Jewish Currents Live : Dionne Brand & Adania Shibli in Conversation
Oct 2, 2024
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Dionne Brand, an acclaimed writer and poet, joins Adania Shibli, a notable author, for a profound conversation on identity and belonging. They discuss the complexity of home amidst the backdrop of current global struggles, particularly focusing on the Palestinian experience. The duo examines how narratives can redefine memory and the human experience, challenging grand narratives that often erase personal histories. Their dialogue also touches on the significance of language in reflecting societal violence and the transformative power of creativity and community.
The dialogue between Dionne Brand and Adania Shibli explores home and belonging as dynamic relationships rather than static locations.
Literature is framed as a powerful medium for challenging societal norms and showcasing the complexities of identity and citizenship.
Both writers advocate for reimagining narratives to move beyond conventional frameworks, emphasizing the importance of diverse experiences in storytelling.
Deep dives
Chronic Illness and Revolutionary Self-Care
Chronic illness is reframed as a social experience rather than merely a biological one, highlighting the struggle to advocate for self-care in a capitalist society that equates worth with productivity. The work discusses the challenges faced by individuals who cannot engage with the world physically, raising questions about activism and the expression of dissent from a place of immobility. Johanna Hedva’s essay, "Sick Woman Theory," epitomizes this struggle by drawing attention to the need for a revolutionary act of caring for oneself in the midst of societal expectations. This perspective positions self-care not just as personal health management but as a form of resistance against the oppressive structures of capitalism.
The Importance of Intellectual Community
The episode recounts a significant event in New York City hosted by Jewish Currents that aimed to create a space for important conversations on culture and politics. Despite facing last-minute challenges regarding the venue, the event morphed into a successful gathering featuring notable intellectual figures from various fields, fostering a sense of community and shared ideas. This gathering showcased the power of intellectual discourse and collaboration, emphasizing how connections can emerge even in the face of adversity. It is through such dialogues that diverse perspectives come together to challenge prevailing narratives and foster understanding.
The Role of Literature in Shaping Ethics
The conversation highlights how literature serves as a vital medium for questioning societal norms and illustrating the complexities of belonging and citizenship in different contexts. The discussions on home and belonging reveal how both writers, Dion Brand and Adania Shibley, engage with the concept of home not as a fixed location but as an evolving ethical relationship with space and community. By navigating their narratives and examining the nuances of their characters' experiences, they reveal the limitations imposed by traditional structures of belonging. This reflects a broader understanding that empathy and connection often transcend geographic and political boundaries, allowing for a more inclusive exploration of identity.
Mapping Narratives Beyond Colonial Structures
The dialogue emphasizes the deficiencies of conventional narratives and how maps, often tools of colonialism, can further obscure the lived experiences of marginalized communities. Both writers articulate the need to reimagine narratives in ways that diverge from imposed historical frameworks, suggesting that true storytelling should reflect the complexities and realities of life lived in resistance. This discussion raises the critical nature of language and narrative in shaping our understanding of history and identity, urging a re-evaluation of how stories are told and understood. By refusing to adhere strictly to linear or ‘grand’ narratives, the authors advocate for a more multifaceted approach that honors diverse experiences.
Resistance Through Writing
The episode examines the act of writing as a necessary form of resistance in the face of oppressive societal narratives and state violence. Dion Brand reflects on how writing becomes a means to confront and articulate the tensions surrounding identity, agency, and collective memory within a historical context marked by trauma. This highlights the inherent power of literature to capture and communicate experiences that are often rendered invisible or misunderstood in mainstream discourse. Ultimately, the writers assert that through their dedication to storytelling, they can engage with pressing social issues in ways that nurture a deeper understanding and challenge existing paradigms.
As part of Jewish Currents Live: A Day of Politics & Culture, I moderated a conversation between Adania Shibli and Dionne Brand this September in New York City. Both Dionne and Adania have been on the show individually, and part of why I was hoping to bring them together this way was because of just how unforgettable my conversations with each of them respectively were. Together we look at questions of home and belonging, nations and mapping, humans and animals, as well as at Dionne and Adania’s shared desire to write against grand narratives and to imagine an otherwise for how we might live together. We do all of this within the aura of the eleven months of genocidal assaults on Palestinian life, and how the resistance to it connects us to other struggles around the world.
Jewish Currents is offering two things to entice listeners to become supporters of Between the Covers, one is a Jewish Currents sampler of back issues, the other is their After October 7th compendium of essays, poems and reports with writings by genocide scholar Raz Segal, Peter Beinart’s essay “Teshuvah: A Jewish Case for Palestinian Refugee Return,” poems by Hala Alyan, Fady Joudah and more. To learn about these and the many other things available to choose from when joining the Between the Covers community, head over to the show’s Patreon page.
