Naming and categorizing is a very powerful tool, but unfortunately often misused as a form of oppression. I mean, this especially becomes a problem when you translate into a language that is not well equipped for what you want to translate. And i'm fascinated in these questions, about these questions. Because i i a sort of a philosopher of religion by training, but ther khors something incredibly powerful about resisting the pressure to translate everything.
Language is expressive, a way of opening doors or a tool for creating new dialogue. But a tool so powerful can also take us to unforeseen or unintended places. It can create narratives that become fixed, unhelpful, or exclusionary. Kübra Gümüsay is a writer and activist focusing on social justice and public discourse. Her new book is Speaking and Being, which looks at the power of words, asking whether language creates freeing new spaces or plays a part in walling them off. Our host for the discussion is Danielle Sands, Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature and Culture at Royal Holloway University in London, where she works across disciplines bridging philosophy, literary studies and critical theory.
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