The Australian 2024 Edward Said Memorial Lecture was delivered by Dr Samah Sabawi at the University of South Australia on 2nd November 2024.

About Edward Said

Edward Said (1935-2003) was a Palestinian-American literary theorist and one of the most articulate and effective advocates of the Palestinian cause. Since his death, several institutions have instituted annual lecture series in his memory. The annual Australian Edward Said Memorial Lecture was inaugurated in 2005.

Summary of lecture

Dr Sabawi’s lecture examines Israel’s self-portrayal as a democracy and argues that this depiction serves to justify Western powers’ allegiance to this oppressive regime and consequently undermines democratic principles around the world.

It is argued that Israel functions as an ethnocratic apartheid state, privileging Jewish citizens over others. Israel’s policies, territorial expansion, and control are driven by an ethnonational agenda, one that contradicts basic democratic and multicultural principles.

Dr Sabawi also argues that support for this ethnocratic regime erodes global democratic values, especially in countries like Australia, where political discourse has similarly demonized Palestinians and targeted Palestinian solidarity groups, leading to censorship and repression of fundamental democratic rights like free speech and peaceful protest.

About Samah Sabawi

Dr Samah Sabawi is a Palestinian author, playwright and poet and a recipient of multiple national and international awards.

More information on Dr Sabawi can be obtained here.