KU scholar’s work comes alive as empire-building video game character
LAWRENCE — A scholarly journal article is one thing. Having your research turned into a character in the one of the world’s leading history-based video games is another.
But since her research on the once forgotten 16th century “pirate queen” of Morocco, Sayyida al-Hurra, was published in early 2024, that is what has happened to Amal El Haimeur, assistant professor in the Department of African & African-American Studies at the University of Kansas.
After she published an article about al-Hurra in the initial edition of the journal Africana Annual, El Haimeur was contacted by representatives of the computer game company Firaxis, who asked her to consult on adding al-Hurra as a character to their game Sid Meier’s Civilization VII.
Abbreviated as CIV 7, it is the latest edition of a series of digital video empire-building games dating back to 1991. CIV 7 premiered Feb. 11, and, in a Dec. 9 update, al-Hurra became the 27th world historical leader, much like Napoleon or Catherine the Great, whose roles and powers game players can assume. Al-Hurra was governor of the northern Morocco city-state Tetouan.
El Haimeur signed a contract to serve as a “historical and linguistic consultant” to Firaxis. She said the opportunity to advise on the character came with a strong sense of responsibility.
“I care deeply about representation, and I appreciate that they care about accurate representation, which is rarely done in the media,” El Haimeur said. “I felt a strong responsibility to contribute scholarly guidance on historical, linguistic and cultural representation that usually is not given in popular media, which often relies on an Orientalist frame.”
Thus, the KU scholar said, her consultation on al-Hurra included linguistic guidance aimed at reflecting historically appropriate forms of Arabic.
El Haimeur said having al-Hurra as a video game character on par with Napoleon can fuel curiosity about the past and be empowering for young Muslim women in the present.
“It’s not just about playing,” El Haimeur said. “If the player is leaving the game with questions — about Moroccan history, about Islamic political leadership, and specifically as it relates to women, perhaps North African women in general — that’s what’s important for me.”
She said the example of al-Hurra can inspire game players.
“If they will not have access to power, regardless of the situation, they can do it. They can navigate difficulties.”
And this may not be the last pop culture adaptation of Sayyida al-Hurra. El Haimeur said she has also received an informal inquiry from a British movie maker: “She is thinking to work on her story in a creative, wonderful way.”