–1962)

20:41 The Violence of the 1990s

21:35 Is the War of Independence Connected to the 1990s Civil Strife?

23:34 The Legacy of French Colonial Misunderstanding and Racism

31:27 Algeria as an Anti-Colonial Symbol Across the Arab World

32:18 Leadership of the Algerian Revolution

38:37 The Worlds of Islam: A Polycentric Global History

46:05 Technologies of Islam's Spread

49:18 Muslims as a Minority in the Middle East After the Early Conquests

53:15 Why Islam Did Not Spread Everywhere Earlier

55:20 The Historical Development of Islamophobia

Readings on Global history and Islamic history:

Josephine Quinn, How the World Made the West: A 4000 Year History (2024)

Cemil Aydin, The Idea of the Muslim World: A Global Intellectual History (2017)

Readings on Algeria:

Natalya Vince, The Algerian War, the Algerian Revolution (2020)

Malika Rahal, Algérie 1962, une histoire populaire (2022)

Jeffrey James Byrne, Mecca of Revolution: Algeria, Decolonization, and the Third World Order (2016)

Thomas Serres, The Suspended Disaster: Governing by Crisis in Bouteflika’s Algeria (2023)

Muriam Haleh Davis, Markets of Civilization: Islam and Racial Capitalism in Algeria (2022)

Christopher Silver, Recording History: Jews, Muslims and Music across 20th century North Africa (2022)

Sara Rahnema, The Future is Feminist: Women and Social Change in Interwar Algeria (2023)

Arthur Asseraf, Electric News in Colonial Algeria (2019)

James Robert McDougall is a British historian and Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Oxford and Laithwaite Fellow in History at Trinity College, Oxford. His research mainly addresses the modern and contemporary Mediterranean; Middle Eastern, African and Islamic history, especially Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco, but also the history of European imperialism in the Arab world, modern Arab intellectual and political history, and the global history of Islam since c.1700; the French colonial empire in Africa; the Sahara; nationalism and revolutionary movements in Asia and Africa; comparative imperial history; historiography and critical theory.

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Textile Workers & the Syrian-American Working Class | Stacy D. Fahrenthold Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

Discover the interconnectedness of peddling and factory work, the surprising origins of the Aloha shirt, and the key role Syrian workers played in major labor actions like the 1912 Bread and Roses strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Associate Professor of History at the University of California and author of "Unmentionables: Textiles, Garment Work, and the Syrian American Working Class" Dr. Stacy D. Fahrenthold discusses her work which offers a class-conscious history of the Syrian-American diaspora, a community of about half a million people in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s. While the "peddler" is often the central figure and icon of this diaspora's economic history for over a century, Fahrenthold shifts the focus to the new immigrants who came to the U.S. and found work in the textile industries. The conversation explores the hidden role of Syrian-American garment workers, particularly young women, who produced goods like "kimonos", undergarments, stockings, and household textiles.

0:00 Introducing Unmentionables & Shifting the Icon from Peddler to Laborer

0:40 Lawrence, Massachusetts: The Second Largest Arab-American Community

1:48 Who Was The Syrian American Working Class?

2:41 The Gap in Arab-American Diaspora History

3:14 Textiles and Garment Work

4:50 The Peddler: Icon vs Reality

7:12 Labor Experience In The U.S. vs Greater Syria

8:50 Skilled Silk Weavers and First-Time Proletarians

10:14 Syrian Workers and Global Labor Movements

11:27 The Bread and Roses Strike of 1912

15:09 Dynamite, Arrests and Militarization of the Syrian Neighborhood

19:16 Scale of Syrian Immigration Compared to Other Groups

22:14 The Majority of Textile Workers Were Women

24:43 The Connection to the Silk Industry in Mount Lebanon

27:28 A Look Inside a Syrian-American Garment Factory

29:04 The Kimono: Branding and Orientalism

31:50 The Effacement of Origins in the Marketplace

35:36 Economic and Social Mobility For Syrian-American Families

39:03 The Legacy of Syrian-American Textile Companies

40:01 The Lebanese Origins of The Aloha Shirt

43:14 Marghab Linen and Racial Stereotyping

44:22 Geographic Dispersion of Syrian Communities

47:09 Illicit Activity and Contraband in the Diaspora

49:22 Recommended Readings In Arab-American History

Stacy Fahrenthold is a historian of the modern Middle East specializing in labor migration; displacement/refugees; border studies; and diasporas within and from the region. Her new book "Unmentionables: Textiles, Garment Work, and the Syrian American Working Class" examines how Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian immigrant workers navigated processes of racialization, immigration restriction, and labor contestation in the textile industries of the Atlantic world. It recently received the Middle East Studies Association's 2025 Nikki Keddie Award for "outstanding scholarly work in religion, revolution, and/or society." Her award-winning first book, "Between the Ottomans and the Entente: The First World War in the Syrian and Lebanese Diaspora" examines the politics of Syrian and Lebanese migration to the Americas during the First World War, the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and the rise of European Mandates in the Middle East. Fahrenthold is Associate Editor of Mashriq & Mahjar: Journal of Middle Eastern and North African Migration Studies.

Connect with Stacy D. Fahrenthold 👉

https://instagram.com/sdfahrenthold

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Julia Elyachar | On the Semicivilized: Coloniality, Finance & Embodied Sovereignty in Cairo Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

The discussion covers the evolving role of debt as an instrument of empire, the emergence of sovereign wealth funds, and the ways financial instruments and flows of money subtly shape political realities and people's lives in the region. Professor Elyachar discusses her latest book "On the Semicivilized: Coloniality, Finance, and Embodied Sovereignty in Cairo" and how she challenges the notion that global finance originated solely in the West. The conversation delves into the history of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and their role in economic development, particularly in "pushing debt as a form of development". A Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University whose work examines the intersection of finance, political economy, and the Arab world, Elyachar also shares her family's history as sarrafs (bankers/brokers) in Ottoman Palestine, and how this tradition sparked her interest in finance and economics. She also explains the historical legal category of the "semicivilized," a term used in international law to describe the Ottoman Empire and other non-European powers who were recognized as legitimate sovereigns.

