Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) Translation and Interpreting Institute (TII) hosted the internationally acclaimed scholar and media critic, Dr Jack Shaheen, recently  as part of its Distinguished Public Talks series.
A committed internationalist and a devoted humanist, Dr Shaheen has given over a thousand lectures and written hundreds of essays in publications such as Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. His lectures and writings illustrate that racial and ethnic stereotypes injure innocent people.
He defines crude caricatures, explains why they persist, and suggests strategies to undo misconceptions.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of HBKU’s TII, Dr Amal al-Malki, said: “We are honoured to have the renowned author Jack Shaheen who has spent his life exposing the negative images associated with Arabs and Muslims in American media that have been so entrenched in the Western popular memory. His long-life conviction is relevant to who we are and what we do in the Translation and Interpreting Institute.”
Dr Shaheen’s  lecture, entitled “Images of Arabs in American Popular Culture; Problems and Prospects”, is derived from his latest book, A is for Arab: Archiving Stereotypes in U.S. Popular Culture. The book  features photographs of objects and materials from his archives which delves deeply into popular American culture representations of Arabs and Muslims from the early 20th century to the present day.
The event also featured a screening of the award-winning documentary, Reel Bad Arabs, which addresses the orientalising aspect of American cinematic history that has remained unchallenged in cinema studies.
Featuring Dr Shaheen, the documentary highlights the discourse of categorising and degrading images of Arabs. It challenges viewers to recognise the urgent need for counter-narratives, for more accurate representation of Arabs and the reality of Arab history and culture.