e155 sanita fejzic - peasant futurisms

I think artists can challenge us by showing our blind spots, in a way, educating us, but also inspiring us about what's possible, right? I think in SCALE we talk about re-authoring the world. That's what artists do. We re-author the world. We create alternative ways of even just thinking about what's desirable in the first place.I first met novelist, playwright, poet, and essayist Sanita Fejzić in 2021 while we were both on the Mission Circle of SCALE, the Sectoral Climate Arts Leadership for the Emergency, where we had great debates about climate justice and the role of art in the climate emergency and you’ll hear more about this episode.I also had the pleasure of doing sound design in 2023 for a series of short plays called Why Worry About Their Futures that Sanita produced for the Undercurrents festival here on unceded land of the Anishinaabe Algonquin nation, also known as Ottawa.Sanita holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from Queen’s University where she articulated an artistic and political movement called ‘Peasant Futurisms’ and I think you’ll enjoy learning more about this. I love the way Sanita’s work simultaneously explores the future, past, and present by grounding peasant ways of knowing, relating, and being in the world. Maybe we’re all peasants, or have that potential?You’ll also hear Sanita talk about a new radio play for the National Arts Centre as part of its Irresistible Neighbourhoods project.Our conversations begin with her long journey from Sarajevo to Ottawa and concludes with a book recommendation: Rita Wong’s Forage and Undercurrent.  *END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODESNote : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. Hey conscient listeners, I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share togetherIn parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.Share what you like, etcI am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Thanks for listening. Claude SchryerLatest update on March 21, 2026