Michael Allan

Bio

Michael Allan is Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Cinema Studies at the University of Oregon. He is the author, most recently, of Cinema Before the World: The Global Routes of the Lumière Brothers (Fordham University Press, 2026), and serves as editor of the journal Comparative Literature.

Contributions

A Prayer for Mimesis? Reframing Islam in Cinema

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In 1896, mere months after revealing their revolutionary cinematograph in Lyon, the Lumière Brothers dispatched a team of operators around the globe to showcase the new device and capture moving images for international circulation. Among this cadre of pioneering cinematographers was Alexandre Promio, who traveled to Spain, England, and Italy, before embarking on a journey to Algeria in December that same year. This broader story is part of my forthcoming book,

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cinema islam