23/Syria, Performativity, and Being Rooted in the Local (with Shiyam Galyon)

This is a conversation with Shiyam Galyon. She's a Syrian-American feminist writer who currently leads communications at War Resisters League, the oldest secular antiwar organization in the United States. Shiyam has been thinking a lot about topics that I felt were important for us to discuss further for a wider audience. She's able to skillfully tie in her support of the Syrian revolution with her support for LGBTQ rights everywhere, as well as explore the tensions around the right to narrate in both homeland and diaspora communities. We also spoke about my relationship to Beirut and the very idea of being rooted in the local, and we even touched upon recognising the importance of time and the fact that it should be okay to say that you don't know something in activist circles. You can follow the podcast on Twitter @FireTheseTimes. If you like what I do, please consider supporting this project with only 1$ a month on Patreon or on BuyMeACoffee.com. You can also do so directly on PayPal if you prefer. Patreon is for monthly, PayPal is for one-offs and BuyMeACoffee has both options. Music by Tarabeat. Photo via the UN on Unsplash, modified for this blog post. Original by Adam Niklewicz.