➤ RICHARD II, from p.22
“So shaken as we are, so wan with
care,/ Find we a time for frighted
peace to pant.” In “Richard II,” Hyman
brilliantly ends the play on a
note of tension like an unresolved
chord, both disquieting and theatrical.
It’s disappointing, of course, not
to have seen this production on
stage, but the benefi t is that in this
format it will live on long beyond
a summer run. True to Joseph
Papp’s vision of making Shakespeare
accessible to everyone, this
is a production that can defi ne this
play for a new generation. The company
and the producers appropriately
dedicated the production to
The Delacorte Theater in Central Park, where we all hope we can see Shakespeare in the Park some
summer soon.
the Black Lives Matter movement.
As presented, this “Richard II”
STEVE BROWN
is rewarding for those of us who
are decidedly Shakespeare geeks
(I spent teenage Friday nights listening
to “Hamlet” on records) and
at the same time is engaging for
those who are newcomers to the
Bard’s work and to this one in particular.
Most fulfi lling of all is that
it demands that the audience truly
listen and refl ect on what they’re
hearing, something we could all
practice a lot more of these days.
My advice: download this and
head to your favorite park to immerse
yourself in “Richard II.” But
also look forward to when we can
all be together at the Delacorte
again.
RICHARD II | Free Shakespeare
on the Radio | A co-production of
The Public Theater and WNYC |
➤ QUEER PALESTINIANS, from p.21
how the Israeli state attempts to
draw attention to a purported advanced
LGBTQ rights record in
Israel in order to detract attention
away from gross violations of Palestinian
human rights. The truth
is that there is a wide spectrum of
queer experiences in Israeli and
Palestinian societies, with homophobes
and queer agents in each
of these societies.
Luongo: What do you most want
people to get about life for LGBTQ
Palestinians – whether living within
Palestine or those within the
diaspora?
Atshan: In the book, I explicate
the layers of surveillance that queer
Palestinians face, from Israeli institutions,
Palestinian institutions,
Western journalists, fi lmmakers,
and academics, Palestinian family
units, and even from fellow activists
within the movement. But I
also believe that we can overcome
this impasse from what I call the
empire of critique and delineate a
potential path forward.
Luongo: Many people, if they
are familiar at all with Palestinian
LGBTQ issues think of ASWAT
and Al QAWS, both of which are
based within Israel. What kinds of
resources are available within Palestine
itself?
Atshan: Both major queer Palestinian
organizations are indeed
registered in Israel rather than
with the Palestinian Authority,
given the impossibility of the latter
Professor Sa’ed Atshan argues that “the critique of imperialism has been transformed into an empire of
critique.”
at this time as a result of Palestinian
homophobia. But both
organizations do provide networks
and support in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories as well. Many
Palestinians do not necessarily see
Israel and Palestine as two separate
units but rather Israel/ Palestine
as one unit, all of which is
ultimately under Israeli control.
Furthermore, it is important to remember
that there are close to two
million Palestinians who live in Israel
proper and are indigenous to
the land.
Luongo: What does academia
get wrong and right about Palestinian
LGBTQ issues?
Atshan: I think that there is
piercing silence about homophobia
in Palestinian society. Scholars
really struggle with how to historicize
and contextualize this reality,
and how to do so with integrity,
nuance, and sensitivity.
Luongo: Any other fi nal
thoughts, with so many possible
topics we could touch on?
Atshan: The resilience of queer
Palestinians. Despite all of the oppression
and suffering, so many
queer Palestinians are creative, tenacious,
and able to create spaces
for pleasure and joy. We should remember
those realities as well.
QUEER PALESTINE AND THE
EMPIRE OF CRITIQUE | By
Dr.Sa’ed Atshan | Stanford University
Press | $28; sup.org/books/
title/?id=30833 | 296 pages
PHOTO STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
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