Narrating Atrocities (Voices on Genocide Prevention)
Series: Voices on Genocide Prevention
From: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Length: 00:19:00
James Dawes is a professor of English at Macalester College and the author of "That the World May Know: Bearing Witness to Atrocity." He discusses with guest host Bridget Conley-Zilkic the role of storytelling in making atrocities known to the world.
"In all of the years I've spent involved with human rights and humanitarian workers, what's become clear to me is that storytelling and narrative is the very heart of the work. Many of the most important organizations that do this work don't do it by, you know, delivering supplies or medicine or things like that. But rather just by using language, writing reports, asking questions, evaluating answers, telling stories. And most importantly, pleading with all of us who are watching from a distance."
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
James Dawes is a professor of English at Macalester College and the author of "That the World May Know: Bearing Witness to Atrocity." He discusses with guest host Bridget Conley-Zilkic the role of storytelling in making atrocities known to the world. "In all of the years I've spent involved with human rights and humanitarian workers, what's become clear to me is that storytelling and narrative is the very heart of the work. Many of the most important organizations that do this work don't do it by, you know, delivering supplies or medicine or things like that. But rather just by using language, writing reports, asking questions, evaluating answers, telling stories. And most importantly, pleading with all of us who are watching from a distance."
Broadcast History
Posted to US Holocaust Memorial Museum's Web site on November 29, 2007 and is available on various Web-based distribution sites, namely iTunes.
Transcript
NOVEMBER 29, 2007, NARRATING ATROCITIES
BRIDGET CONLEY-ZILKIC: This is Bridget Conley-Zilkic. I'm sitting in for Jerry Fowler. My guest today is James Dawes, Professor of U.S. and Comparative Literature at Macalester College. We've invited him today to discuss his recently published book That The World May Know: Bearing Witness to Atrocity. Professor Dawes, welcome to the program.
JAMES DAWES: Thanks for having me.
BRIDGET CONLEY-ZILKIC: So I want to start with a very basic question: how does the study of literature relate to the work of documenting or bearing witness to atrocities?
JAMES DAWES: For me, they are inseparable. In all of the years I've spent involved with human rights and humanitarian workers, what's become clear to me is that storytelling and narrative is the very heart of the work. Many of the most important organizations that do this work don't do it by, you...
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Additional Files
- Dawes (dawes.jpg)
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