Journal Article — The Candle — by Winston Langley

This is a keynote statement by Winston Langley, Provost, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, and Professor of International Relations at UMass Boston, opening the special 2009 issue of Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge dedicated to the memory and poetry of Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008), the national poet of Palestine. In Provost Langley’s view this issue of the journal merits the qualifying expression “special,” because of the person it seeks to honor, the grounds that have invited that honor, the included voices of those who have sought to be part of this honoring, and the underlying spirit of the issue–one which is so closely tied to the burden of the honoree, Mahmoud Darwish. Provost Langley concludes that no one can read the poetry in this issue–those of Darwish and the contributors–without being moved–and moved to envision a tomorrow, toward which Darwish always looked. He wished he were a candle, in the darkness. He was and will be–for the Palestinians and all those who seek or espouse the cause of human dignity.