Roundtable: Anti-imperial feminist architectures of resistance

Grounded in the ongoing struggles of movements and activists confronting imperialism in its varied forms, the roundtable will explore the translocal circulation of global solidarities. We situate this dialogue within the momentum of contemporary demilitarisation and anti-imperial organising, particularly inspired by the enduring Palestinian struggle, and against the rise of British and transnational right-wing authoritarianism.

Centring queer, feminist, anti-colonial, and anti-imperial approaches, the roundtable interrogates how intersecting modalities of control—gender, sexuality, class, race, nation, and others—constitute and challenge systems of imperialism, coloniality, fascism, and extractive capitalism. In this revolutionary spirit, the discussion will focus on building feminist, queer, anti-imperial, and anti-colonial architectures of resistance.

Speakers

Dr Afaf Jabiri is a senior lecturer at the School of Law and Business at the University of East London (UEL), bringing over 25 years of expertise in anti-colonial feminism, gender-based violence (GBV), development and humanitarian issues within the Arab region, particularly in Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and Yemen. Her research critically examines the intricate intersections of gender, colonialism, forced displacement, and diaspora, illuminating the unique gendered challenges faced in these contexts. Dr Jabiri is the author of two books: Palestinian Refugee Women from Syria to Jordan, which explores the geopolitical dimensions of gendered displacement, and Gendered Politics of Law in Jordan, which investigates the enduring impacts of colonial legacies on women’s rights. In addition to her books, she has contributed to a variety of academic, professional, and open access journals, as well as authored regional and national reports on gender equality and GBV. Through her engagement with feminist networks in the Global South and her activism, Dr Jabiri is dedicated to integrating scholarship with activism, ensuring that feminist anti-colonial and intersectional theories translate into meaningful actions and transformative change both within the Arab region and beyond.

Dr Dilar Dirik was born in Antakya and grew up in Offenbach am Main. She is a researcher, writer and organiser. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Cambridge. From 2019-2023, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford. Her book ‘The Kurdish Women’s Movement: History, Theory, Practice’, an in-depth ethnography of the autonomous women's struggle in Kurdistan and was published with Pluto Press in 2022. Dilarhas left academia and now focuses on political education and internationalist alliance-building work.

The roundtable will be followed by a reception.

 Registration will close two hours before the event begins.