Dr. Nahal Sheikh

Biography

Nahal Sheikh is a Lecturer in the Department of Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam, teaching the BA program in Media & Culture. Originally from Lahore, Pakistan, Nahal has been based in the Netherlands since 2012. Nahal completed a Research MA in Media, focusing on issues of racial and gendered identity representation in cinema and TV, primarily concerning South Asia. She also holds a BA in Liberal Arts & Sciences from University College Maastricht with a focus on Sociology and Cultural Studies. Currently completing a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ), Nahal's research centers on the construction and deconstruction of identity in film and television, particularly in South Asian and African American contexts. Her work examines how media forms conceptualize and challenge narratives of belonging, race, gender, and cultural memory through postcolonial and critical race theories. Nahal's past research includes investigations into Pakistan's national identity as depicted in local versus Hollywood films and the representation of racial passing in US/UK films during the Jim Crow era. Presently, she is exploring the intersection of politics and graphic design surrounding the Partition of South Asia, analyzing visual culture's role in shaping national imaginaries. Nahal teaches courses on Media Aesthetics and Global Media Culture, supervises BA theses, and provides support for student cohorts in the Media program.

Research Interests

Experience