The Research Center for Material Culture at the Wereldmuseum is pleased to invite Professor Jacob Norris for a public book presentation and discussion in connection to the exhibition Rogue Agents of History. The talk will be moderated by the curator of the exhibition Nat Muller and it will explore alternative ways of thinking about Palestine's past at this critical juncture of the region's history.
Book presentation, 28 May, 2026, 14.30 - 16.45, Studio, Wereldmuseum Amsterdam
Drawing on his recent book, The Lives and Deaths of Jubrail Dabdoub, Jacob Norris will discuss how fictional techniques can sometimes be more effective than 'objective' historical writing in capturing past experience. Using the town of Bethlehem as an example, the talk delves into the realm of the fantastical, the absurd and the unfathomable as a means of understanding Palestinian experiences of modern capitalism and colonialism.
Jacob Norris is Associate Professor in Middle Eastern History at the University of Sussex. His work explores Palestinian histories of migration, anti-colonial resistance and social change in the 19th and 20th century. He has published widely in academic and public forums, and has written two books - one on the British Mandate in Palestine and the other on the town of Bethlehem in the late 19th century.
Dr. Nat Muller is an Amsterdam-based curator, writer and researcher. Her interests focus on contemporary art from Southwest Asia, science fiction, the Anthropocene, foodways, and ghosts. Her writing has been published in peer reviewed academic journals and in art publications. She has edited several artist monographs, including those of Muhannad Shono; Walid Siti; Sadik Kwaish Alfraji; and Nancy Atakan.
