On the Nose

Volatile Emotions

Nov 14, 2024

Naomi Klein, bestselling author and professor, and Hala Alyan, acclaimed author and clinical psychologist, engage in a profound conversation about emotions in the Palestinian liberation movement. They explore how grief and rage influence political discourse and the need for emotional diversity within movements. The duo examines the weaponization of trauma in mourning practices, the psychological toll of state narratives, and the importance of recognizing and metabolizing emotions to empower communities. Their insights highlight the intricate connection between personal feelings and collective action.

48:23

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Episode guests

Hala Alyan

Naomi Klein

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Emotions like grief and rage significantly impact the Palestinian liberation movement, highlighting the complexity of political emotions within activism.

The need for emotional literacy and understanding in social movements is crucial for navigating diverse responses and fostering effective engagement.

Deep dives

The Interplay of Emotion and Politics

Emotions such as grief and rage play a significant role in the movement for Palestinian liberation, highlighting the complexity of political emotions within social movements. Participants discussed how different emotional responses can lead to distinct ideological stances, revealing a spectrum where mourning and anger often coexist. A poignant example was an exercise conducted among colleagues that uncovered a divide between those expressing sorrow and those expressing a militant stance. This underscores the need for better emotional literacy within movements, as recognizing and validating a range of feelings can offer insight into political dynamics.

Intro

5min

Navigating Emotions in Political Discourse

6min

The Weaponization of Grief and Trauma in Mourning Practices

5min

Understanding Trauma and Its Impact

2min

Navigating Grief and Politics

26min

Engaging Hearts and Minds: The Emotional Dimension of Conversation

5min

On this episode of On the Nose—recorded at an online event on October 30th—editor-in-chief Arielle Angel speaks with author Naomi Klein and writer and clinical psychologist Hala Alyan about the place of feelings and affect in the movement for Palestinian liberation. They discuss the role of grief and rage, how movements can accommodate affective diversity, and what it means to channel emotions politically.

Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).

Texts Mentioned and Further Resources:

“How Israel has made trauma a weapon of war,” Naomi Klein, The Guardian

The Generation of Postmemory: Writing and Visual Culture After the Holocaust by Marianne Hirsch

Prosthetic Memory: The Transformation of American Remembrance in the Age of Mass Culture by Alison Landsberg

“‘Chronic traumatic stress disorder’: the Palestinian psychiatrist challenging western definitions of trauma,” Bethan McKernan, The Guardian

“Can the Palestinian Mourn?,” Abdaljawad Omar, Rusted Radishes

“‘Resistance Through a Realist Lens,’” Arielle Angel in conversation with Abdaljawad Omar, Jewish Currents

“Mourning and Melancholia,” Sigmund Freud

The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein

“One Year,” Palestinian Youth Movement, The New Inquiry (originally published in The New York War Crimes)

Recognizing the Stranger: On Palestine and Narrative by Isabella Hammad