Description
Join anthropologist and author, Susan Thomson, for a screening of Ghost Empire Mauritius-Chagos, a powerful documentary exploring the complex history and ongoing struggles of the Chagos Archipelago and its displaced communities.
The film delves into colonialism, forced evictions, and contested sovereignty in this remote Indian Ocean territory. Thomson will also discuss how colonial sodomy laws continued to impact former colonies like Mauritius, complicating their fight for LGBTQ+ rights.
Following the screening, Thomson will lead a Q&A on human rights, resilience, and the ongoing quest for justice and equality.
About the Artist
Susan Thomson
Susan Thomson is a writer, filmmaker and visual artist, recently writing and directing The Swimming Diaries (2024) funded by an Arts Council of Ireland Reel Art film award, which premiered at the Dublin International Film Festival, and screened in 2025 at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival, and the soundtrack album featured on BBC Radio 3 Night Tracks.
The film is based on her memoir which was previously exhibited and sold at Artbook@PS1 MoMA, New York. They are also continuing to direct the award-winning series of films, Ghost Empire (2013-2025), funded by the Arts Council of Ireland, which explores constitutional challenges to British colonial anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Ghost Empire § Mauritius-Chagos (2025) premiered at Leeds Queer Film Festival in 2025. She has screened her films at Anthology Film Archives, New York, the Tate Modern, the Barbican, INIVA, London, and the Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro.
About the Chair
Nabeela Rasheed
British by birth, Pakistani by heritage, American by choice, Biochemist by training, Lawyer by profession, lesbian by love, Muslim by faith, activist by passion.
Prior to her position as Vice President for Legal and Intellectual Property at biopharmaceutical company Cullinan Therapeutics, Dr. Rasheed served a similar role at Amunix Pharmaceuticals Inc, and worked on the M&A activities leading to the acquisition of that company by Sanofi, Inc.
She started her in-house corporate career as Section Head of IP at AbbVie. Before going in-house, she gained over two decades of experience in private practice as a senior partner at law firms such as McAndrews Held & Malloy, and Marshall, Gerstein & Borun, where her practice focused on counseling biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients in intellectual property related issues. She has also served on the Chicago Commission on Human Relations. She is presently vice-chairperson on Chicago House Social Services Agency, an agency focused on providing housing and wrap around services for people affected by HIV/AIDS. Dr. Rasheed believes in being a patient advocate for all of the communities that she serves following the adage that “service to others is the rent that we pay for being on this earth.”
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