Poetry as a Site of Knowledge, Action, and Sanctuary:
This keynote explores the unique power of poetry in capturing the experience of migration, providing a place of sanctuary, and being a medium of protest. There is a compelling case, therefore, for poetry to be recognised as a form of academic knowledge and inquiry. At the same time, the keynote confronts poetry’s limitations, potential elitism and distortion by the diaspora. As part of the talk, attendees are invited to craft their own four-line Ruba’i poem, and add it to a collective art installation.