Synopses & Reviews
Personal testimonies are the life force of human rights work, and rights claims have brought profound power to the practice of life writing. This volume explores the connections and conversations between human rights and life writing through a dazzling, international collection of essays by survivor-writers, scholars, and human rights advocates.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Inand#160;We Shall Bear Witness, editors Meg Jensen and Margaretta Jolly assemble moving personal accounts from those who have endured persecution, imprisonment, and torture; meditations on experiences of injustice and protest by creative writers and filmmakers; and innovative research on ways that digital media, commodification, and geopolitics are shaping what is possible to hear and say. The bookand#8217;s primary sectionsand#151;testimony, recognition, representation, and justiceand#151;evoke the key stages in turning experience into a human rights life story and attend to such diverse and varied arts as autobiography, documentary film, report, oral history, blog, and verbatim theater. The result is a groundbreaking book that sensitively examines how life and rights narratives have become so powerfully entwined. Also included is an innovative guide to teaching human rights and life narrative in the classroom.
Review
and#147;Of use and appeal to a broad range of readers wherever they might be situated: the prison, the field, the court, the stage or gallery, or even the classroom. No other volume does this kind of work.and#8221;and#151;Laura Lyons, University of Hawaii
Review
and#147;This volume aims to correct cultural, scholarly, and pedagogical tendencies to see human rights from a legalistic perspective by drawing attention to the deeply important, but also contradictory and complex, role that life narrative plays in the practical realization of human rights.and#8221;and#151;James Dawes, author of Evil Men
Review
andldquo;A profoundly empathetic and comprehensive narrative that goes to the bottom of Rwandansandrsquo; everyday struggles triggered by a contextual and inevitable urge to face their own violent past.andrdquo;andmdash;Aloys Habimana, Rwandan human rights lawyer
Review
andldquo;The stories of life in postgenocide Rwanda presented in this book are deeply touching and challenge the dominant discourse that portrays Rwanda as a simple story of successful postconflict rebuilding. This book is essential reading for anyone with interest in Rwanda and in the legacies of violence, gender, society, memory, and transitional justice.andrdquo;andmdash;Timothy Longman, Boston University
Review
andldquo;The most important contribution of this fine study is Burnet's conceptual breakthrough exploring the role of 'amplified silence.' Where the power of official discourse prevents many from mourning their losses, such silences speak loudly to those aware of them.andrdquo;andmdash;Catharine Newbury, Smith College
Review
andldquo;Burnet presents a thoroughly intersectional analysis of the ways in which peoplesandrsquo; lives are shaped by gender, ethnicity and class as interlocking systems of oppression.andrdquo;andmdash;
Womenandrsquo;s Review of BooksSynopsis
An international array of human rights advocates, scholars, and survivor-writers examine the profound and complex impact of personal testimony about human rights abuses as expressed through autobiography, documentary film, report, oral history, blog, and verbatim theater.
Synopsis
In the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, Rwandan women faced the impossibleandmdash;resurrecting their lives amidst unthinkable devastation. Haunted by memories of lost loved ones and of their own experiences of violence, women rebuilt their lives from andldquo;less than nothing.andrdquo; Neither passive victims nor innate peacemakers, they traversed dangerous emotional and political terrain to emerge as leaders in Rwanda today. This clear and engaging ethnography of survival tackles three interrelated phenomenaandmdash;memory, silence, and justiceandmdash;and probes the contradictory roles women played in postgenocide reconciliation.
and#160;and#160;and#160; Based on more than a decade of intensive fieldwork, Genocide Lives in Us provides a unique grassroots perspective on a postconflict society. Anthropologist Jennie E. Burnet relates with sensitivity the heart-wrenching survival stories of ordinary Rwandan women and uncovers political and historical themes in their personal narratives. She shows that womenandrsquo;s leading role in Rwandaandrsquo;s renaissance resulted from several factors: the dire postgenocide situation that forced women into new roles; advocacy by the Rwandan womenandrsquo;s movement; and the inclusion of women in the postgenocide government.
About the Author
Meg Jensen is the director of the Centre for Life Narratives at Kingston University and the author of
The Open Book: Creative Misreading in the Works of Selected Modern Writers. Margaretta Jolly is the director of the Centre for Life History and Life Writing Research at the University of Sussex. She is the author of
In Love and Struggle: Letters in Contemporary Feminism, winner of the Feminist and Womenand#8217;s Studies Association UK Book Prize.
Table of Contents
Foreword: Life Stories in a Human Rights Context
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Mary Robinsonand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Acknowledgmentsand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;
Introduction: Life/Rights Narrative in Action
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Margaretta Jollyand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;
Part One. Testimony
(I)-Witness
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Annette Kobakand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Beyond Narrative: The Shape of Traumatic Testimony
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Molly Andrewsand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
The Golden Cage: The Story of an Activist
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Emin Milliand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
The Price of Words
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Nazeeha Saeedand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Out of the Inner Wilderness: Torture and Healing
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Hector Aristizand#225;bal and Diane Leferand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;
Part Two. Recognition
Recognition
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Eva Hoffmanand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Protection
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Gillian Whitlockand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
The Justice of Listening: Japanese Leprosy Segregation
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Michio Miyasakaand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Reimagining the Criminal/Reconfiguring Justice
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Finola Farrantand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;
Part Three. Representation
"I Hear the Approaching Thunder": The Lyric Voice and Human Rights
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Patricia Hampland#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
The Fictional Is Political: Forms of Appeal in Autobiographical Fiction and Poetry
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Meg Jensenand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Enter the King: Martin Luther King, Jr. "Human Rights Heroism" and Contemporary American Drama
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Brian Philipsand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Tand#233;moignage and Responsibility in Photo/Graphic Narratives of Mand#233;decins Sans Frontiand#232;res
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Alexandra Schultheis Mooreand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Representing Human Rights Violations in Multi-Media Contexts
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Katrina Powelland#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;
Part Four. Justice
Sugar Daddies or Agents for Change? Community Arts Workers and Justice for Girls "Who Just Want to Go to School"
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Julia Watsonand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Witnessing in the Digital Age
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Kay Schaffer and Sidonie Smithand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
"Facebook Is Like a Religion Around Here": Voices from the "Arab Spring" and the Policy Making Community
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Brian Brivatiand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
The Importance of Taking and Bearing Witness: Reflections on Twenty Years as a Human Rights Lawyer
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Mark Mullerand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;
Part Five.
Using Life Narrative to Explore Human Rights Themes in the Classroom
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Brian Brivati, Meg Jensen, Margaretta Jolly, and Alexandra Schultheis Mooreand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;
Contributorsand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Index