Sara’s Interesting Reads
Sara Shahvisi, Chief Programmes Officer
If you have a coffee break: Islamophobia is a Global Phenomenon by Khaled Beydoun
This super quick article summarises some of what is included (and goes beyond that) in Beydoun’s recent book. This is a sobering, necessary read for anyone that wants to understand Islamophobia as a global project embedded in deeply violent logics and mechanisms that marginalise and demonise Muslim people, around the world. It’s important we connect the dots in our equity and inclusion analyses — geographically — to understand the gravity and scope of the systemic oppression faced by certain communities. Also read the full book too — just not over coffee!
If you’ve got an evening: Intersectionality, Critical Race Theory and The Primacy of Race by David Gilborn
Critical race theory, whiteness and intersectionality are not easy concepts — but they’re absolutely necessary for doing deep, transformative equity and inclusion work. I think Gilborn’s work is a great introduction to these concepts and though academic, this is super accessible to read. What I love is Gilborn’s fearlessness of articulation and use of research and examples to make clear his argument. I found, and still find, this article invaluable in explaining the lived reality of what an intersectional analysis allows us to surface and what this in turn can tell us about how inequity is lived. Just make sure you have a notebook to hand for this one!
If you’ve got a weekend: Disoriental by Negar Djavadi
This book is wonderful for so many reasons. It’s written by a brilliant Iranian woman and the writing is bloody beautiful. Essentially, it is about a woman living in the West reflecting on her memories of growing up in Iran. It’s about the past, storytelling, identity and family and about the tensions and challenges of being between cultures and disconnected from your roots. What I also love is it gives a potted history, of sorts, of Iran through the story of the protagonist and her family — and through the voice of a queer Iranian woman.
