PANEL │ Islamophobia in Poland [free event]

Discussion panel “Constructing Otherness: Islamophobia in Poland”

will be devoted to contemporary manifestations of Islamophobia and Arabophobia, Arab feminism and how these phenomena shape the understanding of current geopolitical events and the consequences of colonial policies.

📅 26 February, 18:00–20:00

🎟️ Free tickets are required.

The “Constructing Otherness” series creates a space for critical reflection on exclusion, minorities and mechanisms of discrimination in the Polish context.

During the February meeting we will discuss contemporary manifestations of Islamophobia and Arabophobia — phenomena rooted in culture, pop culture and dominant media narratives. We will address how stereotypes and racist simplifications are reproduced and reinforced by (neo)liberal propaganda, migration policies, the discourse of “security” and West-centric and imperial narratives.

We will also address issues of Arab feminism — its systemic marginalization, misunderstanding and delegitimization by white and liberal feminism — and how queerness and non-heteronormativity are sometimes instrumentally used to legitimize colonial narratives and violence.

The meeting will be an opportunity to talk about the experiences of people affected by anti-Arabism and Islamophobia and about how these phenomena shape our understanding of current events and the consequences of colonial policies.

Speakers:

• Jakub Al‑Darawsheh – researcher and development practitioner, student of social change studies at the University of Warsaw; focuses on the experiences of queer people in the Middle East and the phenomenon of “double displacement”.
• Dr Karolina Rak – orientalist, Arabist, literary scholar, assistant professor at the Institute of the Near and Middle East at the Jagiellonian University; she deals with contemporary social and cultural issues of the Middle East and North Africa.

☎️ More information / accessibility: dostepnosc@ethnomuseum.pl; tel. 502 955 534 (SMS possible). Please contact by phone Monday to Friday between 8:00 and 16:00.