Staying, Crossing, Remembering. Sumūd as a Civic, Pedagogical, and Poetic Stance


Abstract

This article investigates ṣumūd as an ethical, political, and pedagogical practice articulated through the movements of remaining, crossing, and remembering, placing it in dialogue with Leo Zanier’s border poetry and his depictions of European migrant lives. By examining the resonances between ṣumūd and Zanier’s work, the text highlights how rootedness, mobility, and memory become everyday resources of dignity within conditions of displacement and marginalization. Poetry emerges as a civic tool capable of transforming wounds into direction, informing educational practices grounded in non violent resistance, collective care, and the construction of shared memory.