Quilting Points Talk with Dr Anna Bernard: Edward Said and Solidarity

Dear all,

As part of this year’s Quilting Points critical reading group sessions, we are delighted to welcome Dr Anna Bernard from King’s College London, who will be giving a talk on Edward Said and Palestinian solidarity. The talk will take place in the Alumni Room at the School of English (Cavendish Road 10) on May 22nd from 15.30 to 17.30, followed by a drinks reception. Everyone (at whatever level of study and whether enrolled at the University or not) is welcome, and no prior familiarity with Said’s work or related areas is necessary. Please do let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or access requirements by contacting us at quiltingpoints@gmail.com.
Dr Bernard’s talk will last approximately 45 minutes, and it will be followed by a Q&A and a general discussion. Please find more information on Dr Bernard's talk below, and we hope to see you there!

About the talk: ‘Edward Said and Solidarity’
This talk will consider Edward Said’s legacy not only as one of the most important actors in the international Palestine solidarity movement, but as a theorist of solidarity more broadly. Looking at works including After the Last Sky (1986), Culture and Imperialism (1993), and his memoir Out of Place (1999), I try to draw out some of the ways in which Said helps us to conceive and practice solidarity, which he represents as a principled commitment to a shared struggle and as a particular responsibility for humanities scholars.
About the speaker:
Dr Anna Bernard is a Reader in Comparative Literature and English at King’s College London. She has written extensively on Palestinian solidarity and post-colonial literature, and her work focuses on the literature and culture of anti-colonial struggle after the formal end of European imperialism. She was one of the editors of the 2013 volume Debating Orientalism, and has published two books: Rhetorics of Belonging: Nation, Narration, and Israel/Palestine (2013), and Decolonizing Literature (2023).

Date: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Time: 3.30 pm – 5.30 pm + reception
Location: Alumni Room, House 10, Cavendish Road

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