Narmeen Ijaz
PhD Student | Associate Instructor
Contact Information
Research and Creative Interests
- Documentary Theory
- Documentary practice
- visual culture
- Politics of Representation
- Public activism
- Experimental Film
- Media Images
- cinema & media theory and criticism
- archives
- Postcolonial Theory
- Transnational Feminism
- Colonial films
Biography
I am a PhD student in The Media School interested in studying transnational non-fiction film cultures. My interests overlap with the fields of documentary studies, postcolonialism, transnational feminism, and media authorship. My background consists of both academic and professional experiences as previously I have worked as a documentary film editor for international NGO’s and have graduated from The Media School (IU) with an MA in Media Arts and Sciences. Coming from Pakistan, my own cross-cultural experiences have inspired my interests in studying the influence of media institutions, geopolitics, public activism, and spectatorship on the representation of marginalized and indigenous communities through non-fiction films.
For my master’s thesis, Decolonizing Documentary in Pakistan: Representation through Colonial, Activist and State-Sponsored Documentaries, I studied the implications of colonial, imperial and nationalist histories of Pakistan on the representation of local ethnic, gendered, and cultural identities. By analyzing the documentary traditions during three dominant political eras (British Colonization, Dictatorial Regimes, and Democracy) in Pakistan, I argue that colonial and imperial legacies continue to shape the contemporary wave of documentary filmmaking in Pakistan which can be decolonized by approaching documentary production through self-reflexivity and visual anthropology.
My current work focuses on studying how participatory and interactive approaches in documentary can shape gender representation in documentaries sponsored by transnational social-welfare organizations.
INVITED TALKS AND CONFERENCE PAPERS
Conference Paper. Mediating Reality: Use of Archival Footage in post 9/11 Documentaries from Pakistan. Cinema Studies Annual Graduate Conference. San Francisco State University. February, 2021
Research Presentation. Studying South Asia: A Graduate Student Roundtable. Dhar India Studies Program, Indiana University. November, 2020
Paper Presentation. Truth Claim in Transnational Documentary: Representing South Asian Imaginaries. Media, Difference and Inequality. Media Arts and Sciences Colloquium, Indiana University. October, 2020
Conference Presentation. Decolonizing the Imperial Gaze: South Asian Women on the Silver Screen. Common Ground Conference. The Media School, Indiana University. February, 2020
Guest Filmmaker. Graduate Film Showcase. The Media School, Indiana University. December, 2019.
TEACHING
Associate Instructor (AI). Introduction to Production and Design. The Media School, Indiana University. Fall 2019 – Present
Associate Instructor (AI). Media 101. The Media School, Indiana University. Spring 2021
Undergraduate Mentor. Introduction to Mass Communication. Forman Christian College (Lahore, Pakistan). Fall 2016
UNIVERSITY SERVICE
DocTalk Reviews. Center for Documentary Research and Practice. The Media School, Indiana University. 2020 – present
Executive Chair. Media School Graduate Association. The Media School, Indiana University. 2021-2022
Conference Chair. Media School Graduate Association. The Media School, Indiana University. 2020-2021
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Video Editor. YouthLEAD and UNICEF ROSA. 2019
Script Development Fellowship. Open Doors Locarno. 2018
Film Workshop. Beyond Borders: A Filmmaking Workshop Across Punjab Region of India and Pakistan. Indiana University. 2017
Sub-Editor. Pakistan Today (Newspaper). 2015