Labour, archives, and gender in pre-1948 Palestine

The Maqam for Arabic Studies (MAS) and the European Centre for Palestinian Studies (ECPS) are delighted to invite you to a research talk by Dr Sarah Irving, Associate Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of Staffordshire.

Entitled “Labour, Archives, and Gender in Pre-1948 Palestine,” the talk explores the social history of Palestine through the interconnected themes of labour, archival research, and gender. Drawing on extensive historical research, Dr Irving will examine how everyday experiences, working lives, and gender relations shaped Palestinian society during the late Ottoman and British Mandate periods.

The lecture will consider the role of archives in recovering overlooked histories and voices, highlighting the methodological challenges and opportunities involved in researching the social history of Palestine. Particular attention will be given to the experiences of women and workers, and to the ways in which historical records can illuminate broader questions of identity, power, and social change.

The event will provide an opportunity for students, researchers, and members of the wider community to engage with current scholarship on Palestinian history and to discuss the significance of archival research in understanding the social and political transformations that shaped Palestine before 1948.

Speaker Biography

Dr Sarah Irving is Associate Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of Staffordshire, specialising in the social and cultural history of the modern and late Ottoman and Mandate Middle East, with a particular focus on Palestine and the broader Levant region.

Her current research project investigates the social history of the years immediately before and after 1948, examining how ordinary people experienced profound political and social transformations. She has published extensively on Palestinian engagement with history and ethnographic writing, as well as on the geographical and educational relationship between 1890 and the Nakba.

Dr Irving is also editor-in-chief of the journal Contemporary Levant, published by the Council for British Research in the Levant.

In addition to her academic work, she is the author of several books on Palestinian history and society, including works on Palestine’s social and cultural landscapes and the experiences of communities across the region. Her scholarship is widely recognised for its contribution to understanding everyday life, memory, and historical change in Palestine and the wider Middle East.

We look forward to welcoming you to this event. For further information, please contact the organisers at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter.