Queerness & Dis/ability: A Multivoiced Human Library
Location: University of Humanistic Studies, entry Pieterskerkhof
Contact: Rosa Mul, rosa.mul@uvh.nl
The Multivoiced Human Library – an initiative of the University of Humanistic Studies (UvH) – will be hosted during the Utrecht Queer Culture Festival, as part of the Dutch Week of Accessibility. We bring people together as ‘living books’ to share their experiences of queerness, dis/ability and the pursuit of justice.
What does it mean to take up space in a world that is not always designed for everyone in mind? How can different living experiences change the way you think about a just society? What multivoiced perspectives emerge when we connect queerness, dis/ability and justice?
As a visitor, you are invited to listen and ask questions in a short, personal conversation in a small group setting, always with mutual respect. You only ask questions you would be willing to answer yourself. A ‘book’ only shares what they choose to share.
Following a spoken word performance about belonging and identity by Carla Boulos musically accompanied by Nour Wahedi, and a short introduction by the organisation, there will be three rounds of conversations. In small parallel groups, you will have the opportunity to talk with people with living experience about queerness, dis/ability and the pursuit of justice. The stories and conversations will be in both Dutch and English. To conclude the Human Library, we reflect briefly on the value of centering Multivoicedness in conversations on queerness, dis/ability and the pursuit of justice.
17.00 – 17:30 Doors opening
17:30 – 17:45 Spoken word by Carla Boulos musically accompanied by Nour Wahedi
17:45 – 18.00 Welcoming and introduction
18.00 – 19.30 Three library rounds of 25 min each
19.30 – 19.45 Round up conversation
Alongside the Human Library, an exhibition will be open to visitors at the UvH throughout the week.
Why multivoiced?
We deliberately choose the term ‘multivoiced’ rather than ‘representative’. The books do not speak for the experience of queerness or dis/ability – doing so would fail to capture the diversity of lives and experiences encompassed by these terms. Being multivoiced is about the multiple, sometimes contrasting perspectives and stories that come together within a person’s own life. The speakers bring their own multivoicedness to the conversation. Together, the books show the many different ways in which queerness, dis/ability and the pursuit of justice can take shape in people’s lives.