{"id":6210,"date":"2025-02-11T10:05:46","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T09:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/c2dh-en\/?post_type=news&#038;p=6210"},"modified":"2025-02-11T10:05:47","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T09:05:47","slug":"ferdaous-affan-unraveling-colonial-propaganda-with-digital-tools","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/c2dh-en\/news\/ferdaous-affan-unraveling-colonial-propaganda-with-digital-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Ferdaous Affan: Unraveling colonial propaganda with digital tools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"wp-block-unilux-blocks-free-section section\"><div class=\"container xl:max-w-screen-xl\">\n<p><strong>With a diverse background in data and knowledge engineering, plus using digitisation and AI in news archives, PhD candidate Ferdaous Affan aims to shed new light on the historical impact of colonial discourse. She shares more on the challenges of researching propaganda plus the enriching interactions she has had at the C\u00b2DH.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech, Morocco, showcases over 5,000 garments conceived by the French designer, revealing more about his background and how he archived his work\u2014the only <em>haute-couture<\/em> designer of his generation to do so on a systematic basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The museum\u2019s library includes volumes from between the 17th and 20th centuries, related to fashion, gardens and landscaping. It may surprise some that a large portion of the collection is related to Morocco\u2019s colonial past. \u201cThere were books on Morocco, mostly written by explorers and colonial administrators, who came during the French colonial era to Morocco,\u201d Ferdaous Affan explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The PhD researcher at C\u00b2DH served as a library assistant there for one year after earning her degree in Data and Knowledge Engineering from the School of Information Science in Rabat. \u201cWhile I was working there for a year, I was very much into this catalogue of colonial literature, and it\u2019s one of the links to what I\u2019m doing now,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-dev4-reusable-blocks-image  object-fit--cover\">\n    \n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-image unilux-custom-image-block\"\n                alt=\"Ferdaous Affan \"\n            src=\"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/Ferdaous-Affan-16_9.jpg\"\n                srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/Ferdaous-Affan-16_9-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/Ferdaous-Affan-16_9-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/Ferdaous-Affan-16_9-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/Ferdaous-Affan-16_9.jpg 1500w\"\n                style=\"object-position: 50.00% 50.00%; font-family: &quot;object-fit: cover; object-position: 50.00% 50.00%;&quot;; aspect-ratio: 16\/9; object-fit: cover; width: 100%;\"\n        loading=\"lazy\"\n\/>    <\/figure>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-unilux-blocks-spacer is-spacer-size-md\"><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-unilux-blocks-heading\"        id=\"challenges-of-propaganda-research\"\n    >\n<strong>Challenges of propaganda research<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Affan is currently working on her PhD in colonial propaganda in historical newspapers. The full title of her PhD is \u201cMedia empire and propaganda: a multi-layered analysis of colonial discourse and power in historical newspapers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her interest in the topic is, in part, a result of her exposure to the colonial works in the aforementioned library. But she also previously worked at the Moroccan News Agency, leading projects involving the digitisation and AI-driven exploration of news archives\u2014a time, she recalls, when tools like ChatGPT hadn\u2019t yet gained traction amongst the broader public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through the encouragement of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/c2dh-en\/people\/marten-during\/\">Dr. Marten D\u00fcring<\/a>, Assistant Professor in Digital History at the C\u00b2DH, she submitted her application on the topic and believes the fact that it closely aligns to her personal background and interests is what helps make it a good one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the main challenges Affan has faced in her research is defining propaganda. \u201cWe have many definitions of propaganda, which are sometimes a bit contradictory to each other, but we don\u2019t have a clear definition of what we mean by \u2018colonial propaganda,\u2019\u201d she notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-unilux-blocks-quote-people\">\n    <div class=\"quote-people\" role=\"group\">\n        <figure class=\"quote-people__body\">\n            <blockquote class=\"quote-people__blockquote\">\n    <span class=\"quote-people__quote\">\u201f<\/span>\n    We have many definitions of propaganda, which are sometimes a bit contradictory to each other, but we don\u2019t have a clear definition of what we mean by \u2018colonial propaganda\u201d\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"wp-block-unilux-blocks-wrapper quote-people__visual\"><figure class=\"wp-block-dev4-reusable-blocks-image  object-fit--cover\">\n    \n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-image unilux-custom-image-block\"\n                alt=\"Ferdaous Affan \"\n            src=\"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/Ferdaous-Affan-4.jpg\"\n                srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/Ferdaous-Affan-4-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/Ferdaous-Affan-4-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/Ferdaous-Affan-4.jpg 700w\"\n                style=\"object-position: 50.00% 50.00%; font-family: &quot;object-fit: cover; object-position: 50.00% 50.00%;&quot;; aspect-ratio: 1\/1; object-fit: cover; width: 100%;\"\n        loading=\"lazy\"\n\/>    <\/figure><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-unilux-blocks-wrapper quote-people__figcaption\">\n<p class=\"quote-people__author wp-block-unilux-blocks-plain-text\">Ferdaous Affan<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"quote-people__position wp-block-unilux-blocks-plain-text\">Doctoral researcher<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-unilux-blocks-simple-cta\">\n    <a\n        href=\"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/c2dh-en\/people\/ferdaous-affan\/\"\n        title=\"View Profile\"\n        class=\"link-text link-text--icon quote-people__link\"\n        target=\"\"\n    >\n        <span class=\"link-text__body\">\n            <span class=\"link-text__name\">View profile<\/span>\n        <\/span>\n        <svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"icon icon-outline icon--arrow-right \"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/wp-content\/themes\/unilux-theme\/assets\/images\/icons\/icons-outline.svg#icon--arrow-right\"><\/use><\/svg>    <\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n        <\/figure>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<p>Another layer to this challenge, Affan adds, is that while the concept of \u201cpropaganda\u201d as we think of it in current terms has largely been the product of the 20th century, particularly in the aftermath of World Wars I and II, it\u2019s harder to define in the context of the 19th century. Affan\u2019s main source for uncovering colonial propaganda has been historical newspapers published by colonial powers during the Scramble for Africa, and she is often faced with the task of differentiating between colonial propaganda versus what was just considered \u201cnormal discourse\u201d at the time the documents were written.