Dr. Dhiffaf Ibrahim Al-Shwillay is a passionate educator and advocate for human rights, with over 16 years of experience at the University of Baghdad. Her expertise in English literature and cultural studies, coupled with her leadership experience as the former head of the Scholarships and Cultural Relations Department, has equipped her with a unique perspective on the transformative power of education, which she views as a crucial tool for resistance and empowerment. Her Ph.D. dissertation, "Folklore as Resistance in Postcolonial Narratives and Cultural Practices," explores this theme, focusing on the experiences of Kānaka Maoli, African Americans, and Iraqis. Committed to fostering inclusive and equitable learning environments, Dr. Al-Shwillay's innovative pedagogical approaches, such as the "Narrative Pedagogy for Empowerment," empower students to become critical thinkers, empathetic citizens, and agents of positive change.
Teaching: Extensive experience teaching Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. level courses in English literature and cultural studies.
Implementation: Proven track record of developing and implementing successful educational initiatives that align with UNESCO's Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Course Planning: Extensive experience in designing and delivering engaging courses in English literature and cultural studies, promoting critical thinking, cultural understanding, and social awareness.
Assessment Leadership: Led electronic exam initiatives with colleagues to enhance assessment practices and promote academic integrity.
Workshops and Conferences: Expertise in organizing and facilitating national and international workshops and conferences on human rights education, social justice, and innovative pedagogical approaches.
Committee Leadership: Served as Head of Scholarships and Cultural Relations Department at the University of Baghdad, demonstrating leadership skills in program management, resource allocation, and stakeholder engagement.
Teaching Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. level courses in English literature and cultural studies Developing and implementing innovative pedagogical approaches to promote critical thinking, empathy, and social engagement Leading electronic exam initiatives to enhance assessment practices and promote academic integrity Organizing and facilitating national and international workshops and conferences Mentoring and advising students to achieve their academic and professional goals Collaborating with colleagues to foster a positive and inclusive learning environment
• Ph.D. Scholarship: Sponsored by Higher Committee of Developing Iraqi Education, America/Hawaii, 2011. • Workshop in Teaching Approaches: Sponsored by UNESCO; Jordan, Amman, July 2010. • Course study on Human Rights: Sponsored by UNESCO; University of Foggia / Italy, 2008. • Workshop on Human Rights: Sponsored by American Peace Institution; Erbil/ Iraq, 2009. Intensive course for Developing Teaching Skills Focusing on Arabic, April 2010.
My academic interests are centered around postcolonial studies, African American literature, and Folklore. I am fascinated by how stories and language can reorient people, and growing up in Baghdad, along with my exposure to American and Hawaiian cultures, has given me a unique perspective on how history, culture, and worldviews are conveyed through literature.
English, Education, Postcolonial studies, African American literature, and Folklore.
With over 16 years of experience teaching English literature and cultural studies at the University of Baghdad, I have developed a diverse repertoire of courses, including:
Human Rights Reading and Writing Skills Academic Writing TOEFL Preparation Renaissance Poetry Introduction to Literature and Poetry EFL for Graduate and Undergraduate Students In my classroom, I prioritize critical thinking, literary analysis, and genre analysis, fostering a deep understanding of the subject matter. For instance, in my Human Rights course, I designed challenging assignments that encouraged students to grapple with the complex realities of human rights issues in Iraq. Additionally, I extended my expertise beyond the classroom by organizing and delivering a workshop on human rights for fellow educators at the College of Education.
Prior to attaining my current tenured position, I accumulated six years of valuable teaching experience, further refining my pedagogical approach and solidifying my commitment to fostering a love of learning and empowering students to become critical thinkers and engaged citizens.
Colonialism radically transformed the cultures of colonized peoples, often rupturing Indigenous traditions and folklore. Whether creating colonial discourse, promoting orientalist literature, advocating western educational institutions, or through biased media representations, imperial powers systematically oppressed Indigenous and Native peoples. Subjugated communities, however, created, and still form postcolonial discourse from their knowledge systems. This discourse insists on Indigenous and Native culture as central to Indigenous and Native peoples identity. This study examines the postcolonial literature of three groups: Kānaka Maoli, African Americans, and Iraqis. The scope of this dissertation scrutinizes how folklore is employed
... Show Morethe traumatic memory of their ancestors. The novel navigates sites of trauma, memory, and blues music while resisting the bourgeoisie-capitalist relationships that permeated not only white society but also African American communities. Jones’s novel presents the plight of an African American woman, Ursa, caught between the memory of her enslaved foremothers and her life in an emancipated world. The physical and spiritual exploitation of African American women who bear witness to the history of slavery in Corregidora materializes black women’s individuality. This article is framed by trauma studies as well as the Marxists’ concepts of commodification, accumulation, and production. Ursa, one of the Corregidora women, represents
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This article focuses on identity construction and social structures within the Sāmoan community as represented in Sia Figiel’s novel Where We Once Belonged. I argue that however the post/colonial Sāmoan identity is hybridized, the essence of the individual is still connected to Fa’a Sāmoa-the Sāmoan traditions and ways. However rapid are the colonial vicissitudes, the Sāmoan literature and lifestyle are developed to be a resistance platform. This resistance platform is dedicated not only to expose the colonial impact but also to assist the social and political reconstruction of post/colonial Samoa. To this end, this article studies identity construction, and the challenges that women face within Sāmoan social structures.
The discourse surrounding lingual sovereignty within the African postcolonial context is profoundly intertwined with the fabric of cultural identity and self-determination. Language serves not merely as a conduit for communication but as a repository for a people's collective consciousness, encapsulating their traditions, thoughts, and perspectives. In the realm of postcolonial literature, this dialogue often grapples with the paradox of expressing indigenous narratives through the linguistic tools of former colonizers. Chinua Achebe's seminal work, "Things Fall Apart," exemplifies this conundrum, artfully weaving the orature and culture of Umuofia within the English language. Achebe's choice to write in English—a language imposed upon hi
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