Xiaoyue Yasin Li - Steel and Splendor: Aesthetics of Infrastructure in the Egyptian State Railways

This lecture will be hosted on Thursday, 17 April 2025 at 6:00 pm.

Railways are more than a modern means of transportation. Stations and track networks occupy significant physical space that demands public attention. Their presence in cultural forms such as magazines, exhibitions, museums, and films further emphasized their visibility and cultural significance.

In this lecture, Professor Li examines the physical presence, celebratory events, and cultural artifacts of the Egyptian State Railways in history, and argues that railways were more than a backdrop to modern life, but active participants in shaping cultural imagination and sensory experiences of everyday life.

Li’s analysis integrates cultural studies with science and technology studies in the Middle East to explore broader themes such as aesthetics and social structure, materiality and visibility, utopian and dystopian imaginaries.

About the speaker

Xiaoyue Yasin Li is an Assistant Professor of History and MENA Studies at Tulane University, USA. He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His research examines techno-infrastructure within its broader social milieu in Egypt, and explores the interplay of materiality, technology, capitalism, and everyday struggle against colonialism. A recipient of the ACLS fellowship for the 2024-25 academic year, Li is currently conducting archival research in Cairo.

Attention!

The lecture starts at 6 pm. The number of seats is limited and we work on a first-come, first-served basis. We open our doors at 5:30 and close them at 6:15 or earlier in case the lecture room reaches its full capacity. This talk will not be recorded nor livestreamed.