A Sidr by Any Other Name: Conversations on Bilingual Knowledge on Local Flora and Fauna

"When we call a place by name it is transformed from wilderness to homeland."

The Wilderness Companion is an upcoming series of guides developed, researched, and written bilingually by a community of nature lovers, led in Arabic by Abdulaziz Al Juhany and in English by Maria Alem. Throughout researching and writing the first book which focuses on the Sarawat Mountains, neither Arabic or English took the backseat, resulting in a much slower process that requires cultivating a relationship of trust and harmony between all contributors.  In this talk, we untangle some of the conversations and negotiations that unravels through the process of developing these upcoming titles. We look not only at the technicalities of balancing between local and scientific language, but also the schools of thought and ways of seeing they enforce. By integrating a bilingual exchange (and not a passive mirroring), we hope to invite listeners to consider the ways that naming informs our experiences and sense of belonging to a place.

Khunfus Publishing