Dr. Ali’s PhD research was focused on the British playwright, Harold Pinter (1930-2008). Her thesis dealt with the predicament of identity in selected works of Pinter.
Her key areas of interest include the life and works of Harold Pinter, Theatre of the Absurd, and Twentieth-Century British Theatre, especially the Post-War period. Dr. Ali is interested in issues pertaining to identity politics in different categories. Specifically, in the treatment and representation of the individual identity in public and private spheres, therefore concepts such as totalitarian regimes, conformity, oppression, and freedom of speech are key components of her research. Dr. Ali's interest in Harold Pinter's plays and writing, resulted in a recent book, Eroding the Language of Freedom: Identity Predicament in Selected Works of Harold Pinter (Routledge, 2018). Moreover, she is working on exploring the connections between Pinter's works and other political and social events across the world. The representation of the female characters in Harold Pinter's dramas in particular and theatre in general is one of her major interests too.
Her interest in women studies and female representation has fed into her focus on identity politics in the diaspora communities and minority/ethnic groups in different parts of the world. Therefore, during her time in the UK, she examined the lives of a group of Iraqi women in terms of their religious, cultural and linguistic identities to see how they negotiate the terms of their subject position as a first-generation diaspora group in the UK. This was part of her postdoctoral research at the University of Leeds (2016-17), which resulted in a journal article entitled, 'Where Should the Birds Fly After the Last Sky? Images and Voices of Women of the Iraqi Diaspora in the United Kingdom' (Diaspora Studies, 2018).
In her second postdoctoral project at the University of Hull (2017-19), she studied the challenges faced by Arabic women living in the UK. Moreover, Dr. Ali is interested in women's and gender representation in Islam, World Literature, and other social contexts.
Publications:
English Literature
Books:
• Farah Ali. Eroding the Language of Freedom: Predicament of Identity in Selected Works of Harold Pinter (Routledge, 2018)
https://www.routledge.com/Eroding-the-Language-of-Freedom-Identity-Predicament-in-Selected-Works/Ali/p/book/9781138080195
Articles:
• Farah Ali: 'Freedom as a Mirage: Sexual Commodification in Harold Pinter’s Films'. Journal of Modern Literature. Vol.44, No.3,spring 2021.
Farah Ali: 'Get Back to your Trough: Colonialism in Harold Pinter's The Caretaker' The Harold Pinter Review. Vol.6, 2022.
Farah Ali: 'The Invisible Flesh: Mimesis in Jean Genet's The Maids' Journal of Modern Literature (Accepted).
Farah Ali: 'A Hydra with a Thousand Heads: (Dis)ease and Wellness in Harold Pinter's A Kind of Alaska and Brian Friel's Molly Sweeney. The Harold Pinter Review (in process).
Book Reviews:
•
- Farah Ali. Rev. Telling Our Stories: International Performance Pieces By and About Women. Edited by Kathy A. Perkins: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022, Drama Research, Vol. 13, No.1(March 2022) https://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/drama-research-volume-13/book-review-vol-13/
Farah Ali. Rev. Shakespeare’s Props: Memory and Cognition, by Sophi Duncan: Routledge, 2019, Drama Research, Vol.12, No.1 (April 2021) http://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/journal/current-issue/book-reviews
- Farah Ali. Rev. The Digital Lives of Black Women in Britain, by Francesca Sobande: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020,Cultural Trends, Vol.30, No.2 (July 16 2021) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/citedby/10.1080/09548963.2021.1955208?scroll=top&needAccess=true
- Farah Ali: Rev. Redefining Theatre Communities. Edited by Marco Galea and Szabolcs Musca PARtake: The Journal of Performance as Research, Vol. 4, No.1 (Sep.2021) https://doi.org/10.33011/partake.v4i1.1023
- Farah Ali. Rev. Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Performing Arts Workforce, by Tobi Stein: Routledge,2019, Cultural Trends, (July 2020) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09548963.2020.1799334
- Farah Ali. Rev. Shakespeare and the Culture of Paradox, by Peter G. Platt: Routledge , 2009, Drama Research, Vol. 10, No.1 (April 2019) http://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/journal/current-issue/book-reviews/shakespeare-and-the-culture-of-paradox/
Performance Reviews:
• Farah Ali. Rev. of No Man’s Land, by Harold Pinter. Hull Truck Theatre/Hull/United Kingdom, The Harold Pinter Review.
