Author: Dilip

I'm a scholar, writer and teacher; and my blog is designed for intellectual exploration. It carries no advertisements and requires no cash subscription

An Ethnography of Nazi Law: The Intellectual Foundations of Ernst Fraenkel’s Theory of Dictatorship

‘The Dual State is one of the most erudite books on dictatorship ever written’ Opening paragraphs of Jens Meierhenrich’s 2017 introduction to The Dual State (1941) Though largely forgotten today, Ernst Fraenkel’s The Dual State: A Contribution to the Theory of Democracy, first published in 1941, is one of the seminal works in the study of law… Read More An Ethnography of Nazi Law: The Intellectual Foundations of Ernst Fraenkel’s Theory of Dictatorship

Dilip

British Petroleum scales back climate goals as profits more than double to £23bn

Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC, said hard-pressed families were being treated like “cash machines” and would “rightly feel furious”. Calling for higher windfall taxes on oil and gas companies, he added: “As millions struggle to heat their homes and put food on the table, BP are laughing all the way to the… Read More British Petroleum scales back climate goals as profits more than double to £23bn

Dilip

Angelique Kidjo: the diva from Benin carries with her a fierce history

Her debut album Parakou was released in 1990, but it took her hit song Agolo for her to burst into global reckoning and galvanise the world’s dance floors in 1994. In the Yoruba language “agolo” refers to the metaphysical significance of time, a cyclical phenomenon conjoining life with death – life being a gift that must be cherished and… Read More Angelique Kidjo: the diva from Benin carries with her a fierce history

Dilip

Afghanistan: single women and widows are struggling to find their next meal under Taliban restrictions

Jamila*, a widow living in Herat, lost her husband in a suicide attack about eight years ago. She has an 18-year-old daughter who is blind and a 20-year-old son who lost both legs in a mine blast. Jamila used to be a housemaid and bake bread for people in their homes. With this income she… Read More Afghanistan: single women and widows are struggling to find their next meal under Taliban restrictions

Dilip

Narendra Modi is struggling to be both anti-Muslim strongman and global leader

The Indian prime minister’s attempts to suppress a critical BBC documentary show how sensitive he is to his international reputation. (NB: The problem is that the ‘parivar’ boasts about the same thing at home which its proponents wish to deny on the international stage. DS) Mukul Kesavan The clue to the Indian government’s thin-skinned response… Read More Narendra Modi is struggling to be both anti-Muslim strongman and global leader

Dilip

An ‘inland tsunami’: 15 million people are at risk from catastrophic glacial lake outbursts

Rachel Ramirez, CNN Glaciers around the world are melting at an alarming rate, and are leaving massive pools of water in their wake. The meltwater fills the depression left behind by the glacier, forming what’s known as a glacial lake. As temperatures get warmer and more pieces of the glacier melt away, the lake rises — and living downstream… Read More An ‘inland tsunami’: 15 million people are at risk from catastrophic glacial lake outbursts

Dilip

‘We just want to live in a normal world’: China’s young protesters speak out, and disappear

‘Blank Paper movement’ decrying government policies rekindles dissent after Xi Jinping’s decade of iron-fisted crackdowns. Support the Chinese peoples struggle for democracy! A 25-year-old woman who had been interrogated by police after protesting in south China tells the Guardian that even though she is frightened by police, the protests have radicalised her as she has… Read More ‘We just want to live in a normal world’: China’s young protesters speak out, and disappear

Dilip

Desperation and anger grow in search for Turkey and Syria earthquake survivors. Death toll nears 8400

Anger has mounted in Turkey over what was described as a slow and inadequate response by authorities to the powerful earthquake that also hit neighbouring Syria, as the death toll passed 8,000 and chances of finding survivors narrowed. Rescuers worked through the night on Wednesday, searching through the rubble of collapsed buildings, while freezing conditions, destroyed roads… Read More Desperation and anger grow in search for Turkey and Syria earthquake survivors. Death toll nears 8400

Dilip