Tag: History

Oblivion Culture: Countering the German taboo on Palestinian trauma

A decisive part of the trauma experienced by Palestinians in Germany comes not only from its being rendered taboo, but also from what Pierre Bourdieu calls symbolic violence. The term describes the violence of those discourses that normalize and legitimize systemic violence…. Symbolic violence justifies the expulsion and dispossession of Palestinians and the seizure of… Read More Oblivion Culture: Countering the German taboo on Palestinian trauma

Dilip

Bhagat Singh, Kanpur lit fest, and the culture of hasty comment

NB: It could also be called the standardisation of thought; the co-option of history by ideology, and the elevation of outrage to an art form. DS Apoorvanand Historian Aparna Vaidik is under attack on social media. A controversy arose following a discussion on her new book at a lit fest in Kanpur. It was alleged that Vaidik… Read More Bhagat Singh, Kanpur lit fest, and the culture of hasty comment

Dilip

In the Shadow of Catastrophe: An Interview

Apocalyptic thought in the aftermath of the world wars George Prochnik and Anson Rabinbach In what way does writing about catastrophe, either predictively or retrospectively, risk kindling a new blaze? Conversely, is it possible to identify aspects of such texts that work against the drive to catastrophe? Conventional wisdom suggests that temporal distance from historical… Read More In the Shadow of Catastrophe: An Interview

Dilip

Albert Einstein on Jews in Palestine (1932-49)

Letters and excerpts from Albert Einstein’s writings in which he repeatedly reiterated his opposition to the creation of a state for Jews, preferring the formation of a simple spiritual and cultural centre to serve the Jewish world and all humanity. Addresses on reconstruction in Palestine (1932) The crisis which the work of construction has had to… Read More Albert Einstein on Jews in Palestine (1932-49)

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A Second Trump Term is the Beginning of the End and That’s Not All Bad

Fascism is the final stage in the state’s life cycle after the orgy of imperialism, and the American Empire couldn’t die soon enough. Nicky Reid This is not a sane universe. This is Babylon during the end times. Rome is burning, so Caligula gets a second term while Nero plays “Rhiannon” on the violin. The… Read More A Second Trump Term is the Beginning of the End and That’s Not All Bad

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Reading Vasily Grossman’s ‘Stalingrad’ and ‘Life and Fate’

War heightens the kaleidoscope of temporality. That you might say is the premise of Grossman’s entire book. It is an effect of combat and of the proximity of death. There would be other such moments in World War II – Bagration, Normandy, and the Battle for Berlin come to mind. But perhaps never again, indeed… Read More Reading Vasily Grossman’s ‘Stalingrad’ and ‘Life and Fate’

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Where is Syria headed?

Now, as the Arabic saying goes, the time has come for meditation after elation. Let us reflect on what has happened so far to try to foresee what the future may hold…. the hateful Assad regime was standing only thanks to two foreign occupations, out of the five foreign occupations across Syrian territory. Gilbert Achcar… Read More Where is Syria headed?

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