Ophélie Mercier
VITA
Ophélie Mercier is a PhD Student in Anthropology at Ghent University and affiliated with the Centre Marc Bloch in Berlin (where she is based). She graduated from Sciences Po Rennes and SOAS. Her first research explored theatre as a form of resistance in Palestine, focusing on the Freedom Theatre. She worked in Cairo from 2013-16 as a street clown performer with the collective Outa Hamra. In her thesis, she is exploring the life trajectories of Egyptian artists who (re)settled in Europe in recent years, focusing on the reconfigurations of their artistic practices and looking at the transnational dynamics of the production and distribution of their art works.
Mutterinstitut:
Ghent University
Research
Forschungsthemen
Migration studies - Anthropology of art - Middle East Studies - Political engagement
Research Project
The new political situation after 2013 has been a serious backlash for many Egyptian artists, especially those who supported the 2011 uprising or have addressed the event through their artistic work. This project aims to study the paths of artists who left Egypt after 2013 for Europe. It will look in particular at the political, economic and social positions held by Egyptian artists prior to their departure to understand which resources they could mobilise in their migration trajectories and how their situation evolved through their resettlement in Europe.
Through this project, the research examines the following three interrelated questions:
How do past experiences influence creation processes in exile? The personal trajectories of Egyptian artists are studied in light of the evolution of their artistic productions.
What are the transnational dynamics bringing together artists from different Arab countries and beyond in Europe? The project explores the networks and events in which Egyptian artists participate to understand their socialisation abroad.
How do Egyptian artists in exile (dis)engage with activities related to Egypt? This third question examines the politicisation of artistic production, and the extent to which political affects relate with interpersonal relations.
This project is at the intersection between the disciplines of anthropology, the sociology of art, migration studies and cultural studies. It is based on in-depth autobiographical interviews and the ethnographic observation of the Egyptian cultural scenes in Paris, Berlin and Brussels.
Titel der Dissertation:
Egyptian Artists in Europe: Exile, Resettlement and the Reconfiguration of Cultural Practices (working title)
Institution der Dissertation:
Ghent University
Betreuer*in
Prof. Aymon Kreil
Publications
Book chapter
Narrating Berlin as an Arab Cultural Hub : exploring opportunities and contesting otherness, in Artistic hubs in and of the Arab region, Nadia von Maltzahn (ed), De Gruyter Brill: Berlin (Forthcoming – 2026)
« Devenir étranger » : La transformation du rapport au corps comme levier de conversion de l’engagement politique en exil, in Exil et politique, Marie Bassi et al. (eds.), Le Cavalier Bleu: Paris (2025), pp.203-24
Special Issue Coordination
Pratiques artistiques en situation d’exil – Assignations et incitations à l’engagement, Critique Internationale (Forthcoming 2026)
Peer-reviewed articles
‘Faire un film’ pour se penser dans l’exil : Ethnographie d’un tournage à Berlin – ‘Bandido’ de Mohamad El-Hadidi, Science et Vidéo, vol.11 (Forthcoming 2026)
“ ’Behind Your Eyeballs’ : Enchevêtrement des temporalités et réflexions sur les engagements passés.” Horizons/Théâtre, (Forthcoming 2026).
Critique de l’injonction à l’engagement – Réception et discussion autour du film Bashtaalak Sa’at de Mohammad Shawky Hassan, LicArc – Revue de Littérature et de Culture Arabes Contemporaines, n°12, 2024, pp.223-38
Echo’s van de ‘Egyptische Revolutie’ Een decennium door de ogen van de onafhankelijke kunstsector in Caïro, Zem Zem Magazine, 2020:2, 2020, pp.53-63.
« Expériences théâtrales à Alexandrie auprès des populations locale et réfugiée : un éveilleur de conscience politique », Egypte Soudan Monde Arabe, N°15, 3ème série, 2017. pp.125-46
Other publication
Circus as Intercultural Encounter – Guidebook (co-author), Caravan (2023)
Interdisciplinary research conducted with social science researchers and circus trainers analyzing their practices towards social inclusion, as well as their reflective skills and awareness of the power dynamics that shape relations among circus trainers, circus management, and the communities. https://tinyurl.com/CircusIE