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Shaping imagination in 1960s Beirut: a conversation with Zeina Maasri

The role of the visual in modern history, and the transnational nature of 1960s Beirut as a hub of politically oriented creativity and intellectual life

By Tugrul Mende
Shaping imagination in 1960s Beirut: a conversation with Zeina Maasri
Lebanon, Hotel Guide, booklet, designed and illustrated by Mouna Bassili Sehnaoui, for the National Council for Tourism in Lebanon, 1969 | Courtesy of the artist's collection
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In her latest book, ‘Cosmopolitan Radicalism:The Visual Politics of Beirut's Global Sixties’ writer and academic Zeina Maasri explores 1960s Beirut in the context of the Cold War, the anti-colonial struggle and the Palestinian resistance movement.

By using archives of printed media, Maasri’s new book explores the development of Beirut’s visual culture and politics during the city’s so-called ‘golden years’.In this interview with Tugrul Mende, Maasri talks about her new project, its challenges and how cities rather than nation states can often shape the flow of culture.

Tugrul Mende: How did you start working on the project?

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0