summary
This talk explores many ideas, but the main idea that runs through them all is that diversity is vital. Elif Şafak opens the talk by recalling an interaction she had at a book signing. During this interaction a teen asked her is she can taste words. Şafak really wanted to talk on the topic, but the situation did not allow an in-depth discussion. Because of this she withdrew and become quiet. This is when she introduces the thought that no one should ever remain silent for fear of complexity. This interaction also inspired her explore the taste of the word “motherland.” She found that the taste was a mix of sweet and bitter, as it does for more and more people. Şafak then goes on to speak on emotions and emotional intelligence. One thing she highlights is the political theory tends to forget the power of emotions. She believes this is a big mistake because we are all emotional being and we are in a place in history where emotions and collective sentiments guide and misguide politics. Social media aids this age of fear, anger, anxiety, distrust, and resentment by being able to carry the sentiments around the world faster than ever before. Şafak recalls another interaction she had, in which an American scholar said that they understood why she was a feminist since she lived in Turkey. To this Şafak replied that she did not understand why she wasn’t a feminist since she lived in America. This scholar divided the world into two completely different camps. Şafak called these two camps liquid and solid countries. Liquid countries were those that were not yet settled, where people struggled for feminism, activism, and human rights. Solid countries, mainly the west were solid, safe, and stable, where people could take comfort in history and support the struggles of other people. Şafak believes that we are all living in liquid times and that there is not such thing as a solid country or a liquid country. She goes on to discuss the movement of society. Society does not just move forward. It can move in a circle or move backwards. She highlights that this would be hardest on women because if we went back to authoritarianism, nationalism, or religious fanaticism, women have so much more to lose than men. Şafak also covers the dangers of unprecedent changes and the emotions that come with them because this is where demagogues come in and exploit emotions for their own gain. She finishes by discussing how singular identities are an illusion. She then shares the fear that kept her from coming out as bisexual and the connection to the topic. The closing thought she leaves us with is that for writers, the only true motherland is called storyland and the taste of that word is the taste of freedom.
My Thoughts
Overall, I thought this talk was extremely interesting. Watching this talk allowed me to learn a lot about Şafak’s beliefs and thoughts. One of the most interesting things in this video was the thought of living in a liquid time. When I first heard this I immediately pictured the ocean. It made me think of movement, fluidity, and unpredictability. I also like the implication that no matter how different each country is, we are all moving and changing in our own way and a sense of equality.
Şafak made and excellent point when she highlighted that any back pedaling in society would have a harsher effect on women. She called out society and history for constantly having more restrictions and expectation for women. I immediately linked this to most of the stories I read in my class Women Writers Around the World. A common theme in many of the stories we read was the extreme weight on women. They have always been expected to raise a family, take care of the house, be obedient, don’t be overly sexual, but don’t be a prude. This is only some of a possible inexhaustible list.
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I was very excited to hear that Şafak is bisexual. I also enjoy that she linked it to the illusion of a singular identity. She feared coming out for many reasons, but most of her fears stemmed from the popular idea of a singular identity. When she discussed the fact that we all have multiple connections and multiple stories I thought of The Danger of a Single Story, a TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Similarly to Şafak, Adichie discussed the importance of all of our interactions and how they create diversity in one person.
Elif Şafak 