Ariella Aïsha Azoulay (; born

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, born February 21, 1962) is an author,

art curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

, filmmaker, and

theorist A theory is a systematic and rational form of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the conclusions derived from such thinking. It involves contemplative and logical reasoning, often supported by processes such as observation, experimentation, ...

of photography and

visual culture Visual culture is the aspect of culture expressed in visual images. Many academic fields study this subject, including cultural studies, art history, critical theory, philosophy, media studies, Deaf Studies, and anthropology. The field of vi ...

. She is a professor of Modern Culture and Media and the Department of Comparative Literature at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

and an independent curator of Archives and Exhibitions.

Early life

Azoulay has degrees from Université Paris VIII,

Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (, EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The school awards Master and PhD degrees alone and conjoi ...

and

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

. Azoulay is of Algerian descent and identifies as "an Arab Jew and a Palestinian Jew of African origins".

Academic career

In 1999 she began teaching at

Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, , ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic university institution. It has 20,000 ...

. In 2010 Azoulay was denied tenure at Bar-Ilan, a move regarded by some colleagues and commentators as politically motivated. In 2010 she was the Gladstein Visiting professor at the Human Rights Center of the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

. In 2011 she was Leverhulme Research Professor at

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

, and she is currently assistant professor of Comparative Literature and Modern Culture and Media at

Watson Institute for International Studies Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) is an ultraviolet Raman spectrometer that uses fine-scale imaging and an ultraviolet (UV) laser to determine fine-scale mineralogy, and detect org ...

. Her partner, with whom she has also co-authored written work, is the philosopher Adi Ophir.

Theory

Throughout her career, Azoulay developed concepts and approaches around the reversal of imperial violence. The theoretical framework she proposed have far-reaching implications in a number of knowledge fields, such as

political theory Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and legitimacy of political institutions, such as states. This field investigates different forms of government, ranging from d ...

archival science Archival science, or archival studies, is the study and theory of building and Curator, curating archives, which are collections of documents, Sound recording and reproduction, recordings, photographs and various other materials in physical or di ...

, visual and photography studies.

Writings

''Potential History: Unlearning Imperialism'', Verso Books, 2019

In her book ''Potential History: Unlearning Imperialism'' (Verso, 2019), Azoulay studies historical objects (from photographs to documents) belonging to archives and museum collections. In her opinion, the museums must be de-imperialized, as well as the discipline of history itself. She suggests a

methodology In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for bri ...

and an ethics for engaging with historical and archival materials that allows the

historical present In linguistics and rhetoric, the historical present or historic present, also called dramatic present or narrative present, is the employment of the present tense instead of past tenses when narrating past events. It is typically thought to heig ...

discussion to come forward; refusing to relegate these materials to a foreclosed past. In her words: Azoulay invites both the scholar and the public to see the imminent potential in such objects for fostering nonimperial forms of identification and meaning. In her perspective, the archive is not only a repository of documents but a regime of procedures interwoven with imperialist

dogma Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam ...

s. Therefore, the ''Potential History'' is an ongoing process of revising these dogmas, through

ontology Ontology is the philosophical study of existence, being. It is traditionally understood as the subdiscipline of metaphysics focused on the most general features of reality. As one of the most fundamental concepts, being encompasses all of realit ...

and

epistemology Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowle ...

. In other words, this kind of history writing should question both the nature of things and the way one understand them. This discussion relates to decolonial theories. Furthermore, Azoulay notes how the decolonization of museums is not possible without the decolonization of the world itself.

''The Civil Contract of Photography'', Zone Books, 2008

Azoulay's concept of the 'civil contract of photography' addresses the relationship between the photographer and the photographed. Exploring ideas of ownership, plurality and power the text considers photography's roles in relation to politics and government, challenging the assumed truth of photography.