01:13 Introduction

03:31 A Family History of Finance in Ottoman Palestine

06:52 Fieldwork in Cairo: Informal Economy and Debt

10:15 The Problem of NGOs and "NGOification"

15:53 Debt As an Instrument of Empire

23:28 Defining "Semicivilized"

37:57 The Central Question: Finance and Violence

50:12 The Rise of Sovereign Wealth Funds

56:11 Turning Debt Into Assets

Julia Elyachar is an anthropologist, political economist, and award winning author. She was trained in anthropology, economics, history of political and economic thought, political economy, social theory, Middle Eastern Studies, and Arabic language. She is an associate professor of anthropology at Princeton University, and associate professor at the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies. She is a Faculty Researcher with the Dignity and Debt network and serves on the Executive Boards of the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, and the Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies. She has published the books "Markets of Dispossession: NGOs, Economic Development, and the State in Cairo" and "On the Semicivilized: Coloniality, Finance, and Embodied Sovereignty in Cairo" (2025).

Connect with Julia Elyachar 👉 https://twitter.com/JuliaElyachar

Hosted by Mikey Muhanna

Connect directly with Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://instagram.com/mikey_mu

Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani 🔊 https://spoti.fi/47I59ns

FOLLOW & RATE THE THE AFIKRA PODCAST:

» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/lb/podcast/the-afikra-podcast/id1529437743

» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5nafoF1Zs7F48mGZjlhrze

» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1014643869

THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK

Explore all episodes in this series:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl5xaTkBDrUKLCulvoCE8ubX

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Iraq: Eras of Rupture & the Illusions of Nostalgia | Zainab Saleh Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

The discussion delves into the complex historical eras of Iraq, challenging binary understandings of its past and present. A professor at Haverford College and author of "Political Undesirables: Citizen Denaturalization and Reclamation in Iraq and Return to Ruin: Iraqi Narratives of Exile and Nostalgia", Zainab Saleh discusses how the Iraq she grew up in—during the Ba'ath Party reign and under Saddam Hussein—was a time of fear and repression, despite the earlier period of high hopes and political aspirations in the 1940s and 1950s. She explores the concept of nostalgia for the Saddam era, which exists even among those who suffered under the regime, because of the basic services that were provided. The conversation offers a nuanced timeline of modern Iraqi history, from World War I's role in creating Middle Eastern nation-states through the Ottoman and British rules, the monarchy, and the Ba'ath Party. A key focus is placed on the 1990s as a major turning point, with the 1991 bombardment and subsequent sanctions leading to the rapid deterioration of infrastructure, increased social problems like begging and corruption, and environmental collapse. We consider the argument that the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and the US invasion should be viewed as one long, continuous war. Saleh critiques the simplistic narrative that Americans brought to Iraq after 2003, arguing that it institutionalized a sectarian political system. She emphasizes that the American discourse—classifying Sunnis as loyalists and Shia or Kurds as oppressed—ignored the reality of mixed communities and complex political loyalties. Saleh explores the historical use of denaturalization in Iraq, a topic central to her latest book. She details how the British and subsequent Iraqi regimes used the pretext of "political undesirables" to strip citizens of their rights, citing examples such as Iraqi Jews in the 1950s and Iraqis of Iranian origin in the 1980s.

0:00 Introduction

1:50 When Did The Iraq You Grew Up In Start?

2:54 The High Hopes of the 1940s and 1950s

3:33 Nostalgia, Time, and Loss

7:09 The Broad Phases of Iraqi History

9:33 Cultural Renaissance Under the Monarchy

10:00 Vibrant Leftist Politics in the Monarchy Era

11:39 Nostalgia for the Monarchy

13:00 The Largest Effect on Daily Life: 1991 Bombardment and Sanctions

16:29 Connecting the Wars: One Long War

17:59 The Lead-up to Saddam's Invasion of Kuwait

19:33 The Vision of the Neoconservatives

20:40 Misunderstandings about US Imperialism

22:11 The Myth of Iraqi Sectarianism

23:24 The Institutionalization of a Sectarian System

25:27 The Role of the Iraqi Opposition Abroad

28:29 Phases of Post-2003 Iraq

29:12 The Civil War and Proxy War (2006-2008)

30:20 Displacement and the Reorganization of Iraqi Society

30:52 Social Mobilization: 2011 and the Tishreen Uprising (2019)

31:24 The Catastrophe of ISIS

34:29 The Problem with Nostalgic Photos

40:14 When One Dictator Becomes a Source of Nostalgia

41:16 The Book: Political Undesirables and Denaturalization

41:59 The Deportation of Iraqis of Iranian Origin (1980)

44:48 Denaturalization as a Systemic Pattern

48:19 Issuing Passports After World War I

51:00 The Expulsion of Iraqi Jews (1950)

51:25 Iraqi Jews as an Integral Part of Society

52:44 The Ancient History of Babylonian Jews

55:20 The Basis for Expulsion

58:19 Recommended Readings on Iraqi History

Zainab Saleh is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Haverford College and the author of books "Return to Ruin: Iraqi Narratives of Exile and Nostalgia" (2020) and "Political Undesirables: Citizenship, Denaturalization, and Reclamation in Iraq" (2025).

Connect with Zainab Saleh 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/zainab-saleh-669a7b253

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