Laura Junka is a PhD candidate in Cultural Studies at the University of East London. She is also a practicing photographer and journalist. Her work examines the intersections between postcolonial theory, resistance, and politics in the contemporary Middle East. She currently resides in London.

Postcolonial and poststructuralist theory; Representation of war and victimhood; Resistance and the politics of Palestinian everyday life.

QUALIFICATIONS

2005-
Phd Candidate
School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies
University of East London

Title of dissertation: The Politics of Late-modern Colonial Occupation: Al-Aqsa Intifada and the Question of Palestinian Agency

2004
MSc in International Politics
Department of Politics and International Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

2002
BA in Art Education and Photography
Department of Art Education, University of Art and Design of Helsinki, Finland.
2000-2001 visiting student
Department of Photography, Bezalel Academy of Fine Arts, Jerusalem, Israel.

JOURNAL ARTICLES

(Forthcoming, 2007) The (Ir)reducible Poverty of Images in War: al-Aqsa intifada and the question of Palestinian Agency in Images and Communities, Matteo Stochetti and Johanna Sumiala-Seppänen eds. (Helsinki: Helsinki University Press)

(Forthcoming, 2006) The Politics of Gaza Beach: at the Edge of the Two Intifadas, Third Text, Special Issue on Palestine/Israel

(2006) Camping in the Third Space: Agency, Representation, and the Politics of Gaza Beach, Public Culture, 18:2

BOOKS

(2003, with Wendy Pearlman) Occupied Voices: stories of everyday life from the second intifada. (With Wendy Pearlman).
New York: Thunder's Mouth Press and Nation Books.

CONFERENCE PAPERS

The Politics of Late-Modern Colonial Occupation: al-Aqsa Intifada and the Question of Palestinian Agency. An Introduction. PhD Seminar Series, School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies, University of East London. 24th April 2006

The Sublime Space of Gaza Beach. Political Studies Association (PSA) Annual Conference 2006. University of Reading, April 3-4. 2006 (Presentation with the Art and Politics working group).


The (Ir)reducible Poverty of Images in War: Intifada al-Aqsa and the politics of representation of Palestinian agency. Conference on Media Studies, University of Helsinki (Mediatutkimuksen päivät, Helsingin Yliopisto) 3.-4.2.2006

Camping in the Third Space: Agency, Representation and the Politcs of Gaza Beach. British International Studies Association (BISA) Annual conference 2006. University of St. Andrews Dec. 19-22 2005

The Sublime Space of Gaza Beach. Millennium Annual Conference 2006 'Between Fear and Wonder: International Relations, Representation and the 'Sublime'. London School of Economics and Political Science. 29-30 October 2005.

Camping in the Third Space: Agency, Representation and, the Politics of Gaza Beach. Conference on 'Globalization and Representation'. University of Brighton, March 12-13 2005.

Camping in the Third Space: Agency, Representation and, the Politics of Gaza Beach. Soas Postgraduate Reading Group, 12 November 2004

EXHIBITIONS

Camping in Gaza (Gaza II)

Side Gallery, Newcastle, UK (May-Jun 2006)

Millennium Annual Conference 2005, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, U.K. (Octber 2005)


Happy in Gaza (Gaza I)

Umam Documentation and Research, Beirut, Lebanon (July 2006).

IFA Gallery, Berlin, Germany (January-March 2005).

IFA Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany (November-December 2005).

Langhans Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic (May-July 2005).

FotoFest and The Station at the Artcar Museum. Houston, Texas, U.S.A. (April-June 2005).

La Boca, Madrid, Spain (January 2005).

Photofestival of Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria (September 2004).

'Nazar: photography from the Arab world'. Noorderlicht photofestival 2004. Manege, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands (September-October 2004).

Puffin Cultural Foundation, New Jersey, U.S.A (November-December 2003).

At Home Today, in Palestine

Umam Documentation and Research, Beirut, Lebanon (July 2006).

Gallery Laterna Magica, Helsinki, Finland (March 2002).

Marokko!
Culture Arena Gloria, Helsinki, Finland
(May 2000).

2006
Travel Grant/ attending an exhibition opening in Beirut. Taiteen keskustoimikunta, Finland

2006
Project Grant/ photographic exhibition. Side Gallery, United Kingdom

2005
Three Years' Full Time Research Scholarship. University of East London, United Kingdom

2005
Travel Grant/ visual research in Gaza. Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland

2005
Training Grant / Arabic studies in Syria. Väinö Åkerlund's Fund, Finland

2003
Travel and Work Grant/ visual research in Gaza Tiedonjulkistamisen neuvottelukunta,
Finnish Ministry of Education, Finland

2002
Project Grant/ photographic exhibition. Finnish Culture Foundation (Suomen Kultturisäätiö), Finland

2001
Project Grant/ photographic exhibition. Finnfoto, Finland

2000
Travel Grant/ visual research in Iran. Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland

2000

Project Grant / Photographic exhibition. Helsinki Culture City Foundation, (Kultturikaupunkisäätiö 2000)

OTHER RELEVANT TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

English (fluent), Finnish (fluent), Spanish (fluent), Swedish (competent), French (competent), Arabic (basic/competent).


JOURNALISM AND PHOTOGRAPHY

2004-
Member of photoagency ArabianEye (Dubai-UK)

2000-
Freelance photographer and writer. Stories and images from throughout the Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Morocco, Palestine and Israel) published in a variety of Finnish and international publications, including: The Electronic Intifada, Islamica, Die Zeit, Helsingin Sanomat, Kirkko&Kaupunki, Voima-Lehti, MoniTori, Kehitys, Ydin, Aamulehti, Satakunnan Kansa.

Done