IFAO

The 16^th session of the seminar series 'Exploring Egypt: Histories and Historiographies', a joint initiative of the Ifao, DAIK, CAI, PCMA, NVIC, & ARCE , will be hosted at the DAIK, Zamalek. This session features Sara Abed, and it is entitled "From research to display: re-shaping histories in museums". The lecture is open to the public in the limit of available places.

ABSTRACT

Museums play a central role in shaping the understanding of knowledge and history, yet the processes that transform research into public display are often invisible.From research to display: re-shaping histories in museums examines how museums construct meaning through research, interpretation, and design, situating these practices within both historical and contemporary contexts.

The talk outlines the initial development of museum practices and approaches to interpretation before exploring how historical narratives are written, mediated, and presented in exhibitions. It considers the use of archival research, material culture, and interpretive strategies, particularly in contexts where collections are partial, layered, or limited.

The research engages with current debates in museum studies, including questions of provenance, collection formation, ownership of narratives, and the role of language in interpretation. Emphasis is placed on the growing importance of audience engagement and community dialogue in shaping displays. By examining museums as active sites of knowledge production, this paper highlights the evolving responsibilities of museums and researchers in creating meaning for diverse publics.

Sara Abed is a museums and heritage content researcher based in Alexandria, Egypt. She completed an MA in Museums and Heritage Development at Nottingham Trent University, focusing on modern memorialisation and documentation in times of conflict. Sara has contributed to several major international museum projects, including the Oman National Museum and the Zayed National Museum through Barker Langham Museums Consultancy in London, as well as the development of the Naguib Mahfouz Museum in old Cairo, Naguib Pasha Mahfouz gynaecology and obstetrics museum in Kasr Al Aini and many others through Shaboury Museums and Heritage Consultancy in Alexandria. She has also worked with the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, UK on the Egyptian Coffins Project, Macquarie University and Chaw Chak Wing Museum in Sydney, in addition to other initiatives involving community engagement, museum ethics, researching ancient crafts and archival research. Sara is the co-founder of Wassla, an initiative that promotes heritage and culture in Egypt by connecting local communities with their history. Through Wassla, she collaborates with community leaders, cultural entities, development organisations, and museums such as the Grand Egyptian Museum, the Graeco-Roman Museum, and the Gayer-Anderson Museum. She has been selected by Chevening for the Clore Cultural Leadership Fellowship 2024/2025 in the UK, where she explored different aspects, strategies and challenges of cultural leadership and exchanged experiences with experts across the sector.

Exploring Egypt Seminar: Histories and Historiographies

A joint collaboration between the Ifao (Institut français d’archéologie orientale) & the DAIK (German Archaeological Institute in Cairo), joined in 2025 by the CAI (Centro Archeologico Italiano), PCMA (Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology Cairo), NVIC (Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo) and ARCE (American Research Center in Egypt).

This seminar series aims, broadly speaking, to discuss different aspects related to the production of historical knowledge on Egypt. Speakers are invited to reflect on the different ways of writing, narrating and thinking about Egypt’s history at different periods, as well as on the actors, contexts, and power relations involved in the production of historical narratives. By adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, the seminar series seeks to bring into conversation fields which have traditionally been examined separately, such as the history of Egyptology, the study of modern Egyptian historiography, and the history of heritage and preservation.

In addition, while the seminar series seeks to shed a critical light on the formation of specific disciplinary fields and traditions, it also moves beyond an exclusive focus on professional history writing, in order to explore the various institutions, genres, and channels, through which historical narratives have been produced and disseminated.  Among the themes that will be discussed, for instance, are the different “histories” of Egyptology, archaeology or Arabic and Islamic studies, academic versus “popular” representations of history, and heritage preservation as a site of production of historical narratives.

Exploring Egypt: Histories and Historiographies Seminar is organised by Fatma Keshk, Postdoctoral fellow at DAIK & Ifao and Malak Labib, scientific member of the Ifao.