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02:00 Minutos
Central to this clip is a poem called The River by Basque exile Joseba Sarrionaindia. Somewhere else I have already placed emphasis on the possibility of positive things happening from living in a state of exile and marginality. Here I explore the tension between the exiles search for evasion within the different homes/worlds inhabited and the necessity of continuous self-assessment: In the words of Edward Said, other than allowing unconventional, often eccentric life styles and careers, the condition of exile experience also carried with it certain pleasures, rewards, and even privileges; hence the idea that positive things can be derived from exile and marginality. However, the questions Julia Kristeva raises still remain that whereas the ambivalent possibilities and sources of intellectual pleasure seem undeniable, this precarious sense of happiness is always temporary and short-lived: Y at-il des étrangers heureux? Peut-on étre étranger and heureux? Létranger suscite une idée neuve de bonheur. Entre fugue et origine: Une limite fragile, une homéostase provisoire. Said also felt compelled to underline that the actual condition of exile is one of the saddest fates (p. 35). At the end of it all, the pleasures, advantages and privileges of the marginal (intellectual) exile do not alleviate every last anxiety or feeling of bitter solitude. Kristeva words this state of affairs as follows: Libre dattaches avec les siens, létranger se sent complètement libre. Labsolu de cette ...
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