Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere

Based on interviews with hundreds of Syrians conducted over four years across the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, “We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria” chronicles the war from its origins to its present horror, solely through the words of ordinary people transformed by its unfolding. Parents, children, students, teachers, web designers, artists, playwrights, bloggers, poets, doctors, engineers, lawyers, activists, government employees, rebels, refugees, military defectors, prisoners, hipsters, Christians, Muslims, shopkeepers, grandparents—these are just some of the voices that cohere into a breathtaking mosaic. Together, they form a testament not only to the power of storytelling but also to the resilience of those who face darkness with hope, courage, and moral conviction.

Speaker bio: Wendy Pearlman is Associate Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, where she also holds the Martin and Patricia Koldyke Outstanding Teaching Professorship and is a Faculty Fellow at the Buffett Institute for Global Studies. She earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University, an MA from Georgetown University, and a BA from Brown University. Her research focuses on the comparative politics of the Middle East, social movements, political violence, refugees and migration, emotions and mobilization, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Dr. Pearlman is the author of four critically acclaimed books on Middle East politics.

This event is sponsored by the Center for Global Islamic Studies and the UF International Center.