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Ghost Writers of Upper Egypt: A Paradigm Shift in Archaeological Knowledge Production

By Wendy Doyon. Within the global archive of archaeology created by the past two centuries of excavation in the Middle East and North Africa, a significant portion of archival documents, notes, and photos form a shadow archive of Middle Eastern history. It documents the knowledge transfer, techniques, craftsmanship, apprenticeship, material studies, and linguistic community of Arabic-speaking co-producers of archaeological knowledge. Rayyis Sayyid Ahmad Sayyid Dirāz and his family are the “Ghost Writers” par excellence of Upper Egypt. Their first-hand narrative of excavation over thirty years of work in the field is the best documented example we have of the fundamentally multilingual process of archaeological knowledge production in Egypt and Sudan.

“It is Crucial that Courts Uphold the Rights of Individuals” – 5in10 with Beate Streicher

Beate Streicher is a legal professional with extensive experience in international law, human rights, and advocacy. She is currently serving as a legal advisor on international law at Amnesty International Germany. She is skilled in drafting submissions for legislative processes and international monitoring, with a deep understanding of human rights law and a strong commitment to social justice and equity. Her re:constitution research project (2024/25) examines gender stereotypes in court proceedings and decisions, and her mobility period is being conducted at the Council of Europe Programme Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals.

War Memorials in Russian-Occupied Ukraine

By Denys Shatalov. The monuments we encounter in a territory tell us not so much about its past as about present ideology. The new study by Mischa Gabowitsch and Mykola Homanyuk, “Monuments and Territory. War Memorials in Russian-Occupied Ukraine” explores the fate of war memorials in the Russian-occupied territories during the first year of the ongoing full-scale war. The authors focus on war memorials honouring different eras and conflicts, from the medieval battle of Kalka to the Soviet War in Afghanistan and the Anti-Terrorist Operation in Eastern Ukraine (2014–2022), erected in Soviet times or during Ukrainian independence.

„Ḥamā lam tamut” (“Hama did not die”) – Remembering the Hama Massacre after the Fall of the Assad Regime

By Anna Christina Scheiter. With the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, the brutal violence with which the regime had held on to power for 54 years came increasingly and overwhelmingly into the public eye. The Hama massacre in February 1982 is a momentous example of this violence. This central and defining event of Assad’s rule, which was a strong taboo for decades and has never been discussed or dealt with publicly, is now openly and freely commemorated for the first time and the victims are mourning on the occasion of its 43rd anniversary in February 2025. Addressing the Assad regime’s atrocities of the last 54 years openly at last and seeking justice for its victims is central for social reconciliation and a basis for the establishment of a new collective identity after the end of the dictatorship.

Disability, Colonialism, and Global History

By Zoe Wineck and Hunadah Al Hariri. The authors start by introducing the field of Global History, explaining its shortcomings regarding epistemic invisibility, and the real-world impact of the field. In the following, they look at how war caused disabilities as a form of colonial subjugation. More specifically, they look at the case of Israel-Palestine and argue that the state of Israel, since its establishment in 1948, has consistently used the maiming of Palestinians as a colonial tool. The history of this practice has been marginalized in historiography but is essential to understanding the conflict today.

“Let Us Imagine a Parallel Universe” – 5in10 with Zoya Masoud

Zoya Masoud works at the intersection of postcolonial studies, post-foundational urban theory, and critical heritage studies. As of Autumn 2024, she has taken on the role of postdoctoral researcher within the framework of the ERC-funded project “BEYONDREST,” based at the Forum Transregionale Studien. Her current research initiative is titled Irrestitutable: Inquiries into Hauntings of Absent Cultural Heritage. In October 2024, she successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation entitled “Dislocated. Heritage Construction through Experience of Loss in Aleppo” at the Technical University of Berlin within the DFG Research Training Group “Identity and Heritage.”

Akouda 1943: A Voice from the Margins

By Cyrine Kortas. “Akouda 1943” is the third novel by Tunisian writer Houayda Ben Halima, published in 2017. The story takes place in the author’s hometown during World War II, when Tunisia was a battleground between Axis and Allied forces. Through her unique storytelling that merges history and fiction, Ben Halima informs readers about wartime politics while evoking deep emotional responses through well-developed characters and historical research to reflect on the human condition in times of conflict. For readers seeking a deep dive into the complexities of war through an engaging narrative lens, the novel offers a compelling experience that remains relevant today.

“Affectueusement, Laila”: Being a Communist “Foreign” Woman in Post-colonial Egypt

By Rim Naguib. Naguib’s research surveys a process of securitization of nationality and foreigners’ residence, whereby the right to Egyptian nationality and to residence in Egypt were instrumentalized in the colonial and post-colonial policing of leftist internationalist ideas and movements. While analyzing state practice, Naguib also inquires into how this particular policing technique impacted the lives of individuals, and how those who were the most likely targets of deportation resisted their remov-al in different ways. The story of Noémie Canel is one such account.

Dissimilar Integration Policies in Scandinavia: The Experience of Ukrainian Refugees

By Marthe Handå Myhre and Oleksandra Deineko. Since February 2022, thousands of Ukrainians have fled to Europe. Despite the fact that all three Skandinavian countries grant Ukrainian refugees residence permit, the distinct national integration policies continue to shape the everyday life of Ukrainian refugees and their possibilities for integration into the labor market. What signals have the three countries been sending to the Ukrainian refugees through their integration measures, and how does it affect the integration of Ukrainians? Between February and July 2024, the authors conducted interviews with Ukrainian refugees in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, gaining insight into the challenges they are grappling within the three countries resulting from the respective national policies.

“I have made some unconventional decisions that brought me many pleasant surprises” – 5in10 with Ezgi Özlü

Ezgi Özlü is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Strasbourg and a re:constitution fellow of 2024/2025. She holds a PhD from the University of Strasbourg, where her research focused on how procedural costs affect the right of individual application before the European Court of Human Rights. Having published in three languages, Ezgi’s research interests encompass issues related to access to justice, including legal aid, procedural costs, admissibility requirements, and reparations. She is also focused on topics surrounding the legal profession, such as legal mobilisation, legal ethics, and litigation funding, as well as broader procedural aspects of international adjudication.