A History that Never Arrived – Print

This publication is the outcome of the fourth iteration of the Open Archief project, and has been created by artist in residence Wassila Abboud. A History that Never Arrived—Mediations on the Liminalities of Mahdi Amel engages with the archive of Lebanese Marxist philosopher Mahdi Amel, exploring how revolutionary histories continue to shape political realities in the present. Abboud has devoted herself to transcribing, translating and reactivating the rare twenty-minute recording of the 1987 lecture Culture and Revolution الثقافة والثورة by Amel. By doing so, she is using this archival material, not as a reflection of a period in history but instead of a political condition (‘of permanent revolution’) that remains unresolved for the MENA left.

This publication, in English and Arabic, futures new contributions such as essay by decolonial feminist Françoise Vergès. 

Open Archief is a multifaceted, collaborative project where artists and heritage institutions, including Nieuwe Instituut, Sound & Vision, the International Institute of Social History, and Framer Framed, come together to explore and create new possibilities and methodologies for creative reuse of archival material, and by doing so, reimagining the role of the archive and its users.

*the donation for the publication goes towards emergency funds in Lebanon.