The Speculative Circle

Maktaba: A Speculative Thought Circle is a monthly gathering dedicated to collective reading, viewing, and discussion across disciplines. Rooted in the Arabic word for "library," Maktaba takes the form of an open and horizontal learning environment where participants gather around a roundtable to reflect on texts and artistic practices, from exhibitions, books, film, and image to performance and sound, considering the ways they speak to one another and what we might speculate from them.

For this session, Maktaba turns its attention to Albert Memmi's The Colonizer and the Colonized (1957), facilitated by Threadify. A foundational work of postcolonial thought, the book draws two portraits, one of the colonizer and one of the colonized, examining how the colonial relationship deforms both, reshaping identity, perception, and possibility on either side. Written from Memmi's own position, the text is as personal as it is analytical. 

Each participant will receive a complimentary copy of The Colonizer and the Colonized to add to their personal library.

All texts and/or bodies of work for each Maktaba Circle are shared prior to our meeting. Participants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the materials, annotate, and bring their own references and offerings to the discussion.

Accessibility & Participation

Open to ages 18 and above.

No prior experience is required

About the Instructor

Hajer Ben Charrada moves capital as Investment VP at TAQA. In most of her spare hours, she's building Threads of Ifriqiya and Threadify, spaces where ideas get the serious, joyful treatment they deserve. A Mechanical engineer by training, she’s drawn to literature, big ideas, and the kind of intellectual spaces where you arrive with one question and leave with five better ones.

Ramdane Orou S. is a passionate reader of novels and essays, with a particular love for African literature. As co-host of Threads of Ifriqiya, he explores books across genres, bringing critical analysis and contextual depth to make African writing accessible to unfamiliar audiences. He is also co-founder of Threadify, a community project built around books, art, and meaningful human connection. Beyond his literary life, Ramdane holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences and works as a Contextual Risks Specialist at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group.