Turn This World Inside Out

As Nora Samaran writes, “violence is nurturance turned backwards.” In its place, she proposes “nurturance culture” as the opposite of rape culture, suggesting that models of care and accountability—different from “call-outs” rooted in the politics of guilt—can move toward dismantling systems of dominance and oppression.

When communities identify and interrupt systemic violence, prioritize the needs of those harmed, and hold a circle of belonging that humanizes everyone, they create a foundation that can begin to resist and repair the harms inflicted by patriarchy, white supremacy, and capitalism. Emerging from insights in gender studies, race theory, and psychology, and influenced by contemporary social movements, Turn This World Inside Out engages today's crucial questions, helping move us beyond seemingly intractable barriers to collective change.

Includes the essays “The Opposite of Rape Culture Is Nurturance Culture,” “On Gaslighting,” and “Own, Apologize, Repair,” as well as conversations with Serena Bhandar, Ruby Smith Díaz, Aravinda Ananda, Natalie Knight, and Alix Johnson.

"Nora Samaran writes with a unique combination of compassion and intelligence on the most pressing topic of our time. I’m convinced that if every person read her words, the world would be a much better place." —Liz Plank, journalist and executive producer of Divided States of Women

“Turn This World Inside Out  is doing something unique and visionary.” —Wayde Compton, Author of After Canaan and The Outer Harbour

“Turn This World Inside Out is a must-have for educators, parents, counselors, and all members of the community who are working to transform structural harm.” —Agustina Vidal and Maryse Mitchell-Brody, The Icarus Project, New York

Nora Samaran is the pseudonym of Naava Smolash, a faculty member in the English department at Douglas College. Her writing appears in academic and popular publications including Studies in Canadian Literature, West Coast Line, Briarpatch, and the University of Toronto Quarterly.