Works

Writing

The following is available in English translation: * ''Death's Showcase: the power of image in contemporary democracy'', 2001 * ''The Civil Contract of Photography'', Zone Books, 2008 * ''From Palestine to Israel: A Photographic Record of Destruction and State Formation, 1947–1950'', Pluto Press, 2011 * ''Civil Imagination: A Political Ontology of Photography'', 2011 * (With Adi Ophir) ''This Regime Which Is Not One: Occupation and Democracy between the Sea and The River (1967 – )'', Stanford University Press, 2011 * (With Adi Ophir) ''The One-State Condition: Occupation and Democracy in Israel/Palestine'', Stanford University Press * ''Different ways not to say deportation'', Fillip Editions/Artspeak, 2013 * ''Potential History: Unlearning Imperialism'', Verso Books, November 2019 * ''The Jewelers of the

Ummah ' (; ) is an Arabic word meaning Muslim identity, nation, religious community, or the concept of a Commonwealth of the Muslim Believers ( '). It is a synonym for ' (, lit. 'the Islamic nation'); it is commonly used to mean the collective com ...

: A Potential History of the Jewish Muslim World,'' Verso Books, September 2024

Films

* ''The Food Chain'' (2010) * ''The Angel of History'' * ''Civil Alliance'' (2012) * ''Un-Documented: Unlearning Imperial Plunder'' (2019)

Exhibitions

* ''Everything Could Be Seen'' (Al Fahem Gallery, Umm Al Fahem, 2004) * ''Untaken Photographs (''Ljubljana Museum of Modern Art, Galeria Moderna,

Zochrot Zochrot (; "Remembering"; ; "Memories") is an Israeli nonprofit organization founded in 2002. Based in Tel Aviv, its aim is to promote awareness of the Nakba, including the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight. The group was co-founded by Eitan ...

, 2010). * ''Potential History'' (Center For Digital Art,

Holon Holon (, ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located south of Tel Aviv. Holon is part of the Gush Dan, Gush Dan metropolitan area. In , it had a population of , making it the List of cities in Israel, tenth most populous city in Isra ...

, 2012) * ''The Body Politic I (''Reina Sofia,

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, 2014) * ''Horizontal Photography'', of Aim Deüelle Lüski (MOBY Museum, 2014) * ''Errata'' (Tapiès Foundation, 2019; HKW,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, 2020) * ''Enough! The Natural Violence of New World Order'' (F/Stop photography festival,

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

, 2016) * ''Act of State 1967–2007'', (Exhibition Tour, 2007–present) * The Natural History of Rape (Berlin Biennale, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, 2022)

Prizes

* 2024 – The Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW) Vision Awards for the best photobook of the year ''Collaboration – Potential History of Photography'' (co-authored with Wendy Ewald,

Susan Meiselas Susan Meiselas (born June 21, 1948) is an American documentary photographer. She has been associated with Magnum Photos since 1976 and been a full member since 1980. Currently she is the President of the Magnum Foundation. She is best known for ...

, Leigh Raiford & Laura Wexler), Thames & Hudson. * 2023 –

Royal Photographic Society The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is the world's oldest photographic society having been in continuous existence since 1853. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as th ...

Award. * 2023 – Infinity Award by the

International Center of Photography The International Center of Photography (ICP) is a photography museum and school at 84 Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. ICP's photographic collection, reading room, and archives are at Mana Contemporary in Jer ...

(ICP) for excellence in critical writing, theory and research on photography. * 2022 – Berlin Prize, American Academy of Berlin. *2010 – Award for innovative curatorial approaches and theoretical research in contemporary visual arts from Igor Zabel Competition (for the exhibition ''Untaken Photographs,'' Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana) *2002 – Infinity Award by the

(ICP) for the best book written on photography for the year 2001 (''Death’s Showcase'', MIT Press).

References

External links

* Ariella Aïsha Azoula
personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azoulay, Ariella 1962 births Living people Photography critics Jewish philosophers Women art critics School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences alumni University of Paris alumni Tel Aviv University alumni Brown University faculty Academics of Durham University Palestinian Jews Arab Jews