Erasure and Defiance: The Politics of Silence and Voice towards Palestine

FREE ONLINE CONFERENCE ORGANIZED BY THE DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION RESEARCH GROUP, UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY, FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

“There are actually no voiceless people. There are only those who are deliberately silenced or who people would rather not listen to.” Arundhati Roy, 2004

This online conference is aimed at anyone interested in the current situation in Palestine. Students, academics, journalists and community members are equally welcome. Sessions will be held in webinar format, allowing participants to ask questions to speakers. Participation is free and recordings will be made available.

PROGRAM

Friday 5 July, 5:00pm-7:30pm, AEST

Welcoming and recognizing the country

Session 1: Palestine, beyond annihilation

What is the history of extermination in Palestine and how does it enable war crimes today? What response has the resistance provoked and inspired ongoing resistance?

Keynote: Jeanine Hourani (University of Exeter & Palestinian Youth Movement)

Panel moderator: Souheir Edelbi (Lecturer of Law, Western Sydney University)

Panel 1: Randa Abdel-Fattah (author, lawyer, academic), Udi Raz (Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Germany), Annie Pfingst (independent scholar on Palestine-Israel), Jessica Holland (researcher, memory worker, curator).

Saturday 6 July, 9.30am-1pm, AEST

Recognition of the country

Session 2: Social movements in resistance

How have social movements responded to the genocide? What new connections, commitments and actions have emerged?

Keynote speech: Jeff Halper (Director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions)

Panel 2: Moderator Alison Harwood (social change practitioner).

Panelists: Nasser Mashni (President, Australia Palestine Advocacy Network), Sarah Schwartz (Lawyer, Executive Director, Jewish Council of Australia), Latoya Rule (UTS Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education & Research)

Special session: Moderator Daz Chandler (Interdisciplinary Storyteller and Producer)

Live discussion with participants of the campus camps. Students from the University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, University of California Los Angeles, University of London and Monash University.

Saturday 6 July, 1:30pm-5pm AEST

Session 3: From the field

How have public actors addressed the suppression and concealment of information, what strategies have emerged, and are there common lessons and opportunities?

Panel 3: Moderator Paula Abood (cultural worker and educator, author and creative producer)

Panelists: Maher Mughrabi (journalist, The Age), Sara Saleh (author and human rights lawyer), Lena Mozayani (NSW Teachers for Palestine), Dr Sana Pathan (ANZ Doctors for Palestine), Cathy Peters (media worker and co-founder of BDS Australia), Martin Newman (UTS Journalism).

Final thoughts and important points for the future.

REASON:

As we witness carnage, destruction and devastation in Palestine, voices for Palestine in Australia and elsewhere are being silenced on an unprecedented scale in the mainstream media, in academia and education, in the arts and elsewhere. Meanwhile, the streets are filling with sustained protests in solidarity with Palestinians, bringing an old and ongoing struggle back into view. Support is coming from a wide range of groups, suggesting new opportunities for dialogue and alliances.

The UTS Diversity and Social Inclusion Research Group presents a conference exploring the politics of silence and voice in the post-7 October 2023 contexts. Which voices have been heard or amplified and which have been silenced, by whom and for what purposes? What new dialogues and solidarities have emerged? The enormous scale of violence has closed off opportunities, but to what extent is there new meaning for ongoing debates and agendas?

The conference focuses on the current situation in Palestine and local and international experiences. Organizers and participants include Palestinian, Muslim, Jewish and indigenous voices, addressing the actual manifestations evident in protests, politics, human rights work, legal issues, media reports, (multi)cultural views and artistic expressions.

The conference will be held and published online. Participants are also invited to submit full papers for academic and other publications. Co-organizers are: Barbara Bloch, Wafa Chafic, James Goodman, Derek Halawa and Christina Ho.

For further information please contact [email protected]