Social Sciences
• Farah Ali. ‘Where Should the Birds Fly After the Last Sky? Images and Voices of Women of the Iraqi Diaspora in the United Kingdom.’ Diaspora Studies, 8th June 2018.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09739572.2018.1485238?needAccess=true
Farah Ali: "Acts of remembrance: Facets of Fear and Violence in Sarah Kane s Blasted and Evelyne Trouillot s The Blue of the Island" (Under Review)
Farah Ali :"Pinter s Homo Sacer: Desacralisation of Human Life in Pinter s Political Dramas and the Case of the Iraq War (2003)". (Under Review).
Farah Ali: "A Quicksand: A Theoretical Approach to Memory in Ashes to Ashes" SubStance (Under Review).
Farah Ali "We are not Free and the Sky Can Still Fall on our Heads": Performing Torture in Harold Pinter s The New World Order (1991). The Harold Pinter Review. Vol. 8, 2024.
Farah Ali: "Tracing Exile and home in the Narratives of Barni and Dominica in Little Mother" (Under Review)
Farah Ali. "Get Back to your Trough": Colonialism in Harold Pinter s The Caretaker. The Harold Pinter Review. Vol.6, June,2022. https://doi.org/10.5325/haropintrevi.6.1.0036.
Farah Ali. "The Invisible Flesh: Mimesis in Jean Genet s The Maids" Journal of Modern Literature. Vol.46, No.4 (Summer 2023).
Farah Ali "A Hydra with a Thousand Heads: Dis(ease) and Wellness in Harold Pinter s A Kind of Alaska and Brian Friel s Molly Sweeney". The Harold Pinter Review, Vol.7, 2023. https://doi.org/10.5325/haropintrevi.7.1.0080
Farah Ali: "Your Life is not a Crime: The Narrative of Illness in Sarah Kane s 4:48 Psychosis". SubStance (Under Review).
Farah Ali: Freedom as a Mirage: Sexual Commodification in Harold Pinter s Films. Journal of Modern Literature. Journal of Modern Literature, Vol.44, No.3, spring 2021. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/798714
Farah Ali. Eroding the Language of Freedom: Predicament of Identity in Selected Works of Harold Pinter (Routledge, 2017)
Farah Ali "Negotiating the Feminine Space in Multiracial Society: Sites of Resistance in Andrea Levy s Small Island" in Critical Perspectives on Resistance in 21st-Century British Literature, Cambridge Scholars Publishing. April 1st, 2024
Farah Ali. Rev. Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Performing Arts Workforce, by Tobi Stein: Routledge,2019, Cultural Trends, (July 2020) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09548963.2020.1799334
Performance Review: Farah Ali. Rev. of No Man s Land, by Harold Pinter. Hull Truck Theatre/Hull/United Kingdom, The Harold Pinter Review. 2020, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/haropintrevi.4.1.issue-1?refreqid=fastly-default%3A4a0112ef37943e3ca2e04c362c21a5dd
Farah Ali. Rev. Performing Statecraft: The Post diplomatic Theatre of Sovereigns, Citizens, and States. Edited by James R. Ball III. Methuen Drama, 2023. Drama Research, Vol.14, No.1 (April 2023). https://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/drama-research-volume-14/performing-statecraft-the-postdiplomatic-theatre-of-sovereigns-citizens-and-states/
Farah Ali. Rev. Shakespeare s Props: Memory and Cognition, by Sophi Duncan: Routledge, 2019, Drama Research, Vol.12, No.1 (April 2021) http://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/journal/current-issue/book-reviews
Farah Ali. Rev. The Digital Lives of Black Women in Britain, by Francesca Sobande: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020,Cultural Trends, Vol.30, No.2 (July 16 2021) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/citedby/10.1080/09548963.2021.1955208?scroll=top&needAccess=true
Farah Ali. Rev. Telling Our Stories: International Performance Pieces By and About Women. Edited by Kathy A. Perkins: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022, Drama Research, Vol. 13, No.1(March 2022) https://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/drama-research-volume-13/book-review-vol-13/
Farah Ali. Rev. Shakespeare and the Culture of Paradox, by Peter G. Platt: Routledge , 2009, Drama Research, Vol. 10, No.1 (April 2019) http://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/journal/current-issue/book-reviews/shakespeare-and-the-culture-of-paradox/
Farah Ali. Rev. Harold Pinter. Routledge Modern and Contemporary Dramatists. Drama Magazine, Book Review. (Feb. 23rd, 2025). https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgzQZTMRckztTdZNGKxDcgNvKFrpg?projector=1&messagePartId=0.1
Farah Ali: Rev. Redefining Theatre Communities. Edited by Marco Galea and Szabolcs Musca PARtake: The Journal of Performance as Research, Vol. 4, No.1 (Sep.2021) https://doi.org/10.33011/partake.v4i1.1023
Farah Ali. "Where Should the Birds Fly After the Last Sky? Images and Voices of Women of the Iraqi Diaspora in the United Kingdom." Diaspora Studies, 8th June 2018. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09739572.2018.1485238?needAccess=true
"Performing Care and Carelessness Conference" University of Otago, Feb. 14th-Feb 16th,2024 New Zealand. "Your Life is not a Crime: The Narrative of Illness in Sarah Kane s 4.48 Psychosis"
2021 Louisville Literature and Culture Conference LLCC "The Theatre of the Absurd Revisited" A series of panels on the theatre of the absurd in honour of the 50th anniversary of the publication of Martin Esslin s Theatre of the Absurd. "The Invisible Flesh: Mimesis in Jean Genet s The Maids and The Blacks". 25th Feb. 2021.
Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation (ADI)/ Deakin University, Australia/ Melbourne Nov. 25-26th, 2024. "From Hell to Hull: Challenges and Barriers Faced by Arabic Women in the North of England".
The 51 Louisville Conference on Literature and Culture (LCLC) 19-20th Feb 2024. "Your Life is not a Crime: The Narrative of Illness in Sarah Kane s 4.48 Psychosis"
2016 IFTR International Federation for Theatre Research. July 2016. "The Rotten Hyper (Realistic) Game: Harold Pinter s Betrayal between Reality and Realism" Stockholm University.
2020 "Get Back to Your Trough: Images of Colonialism in Harold Pinter s The Caretaker" Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2nd International Conference in Literature: Diasporic Literature: Past, Present, and Future 29-30 July (ICL2020)
2018 Staging Pinter, Networks, Collaborators, Legacies. Pinter s Homo Sacer: The Desacrilisation of Human Life in Pinter s Political Dramas and Case of Iraq War (2003). A Two-Day International Conference at the University of Birmingham, U.K. April 6-7, 2018.
International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR) Philippines-Manila (15-19th July 2024, Our States of Emergency. "We are Looking for Home but Where is Home" The Feminist Group
45th Annual Comparative Drama Conference, March 30th-April1st, 2023, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. "Jesters of Death: Satirical Approach to Death in Mountain Language and Accidental Death of an Anarchist"
2014 The 20th Performance Studies International Conference/Shanghai Theatre Academy/ "Gendered Identity in Harold Pinter s A Kind of Alaska". July 4-8, 2014.
46th Comparative Drama Conference to be held April 4-6, 2024, in Orlando, Florida. "We are Looking for Home but Where is Home: Violence in Sarah Kane s Blasted and Evelyne Trouillot s The Blue of the Island"
2023. The 50th Louisville Conference on Literature and Culture 20th-25th Feb.2023. Louisville, U.S.A. "A Hydra with Thousand Heads: (Dis) ease and Wellness in Harold Pinter s A Kind of Alaska and Brian Friel s Molly Sweeney".
2018 SAS Seminar Series. "The Syrian Crisis: World War III?" American University of Nigeria, Nigeria, Yola.
2017. "From Hell to Hull: Images and Voices of Women of the Iraqi Diaspora in the United Kingdom". The University of Edinburgh. BRISMES. July 4-7, 2017
2014 The Postgraduate Research Conference "Communicating Research to a Wider Audience". June 23, 2014, University of Hull
2019 A guest speaker: "Where Should the Birds Fly After the Last Sky? Images and Voices of Women of the Iraqi Diaspora in the United Kingdom" at the University of Hull in relation to Arabic women and Islamophobia.
2019 "The Caretaker: A Catch 22 and Questions of Belonging." Harold Pinter: Histories, and Legacies. University of Leeds, Sep.19-21, 2019.
2018 "Subdued Existence: Identity, Corporeality, and Gender in Pinter s Film The Pumpkin Eater (1964)". Pinter on Screen/ Pinter on Air conference at University of Reading and The British Library: Wednesday 19-Thursday 20 September 2018.
2013 Myth, Fantasy & Fairy Tales in Literature and Arts. Nov.16, 2013 Anglia Ruskin University "The Power of Myth and Fragmented Identity in Two Pinter Plays: A Study in Selected Plays of Harold Pinter."
2022 "Performing Crisis" University of Otago/ New Zealand, 2022. Nov.30th-Dec.2nd (Forthcoming) "This is What We Have Said Time and Again: Violence in Harold Pinter s The New World Order".
2018 SAS (School of Arts and Sciences) Seminar Series. Pinter s Homo Sacer: The Desacrilisation of Human Life in Pinter s Political Dramas and the Case of Iraq War (2003). American University of Nigeria, Nigeria, Yola.