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"Understanding Syria through Refugee Stories: We Crossed A Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria"

Veranstaltungsdaten

How can we make sense of the tragedy in Syria? Wendy Pearlman (Northwestern University) has conducted open-ended interviews with more than 300 displaced Syrians across the Middle East and Europe from 2012 to 2017. She has brought together these personal stories in the new book, We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria (HarperCollins 2017), called “essential reading” by the New York Times and longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence. In this talk, Pearlman will share a selection of voices from the book, along with her own commentary and analysis, to explain the origins and evolution of the Syrian conflict, as well as what it has been like for the ordinary people who have lived its unfolding. Her talk will paint a portrait of silence and intimidation under an oppressive authoritarian regime before 2011, expresses the euphoric experience of participating in protest against that regime, conveys the resilience of communities enduring unspeakable violence thereafter, and offers a window into the challenge of becoming and being a refugee. This talk will offer a humanistic interpretation of the current conflict in Syria and how it has transformed those who have experienced it.

Monday, 2nd July 2018, 4:15pm, CNMS (Room 00A23)