Marie al-Khazen: Pioneer Lebanese Photographer, 1899 to 1983 | Art Historian, Dr. Yasmine Nachabe Taan

A collection of black-and-white photographs from 1920s mandate Lebanon completely flips traditional regional history on its head. Dr. Yasmine Nachabe Taan takes us on a fascinating journey behind her PhD research into the life and legacy of Marie al-Khazen, a pioneer Lebanese photographer. Dr. Taan, a professor and director at LAU, utilizes a gender-focused lens to decode al-Khazen's meticulously staged compositions of active, unconventional women driving cars, smoking cigarettes, and going on armed hunting trips. This engaging discussion explores agency, cultural cross-dressing, and the striking parallels with other early female Arab photographers like Karimeh Abbud, demonstrating how these archival treasures continue to challenge established regional histories.

00:00 Introduction

02:03 The Discovery in Canada and an Unconventional Re-entry

09:11 Aristocracy, Feudal Backdrops, and Staged Patriarchs

17:39 Anecdotes of a Village Outcast

21:22 Viewfinders from Above and Interrupted Legacies

31:12 The Stone Under the Steering Wheel

34:15 Trends of Fluidity and Cultural Cross-Dressing

37:33 The Working Woman vs. The Documentarian

41:58 The True Landscape of Palestine

43:01 Self-Orientalizing and the Trend of the Bowl

48:43 Scratched Faces and Pre-Photoshop Erasure