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some newspapers, for instance, published articles describing indigenous populations in Africa in blatantly racist terms, but \u201cthere was also this effort by the French government, for the French case, to push colonial policies in the news, and you can see people either encouraging or criticising this\u2014but not really criticising the colonial idea itself,\u201d Affan explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, many of the articles weren\u2019t signed, and Affan has taken an interest in better understanding who financed those and what the agenda of the publishing houses might have been\u2014and how closely they were aligned with the French government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One particular case study Affan is investigating is the Berlin Conference of 1884-85, which brought about widespread debate on the future of the African continent. \u201cIt was a huge milestone for the Scramble for Africa, and some researchers see it as the starting point for the partitioning of the African continent,\u201d Affan explains. Organised by Otto von Bismarck, the conference brought together 14 countries and laid out the rules of occupation in Africa. Seven of those countries left the conference with formal possessions in the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only is Affan researching media coverage around the event, but she is also looking into a particular propaganda tool, namely the <em>livres jaunes<\/em> (yellow books), diplomatic documents linked to the conference, published by the French government and made public in a bid for transparency. \u201cWhen I looked into the archives and the correspondences we have now, it\u2019s clear that these were very selective documents, and not everything was made public in these books. It was a selection that would give a good image of French diplomatic actions at this conference,\u201d Affan states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eventually, Affan hopes to use network analysis to reveal the flow of information and propaganda between the main actors, which messages were provided through which channels, and to whom those messages were addressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-unilux-blocks-heading\"        id=\"enriching-interactions\"\n    >\n<strong>Enriching interactions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For Affan, the research hits a bit of a personal note as well. Originally from Tangier, which was an international zone during the colonial era, she says the colonial memory still reverberates, particularly among the older generation. In her research, Affan also plans to include case studies involving the Moroccan Crises of 1905-1911. One of these involves the visit of Kaiser Wilhelm to Tangier in 1905, a moment that heightened tensions between European powers over Morocco&#8217;s fate. Such crises underscore the intersection of colonial ambitions, diplomatic manoeuvring and propaganda\u2014dynamics still relevant in contemporary global politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Affan\u2019s experience at the C\u00b2DH marks her first time living abroad, and she notes that it has been a positive one. She\u2019s able to share her findings and interact with other researchers from very different backgrounds, and she has been impressed with the multilingual nature of the centre and of Luxembourg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Affan is part of the recently created <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/en\/news\/d4h-data-science-meets-digital-history\/\">Deep Data Science of Digital History (D4H)<\/a> doctoral unit, funded through the FNR\u2019s PRIDE programme, which focuses on the challenges at the intersection between the disciplines of history and data science. \u201cThis has been very enriching for me: the interactions I have with colleagues but also those outside the C\u00b2DH, who are all working towards the same objective,\u201d Affan says. She is also a contributor to the &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/c2dh-en\/research-projects\/impresso2\/\">impresso &#8211; Media Monitoring of the Past II<\/a>\u201d project, under the supervision of Dr. D\u00fcring.<\/p>\n\n\n<section class=\"section section wp-block-unilux-blocks-quick-link-discover-section\">\n    <div class=\"container xl:max-w-screen-xl\">\n        \n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-unilux-blocks-heading\"        id=\"portrait-series\"\n    >\nPortrait series<\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-unilux-blocks-quick-link-discover quick-link-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-unilux-blocks-quick-link-discover-item\">\n    <a\n                    href=\"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/c2dh-en\/research\/faces-of-the-c2dh\/\"\n                    class=\"quick-link\"\n            target=\"\"\n    >\n            <span class=\"quick-link__container\">\n                <span class=\"quick-link__text\">\n                    Faces of the C\u00b2DH- a team beyond borders                <\/span>\n                <svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"icon icon-outline icon--arrow-right \"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/wp-content\/themes\/unilux-theme\/assets\/images\/icons\/icons-outline.svg#icon--arrow-right\"><\/use><\/svg>            <\/span>\n    <\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With a diverse background in data and knowledge engineering, plus using digitisation and AI in news archives, PhD candidate Ferdaous Affan aims to shed new light on the historical impact of colonial discourse. She shares more on the challenges of researching propaganda plus the enriching interactions she has had at the C\u00b2DH.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":6214,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"featured_image_focal_point":[],"show_featured_caption":false,"ulux_newsletter_groups":"","uluxPostTitle":"","uluxPrePostTitle":"","_trash_the_other_posts":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false},"news-category":[4],"news-topic":[17],"organisation":[221],"authorship":[57],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v22.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ferdaous Affan: Unraveling colonial propaganda with digital tools - C\u00b2DH news I University of Luxembourg<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With a diverse background in data and knowledge engineering, plus using digitisation and AI in news archives, PhD candidate Ferdaous Affan aims to shed new light on the historical impact of colonial discourse. 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