“Truth is not born nor is it to be found inside the head of an individual person, it is born between people collectively searching for truth, in the process of their dialogic interaction.” Mikhail Bakhtin, Russian literary critic and philosopher
Today, as crocus are pushing up their thorny heads and shells of war continue fall, I want to raise the flag of Mikhail Bakhtin. Bakhtin and his theory of multiple voices to the rescue! Bakhtin as Chief Negotiator at the table! Bakhtin with not one ear but several ears to hear.
Bakhtin, who knows that the space of dialog is fragile and is annihilated in the rush to annihilate an opponent. Bakhtin, who suggests bringing a humanity to words rather than make a fetish of them.
In quiet moment, whether it is precious pause in an argument or blank space between text, an incipient melody will begin to form in my head. I start to translate it with my fleshy voice. Others will pick up a bar, a thread, will hum, together within the hour we will have created a song. National anthem: Bakhtin!
