What happens when family history becomes part of the public archive? Join us for a presentation and discussion with Head Archivist Aubrey Pomerance (Jewish Museum Berlin), Holocaust survivor Klaus Zwilsky, and Dr. Charlotte Schallié (University of Victoria) as they examine how archives with personal histories can be developed with care. Format: Presentation and discussion, with […]
While Frantz Fanon never wrote on the Palestinian question, his work on violence and colonialism is often evoked in scholarship on Palestine/Israel. Turning to Fanon at this moment for ways to better understand and respond to the Gaza War seems unavoidable. The human, embodied by the Jewish Israeli, is defined by its opposition to the wretched—the bloodthirsty Palestinian. Many would agree that describing Palestinians as “human animals” is a dehumanizing practice that, as we know, has a long colonial history. Liberal humanism’s response to Palestinian dehumanization is frequently to call for empathy. At the same time, the image of the victim should also give us pause. This talk asks: Why is it that most people can stand with Palestinians only when they are dead or dying? What does an anti-colonial framework bring to our understanding of Palestinian struggle? What ethical and political responsibilities do we bear in answering these questions?