Personal Information
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Given name: Ameena









Surname: Aljerman Alali









Email: ameena.aljarman@gmail.com









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Your contribution
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Title: The Body as Parallel Archive: Afro-Emirati Memory in the Arabian Peninsula









Format: Project presentation (2)









Main language: English









Abstract:
This artistic research project explores how Afro-Emirati slavery memory can be engaged through the body as a parallel archive in the Arabian Peninsula. In the region, history has largely been shaped through written narratives connected to institutional authority and nation-building. Within this framework, histories related to Indian Ocean slavery, are not fully articulated in public discourse.
The project examines how embodied practices have carried memory across generations, instead of attempting to correct the known written history. It asks: What happens when ritual, movement, and inter-generational gestures are recognized as parallel forms of historical process ?
Through video installation, recorded performances, and oral documentation, I examine Afro-Emirati practices such as Liwa dance and domestic ceremonial rituals as embodied archives. These forms transmit history through rhythm, repetition, and gesture, operating alongside textual historiography rather than in opposition to it.
While grounded in Afro-Emirati experience, the project reflects more broadly on how history might be approached beyond event-based narration. It proposes a shift from understanding history solely as recorded information toward recognizing it as lived and transmitted knowledge. Artistic research becomes a space for acknowledging the endurance of embodied memory within complex social and political contexts.











Link to the Exposition :  (https://www.researchcatalogue.net/shared/30a8ffc80150dd40c6ef10b53962041f)









Image: https://test.sar2026.ie/system/files/webform/submit_contribution/316/Ameena_Alali_Grandma%20Ameena%20Wishes%201.jpg









Short biographies of the presenter(s):
- Ameena Aljerman Al Ali is a UAE-based visual artist and artistic researcher working across installation, video, sculpture, and text. She holds an MFA from Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design (Stockholm, Sweden) and a double major BA in Visual Art and International Studies from Zayed University (Dubai, UAE). And has completed a diploma in Archaeology and Museology Management. Ameena’s work focuses on fragments of history, particularly the legacy of the enslaved and the post-slavery lives of Afro-Emiratis in the Arabian/Persian Gulf region. Her practice also extends to site-responsive and public-space research, including projects developed in Japan, Thailand, and the UAE.










Previous presentations or iterations of the research:
Related aspects of this research were presented in 2024–2025 at Umeå University (Hurricanes and Scaffolding Symposium on Artistic Research) and at APARN (Artistic Research for Creative Communities Conference). These earlier presentations explored embodied memory and Afro-Emirati ritual practices. The current proposal develops the work further by framing the body as a parallel archival system within the historiographic context of the Arabian Peninsula.














Requirements
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Additional information:
Brief history of Afro-Emirati slavery memory within the Arabian Peninsula and Indian Ocean slavery. 
Introduction to the methodological framework (embodied archive, parallel historiography)
Visual presentation of selected works ( still images and short excerpts)
Reflection on how embodied practice operates as a parallel mode. 










Spatial and technical requirements :
Standard conference presentation setup (projector and screen)
Laptop connection (HDMI or USB-C adaptor compatibility)
Audio playback capability (speakers) for short video excerpts











Potential risks or ethical concerns:
• The research showcase historically sensitive material related to Afro-Emirati slavery memory.
• The project does not aim at direct political confrontation, but explores embodied practice as a parallel form of historical transmission.










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