Modern nation-states are often thought of in terms of what one might call the “Sleeping Beauty metaphor”,  the belief that the nation had always existed, simply awaiting its historical awakening. This metaphor, which gained popularity following the events of the Glorious and French Revolutions, was projected onto colonized states, where

A promised land is a place that people, belonging from a particular community, believe was created for them. This belief often comes from religious stories or traditions passed down through generations. These lands are seen as sacred and essentially as a gift from a higher deity. In the Bible, for

To map Egypt, the British began to map what was not Egypt. Here, villages were divided, and imaginaries were created. But how did Rafah come into play as the final point – and when did we begin to treat this division as reality? Two soldiers stand under an olive tree

The story of the Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia can be summarised by the rise and death of one man. A man who ruled the country for over four decades, and after his death, the country’s downfall ensued. Before we delve into the story of Yugoslavia, it is essential to

“Bayt al-Hikmah”, “House of Wisdom”, is a central institution in Islamic intellectual history. Some think that it represents the mental transformation that took place in the Islamic world. Bayt al-Hikmah flourished within the Abbasid caliphate between the 8th and 10th centuries. This center played an important role in the intellectual

Maps and power aren’t often paired, but in Africa’s story, they’ve always walked hand in hand. Lines were drawn not to guide, but to divide and rule. Before colonialism, Africa was a thriving continent of kingdoms, empires, and autonomous nations, each governing its affairs according to its customs, laws, and

In the 19th century, European powers divided Africa among themselves. Spain claimed the Western Sahara in 1884 and named it “the Spanish Sahara”. Located in the northwest of Africa, the territory is bordered by Morocco, Mauritania, and Algeria, and is home to the Sahrawi people.  Often referred to as Africa’s

A report that dates back to July 2024 claims that over 10,000 women have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. UN Women gives it a slogan, calls it a “war on women”.  The gendered nature of state-sponsored violence is not new. Wars, and in this case genocide, have been

In the hills of Jabal Nafusa, the streets of Zuwara, and the oasis towns of Ghadames and Awjila, the Amazigh flag waves once again. For decades, Libya’s indigenous people were silenced under the Arab nationalist regime. Today, they are slowly writing themselves back into the history of Libya. But what