Paper short abstract:

This presentation uses photographs and documentary videos to showcase the perspectives, experiences, and methods of resistance of queer people and feminists from Sudan. Materials were collected as part of a Ph.D. project and analyzed using gender media studies and Audio-Visual Character Analysis.

Paper long abstract:

The queer community in Sudan faces significant social marginalization and is barely represented in mainstream media. Or if there is any semblance of visibility, the community is represented as a social problem that needs to be solved. This lack of/problematic representation and visibility makes it difficult to understand the experiences and history of the community which in turn makes documentation an impossibility. This is compounded by gaps in academic research and political communication for advocacy purposes.

The aim of this presentation is to experiment with visual representation in order to foreground the voices of queer and feminist women from Sudan, their experiences, stories, and methods of resistance. The presentation draws on a collection of photographs and documentary videos I have been working on as part of my Ph.D. project, which explores the history and praxis of queer and feminist activism in Sudan.

I produced the audio-visual project while conducting my fieldwork in Sudan from May to October 2022. In the talk, I will present the project and give a detailed account of the process of its production. In order to have a more nuanced understanding of the queer community and to challenge dominant narratives and stereotypes, I analyze the audiovisual materials through the use of relevant theories and frameworks such as gender media studies, Audio-Visual Character Analysis (ACIS), and ethnomethodological studies in sociology.