Rate My Professor Samiha Olwan

Dr. Samiha Olwan is a Lecturer in the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Murdoch University, where she specializes as a scholar of literary, cultural, and gender studies. She earned her PhD in English and Comparative Literature from Murdoch University in 2018. Her doctoral thesis, titled 'Gendered voice in Palestinian Women Bloggers' narratives: A postcolonial feminist approach to women writing in occupied spaces,' was supervised by Anne Surma and Helena Grehan. Olwan also holds a Master's degree in Cultural Studies from Durham University, United Kingdom. Prior to her academic career in Australia, she taught English at the Islamic University of Gaza and worked with the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. She arrived in Australia in 2014 to pursue her PhD studies.

Olwan's research interests include gender studies, literary studies, and creative arts and writing, with a focus on Palestinian women's narratives through a postcolonial feminist lens. Key publications include the short story 'Toothache in Gaza' (2024), the exhibition catalog and edited work 'Palestinian Threads and Stitches: A Tapestry of Home and Diaspora' (2020, co-edited with Samya Jabbour and Rusaila Bazlamit), and contributions to 'Gaza Writes Back, Memorial Edition: Short Stories and Poems from Young Palestinians' (2024). She presented the conference paper 'Searching for the Gendered Voice in Palestinian Women Bloggers’ Narratives' at the 'Palestine and the West: History, Contemporary Realities and Future Prospects' conference. Olwan curated the 'Palestinian Threads and Stitches: A Tapestry of Home and Diaspora' exhibition for International Women's Day 2020 at Midland Junction Arts Centre. Her Google Scholar profile documents these works, with citations reflecting her contributions to the field. At Murdoch University, she supervises honours students in English and Creative Writing, including Xavier Cooper who achieved outstanding results.