In May we co-chaired a colloquium on Orna Guralnik’s (USA) 2020 “#Me Too, I Was Interpellated.” It was a remarkable experience in many ways, prescient in its ability to evoke deep and meaningful reflection and connection even in these most uncertain and troubled times, and salutary in everyone’s management of the meta-events that threatened to scupper our ability to discuss this important paper and its difficult but necessary subject matter.

As Orna noted, there were times when it seemed foolish, tone-deaf even, to think about #MeToo. But we felt strongly that this paper could encapsulate multitudes of ideas, and could create space for varied presentations of the ways in which our subjectivities are both formed and deformed by the people and events around us, whatever the time and place.

And thus it was. Our panelists – Michaela Chamberlain (UK), Simone Drichel (New Zealand), Malin Fors (Norway), Daniel Goldin (USA), Virginia Goldner (USA), Francisco Gonzalez (USA), Jade McGleughlin (USA), and Andrea Rihm Bianchi (Chile) – our author, and of course our loyal and very dear members, gave generously of themselves. This allowed for deep and wide-ranging conversation in an atmosphere that was tolerant of difference, and which flowed seamlessly among the theoretical, the personal, the abstract, the political, the clinical. The participants carried the discussion in ways that demonstrated very little need for intervention and direction from us as co-chairs, and showed us very clearly that, if we are able to hang in there and trust the process, something good will emerge … an example oh so necessary as we look at the state of our current world. Quoting Orna: “Hop[e] we can all keep trying to create the world we want to live in.”

Our next colloquium, scheduled for November 7-16, will feature the work of Peter Shabad through his 2022 paper, “Owing and Being Owed: Shame and Responsibility Toward the Other.” We have selected this piece not only for the brilliance of Peter’s writing and evocative expression, but also because we feel it to be a most meaningful paper to mark our last appearance as Colloquium Co-Chairs. Having spent 5-6 years in the role, we feel it is time to step aside and allow new blood and fresh ideas to guide these most valuable IARPP offerings.

Wishing everyone well … in every sense of that word,

Cathy and Shlomit

Cathy Hicks (Australia) and Shlomit Gadot (Israel)
Colloquium Committee Co-chairs

Cathy Hicks, Ph.D.
Sydney, Australia
Email Cathy Hicks

Shlomit Gadot, Ph.D.
Ramat Hasharon, Israel
Email Shlomit Gadot