Jirro and Sumud: trauma and resistance in the works of Igiaba Scego and Samah Jabr. Perspectives for a decolonial education

Abstract

The paper examines two conceptual categories – jirro and sumud – analyzed in the works of Igiaba Scego and Samah Jabr in order to investigate how writing concretely functions as an epistemic and pedagogical practice within a decolonial perspective. In contexts shaped respectively by the Somali diaspora and the Palestinian occupation, the authors’ narratives highlight how language and autobiography become spaces for working through colonial trauma, articulating memory, and resisting forms of oppression and marginalization. Writing emerges as a site where individual experiences and political histories intersect, making it possible to redefine subjectivity and to challenge the symbolic hierarchies produced by colonial and postcolonial processes. The analysis also shows how these narrative practices activate forms of care that extend beyond the personal dimension, engaging the community through shared processes of reworking pain and affirming identity. From this perspective, writing reveals a significant educational potential, as it fosters critical awareness, recognition, and agency. Finally, several implications emerge for language and intercultural education, particularly with regard to the valorization of plurilingual repertoires, the legitimization of subaltern memories, and the creation of educational environments that are responsive to vulnerability.