Jad Khairallah holds a PhD in culture studies From the Catholic University of Portugal-Lisbon with a Master of Arts in Design from Notre Dame University-Lebanon. Khairallah’s work centers on exploring the intersection of shock, culture, and queerness, in the case of Lebanon. His thesis examines how individuals navigate continuous shocks and instabilities while exploring the concept of desensitization in Beirut. The research tackles the shocking power that non-normativity imposes on established cultural concepts, particularly concerning the queer body and the communicative practices of shock tactics prevalent in media, culture and the arts. Khairallah’s interdisciplinary approach encompasses queer theory, intersectional feminism, and Middle Eastern studies, as well as an interest in arts-based research.

— Jad Khairallah 2024

Educational Background

2016 - 2024 PhD in Culture Studies, in the Faculty of Social Sciences, in the Catholic University of Portugal (Universidade Católica Portuguesa) - Lisbon, Portugal. The Doctoral Program takes into direct consideration the ever increasing value the arts and culture represent to the understanding and the identity of nations and individuals, in an era marked by globalization, and rapid cultural dissemination.

2012 – 2014 Master of Arts in Design, in the Faculty of Architecture, Arts and Design from Notre Dame University - Lebanon, with a Master thesis that explored the influential power of visual culture in reforming how we aesthetically behave with relation to contemporary television images under the orientation of Doctor Dina Baroud.

2007 – 2011 Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design, in the Faculty of Architecture, Arts and Design from Notre Dame University - Lebanon, with a final project that explored designing an Art Center that functions as both a creative and an Art therapy center.

1992 – 2007 High school Diploma (French system) from Collège Notre Dame de Louaize – Lebanon. 

Professional Experience

Private Arabic Practice

2017 - current

ARABIC TUTOR for Portuguese and International students, Lisbon, Portugal.

  • Prepare and deliver lessons to improve the student’s reading, writing, and conversing skills

  • Tailor the teaching style in accordance with the student’s needs

  • Compose lesson plans to execute efficiently while using creative styles of teaching 

CECC Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e Cultura

2020 - current

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION MANAGER at the Research Centre for Communication and Culture (CECC) at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon, Portugal.

  • Manage and respond to project related emails

  • Prepare, maintain and update website materials

  • Manage online communications of academic content via digital channels 

  • Design, edit and produce relevant content

  • Create, post and monitor social media presence

Erga Group

2011 - 2016

INTERIOR ARCHITECT at ERGA Group, Interior Design Department, Beirut, Lebanon.

  • Design and model the interior spaces of Towers, Buildings, Banks, Hospitals, and Apartments in Lebanon, Qatar, and Africa

  • Deal with the concerned Architects, and Contractors

  • Electro-mechanical coordination

  • Site visit and supervision

  • Generate demonstration/presentation materials and deliver presentations at client sites

International Paper Presentations

INTER- AND TRANSDISCIPLINARY INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL 2024 WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE EURO-PEAN SUMMER SCHOOL IN CULTURAL STUDIES (ESSCS) - Bodensee, Switzerland

Khairallah, J. (2024, September). Shock Me if You Can! An Exploration of Queerness in Beirut.

X LISBON SUMMER SCHOOL FOR THE STUDY OF CULTURE - Lisbon, Portugal

Khairallah, J. (2020, July). Countering Beirut and Queering the Environment.

IX LISBON SUMMER SCHOOL FOR THE STUDY OF CULTURE - Lisbon, Portugal

Khairallah, J. (2019, July). Shocking Masculinity – On the Subversive Use of The Lebanese Male Body: The Case of Moe Khansa. 

VISUALIZING THEORY CONFERENCE, THE SEVENTH ANNUAL INTERDISCIPLINARY CONFERENCE ON CRITICAL THEORY - New York, USA

Khairallah, J. (2018, May). A Critique of Shock in a Postmodern Land.

VII LISBON SUMMER SCHOOL FOR THE STUDY OF CULTURE - Lisbon, Portugal

Khairallah, J. (2017, June). Escaping the Ugly Reality.

4TH GLOBAL CONFERENCE MONSTROUS GEOGRAPHIES - Lisbon, Portugal

Khairallah, J. (2015, March). A Plague upon our Virtual Land. 

Guest Speaker

WORLDOVERHERE – CURIOUSMONKEYLX

WOH in-person dialogues on social transformation focusing on a panel of creatives in Lisbon l Lisbon, Portugal

FEBRUARY 2023

O FESTIVAL OLHARES DO MEDITERRÂNEO WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL – CINEMA SÃO JORGE

With a special Program about Lebanon, a commentary followed the film screening of Beirut: Eye of the Storm (Mai Masri · LB, FR · Doc · 2021 · 75’) l Lisbon, Portugal

NOVEMBER 2022

XI LISBON SUMMER SCHOOL FOR THE STUDY OF CULTURE – ONLINE

As part of the conference, the presented talk was titled Alternative Knowledge in the Making: An Experimental Dialogue Between Academic Research and Artistic Investigation l Lisbon, Portugal

JUNE 2021

HANGAR CENTRE FOR ARTISTIC INVESTIGATION & 4CS – HANGAR

The talk was titled Plurality as Practice – Re-envisioning the Role of the Researcher in a Destabilized World l Lisbon, Portugal

NOVEMBER 2020

POWER OF THE WORD I / PILGRIMAGE / HAJJ – CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN MUSEUM

A participatory curatorial project at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, involving Arabic and Persian speakers who join curatorial and educational staff and guest researchers to study the Middle East collection l Lisbon, Portugal

NOVEMBER 2019

Languages

Arabic: fluent (speaking, reading, writing)

English: fluent (speaking, reading, writing)

French: fluent (speaking, reading, writing)

Portuguese: basic (speaking, reading, writing)