# RPL book event discusses an ethos that transcends mere survival March 27, 2025 [ Zainulabideen Jafri ](/people/zainulabideen-jafri) ![Sumud: A New Palestinian Reader](/sites/g/files/omnuum8216/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-04/Sumud.png?h=eb0a7c3b&itok=l12qCeWz) On January 30, 2025, Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School hosted a book talk as part of its 2024-25 Religion, Conflict, and Peace Book Series. *Sumūd: A New Palestinian Reader* explores narratives of Palestinian resistance through art. Associate Director of the Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative Hilary Rantisi was joined by Jordan Elgrably and Malu Halasa, co-editors of the book, to discuss the anthology, which spans Palestine’s cultural history across the twenty and twenty-first centuries. *Sumūd* compiles memoir, poetry, fiction, essays, and reportage alongside literary and arts criticism, posters, and illustrations. The editors explore creativity by Palestinians and those who stand in solidarity with them, featuring those who believe in the Palestinian right to self-determination and homeland. Much of the material in the book is drawn from *The Markaz Review*, an Arab and Middle Eastern literary arts publication, where both Halasa and Elgrably are deeply involved. At the heart of the conversation lay the concept of *sumūd*, a Palestinian ethos of steadfastness that transcends mere survival. *Sumūd* is an act of remembrance, recordkeeping, and revitalization, described as “the immediate and stubborn insistence of holding on.” It is a shared process of bearing witness, of creative defiance. The book presents this as an act of love in the face of oppression. Halasa introduced the idea of *sumūd* by quoting Palestinian author and human rights lawyer Raja Shahadeh, saying, “*Sumūd* is practiced by every man, woman, and child here, struggling on his or her own to learn to cope with and resist the pressures of living as a member of a conquered people watching their home turned into a prison.” *Sumūd* frames its titular term as capturing and conveying the spirit of Palestinians during the genocide, becoming a core part of their identity. Turning to the history of existing literature present around the Israel/Palestine conflict, Halasa noted during the discussion that few texts have ever thoroughly explored the relationship between culture and resistance. At times of war, violence obscures visible parts of life, hiding details that are otherwise apparent. Yet, art proves to be an exception to this obfuscation. Halasa underscored the role that art plays. “Poetry, literature, and art are the very spaces, even during extreme, difficult times, in which people reveal cherished aspects of their existence and the ideas and philosophies that underpin real and imagined lives,” said Halasa. The significance of *Sumūd* remains quite personal to both editors. The book is placed in, amongst many others, a historical context of silencing voices. Some of the included pieces were published before the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, reflecting long-standing concerns of Palestinian life and culture, while others carry the urgency of writing shaped by the ongoing attack on Gaza. This immediacy is particularly evident in Elgrably’s essay, “They Kill Writers, Don’t They?”—a response to the staggering loss of journalists in the conflict. Speech being subdued is not merely a loss of individual voices but an erasure of collective memory. It becomes an attack on the very act of witnessing. Elgrably drew a close connection to the anthology, and other forms of art as resistance as they stand as defiant counterpoints to this erasure, preserving narratives that would otherwise be drowned out by violence. Each contribution, whether memoir, poetry, or critique, becomes a form of testimony, a refusal to let history be rewritten by those in power. Ghassan Kanafani, Elgrably detailed during the discussion, was a Palestinian writer and a forerunner of contemporary Palestinian fiction whose life was cut short in an attack on writers. Yet, his words persist, embodying *sumūd*—the unwavering commitment to remembrance and resistance. Elgrably said, “killing writers is a failure of imagination.” The act of writing itself becomes an assertion of existence, a refusal to be erased. In the face of oppression, Palestinian writers and journalists continue to document, to bear witness, and to create, identifying that sumūd is not merely survival but the enduring power of storytelling against erasure. This commitment to cultural resilience is at the core of *Sumūd: A New Palestinian Reader*, which seeks to ensure that Palestinian voices remain present in global discourse. “We’re centering Palestinian voices, we’re centering the creativity of the Middle East,” Halasa said. The anthology is part of a broader effort to document and share these stories, serving as both a record and a response and underlining the role of art and literature in shaping historical narratives. Halasa emphasized the significance of taking part in this process, addressing the audience directly. “Build your platforms for your voices and other people’s voices. Build them and they will stand. They will morph in front of you.” See also:- [ Religion, Conflict, and Peace ](/news/religion-conflict-and-peace) - [ RPL Past Events ](/news/rpl-past-events)