The world continues to be a volatile place. And I’ve been having conversations with people across different spaces, communities, and sectors. Sometimes people thank me for speaking. Other times, they ask why I haven’t. Or they demand that I speak more. It stays with me. Because speaking is not a neutral act. And it is…
Author: Reem Assil
On Power Awareness: Safety for Whom
I’ve been struggling to write this month’s blog. Not because I don’t know what to say.But because the world has been loud in ways that are hard to metabolise. War. Escalation. Destruction. The same patterns of power playing out again. People with power making decisions that harm everything around them. Humans. Land. Resources. Entire futures….
On Power Awareness: The Myth of “Leaving Job Titles at the Door”
I want to start this year with a commitment. To speak and write more about power and power awareness. Not power as an abstract idea or academic concept, but power as something we live with every day. In our bodies, in our relationships, in our communities, and in our workplaces. Power that can harm and…
When Permaculture Meets the Perma-State
Lately, two words have been circling in my orbit, surfacing in conversations that on the surface have nothing to do with each other: permaculture and perma-state. They sound similar, but they carry radically different energies. One belongs to the language of ecology, sustainability, and renewal. The other belongs to politics, control, and systems designed…
Even the Walking Dead Has Lived Experience
At least of two things: being dead, and walking. What about you? When I hear people fret that they “don’t have lived experience,” I sometimes want to laugh. Even the Walking Dead has lived experience, of being dead and of walking. The question isn’t whether you have lived experience. You do. We all do. The…
If You Can’t Honour Us, Stay Home: Tourism Isn’t Neutral
A Birthday, a Journey, a Reckoning My youngest has just turned 18! It’s a huge milestone, not just for him, but for me too. As a single mother, it’s the kind of threshold you imagine when your children are still tiny, when you’re changing nappies, wiping tears, and whispering prayers late into the night. When…
Pathways to Collective Liberation in Syria: Transitional Justice vs. Transformational Intersectional Justice
للقراءة بالعربية هنا Three months after the collapse of the Assad regime, Syria stands at a critical crossroads. Decades of systemic repression, sectarian violence, and transgenerational trauma remain unresolved. Yet, the current government appears unprepared, or unwilling, to engage in meaningful justice processes that fully address the scale of harm. Much of the discourse in…
مسارات نحو التحرر الجمعي في سوريا: العدالة الانتقالية مقابل العدالة التحويلية التقاطعية
English available Here بعد ثلاثة أشهر من انهيار نظام الأسد، تقف سوريا عند مفترق طرق حاسم. لا تزال عقود من القمع الممنهج، والعنف الطائفي، والصدمات (التروما) العابرة للأجيال دون معالجة. ومع ذلك، يبدو أن الحكومة الحالية غير مستعدة، أو غير راغبة، في الانخراط في عمليات عدالة حقيقية تعالج حجم الأضرار بشكل كامل. يتركز جزء كبير…
Understanding Over-Identification in Trauma and Social Justice Work: A Delicate Balance
Trauma and social justice work often require individuals to engage deeply with pain, both personal and communal. For frontline workers and advocates, this engagement can foster a genuine drive to honour the lived realities of marginalised communities. However, navigating this space requires balancing two major traps: spiritual bypassing and self-martyrdom. Over-identification with the trauma of…