Sinhala Buddhist Nationalism & Women In Sri Lanka

Rohini Hensman Introduction Myth and reality are intertwined in accounts of how Buddhism was brought to Sri Lanka. According to the Mahavamsa, a 6th century CE epic, the Buddha himself visited Lanka on three occasions, but this myth has effectively been demolished by scholars[1]. There is more evidence for the story that in the third century BCE, when Ashoka ruled… Read More Sinhala Buddhist Nationalism & Women In Sri Lanka

Femicides: 2000 Turkish women killed by men since Erdogan left Womens Rights Convention

At least 996 women in Turkey have been killed by men since the country’s 2021 withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty aimed at combating domestic violence, while 748 women have died under suspicious circumstances, Turkish Minute reported, citing a report by the We Will Stop Femicide Platform (KCDP). March 20 marks the third… Read More Femicides: 2000 Turkish women killed by men since Erdogan left Womens Rights Convention

Jogendranath Mandal hoped for Dalit-Muslim unity in Pakistan. He’s remembered as a ‘villain’

NB: Those of us who see the events of the late 1940’s in black and white terms ought to study the complexity of historical events as well as of the views of the actors in those events. Some may be surprised to read B. R. Ambedkar’s views on the transfer of population on a communal… Read More Jogendranath Mandal hoped for Dalit-Muslim unity in Pakistan. He’s remembered as a ‘villain’

Where Are the ‘Don Quixotes’ of Indian Academia?

NB: Anyone concerned about the intellectual health of their country should recall what Mao’s regime did to China’s academic life under the so-called Cultural Revolution in the late 1960’s. This was Mao Zedong’s motivated assault on academics, intellectuals and on his critics in the Communist Party leadership. Professor Frank Dikotter’s research study of this momentous… Read More Where Are the ‘Don Quixotes’ of Indian Academia?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls Israeli Gaza campaign an ‘unfolding genocide’ (see AV)

NB: A welcome speech, AOC, but its too late to save America’s reputation as either liberal or a democracy. The USA is a racist and imperial plutocracy, whose main export is war and weaponry. Save your souls and save your consciences as well as you can. It’s my impression the rest of the world will… Read More Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls Israeli Gaza campaign an ‘unfolding genocide’ (see AV)

The Cultural Revolution: A People’s History with Frank Dikötter

Premiered on 10 Nov 2022 In anticipation of the opening of our upcoming exhibition, (De)constructing Ideology: The Cultural Revolution and Beyond, Frank Dikötter will present a brief history of the Cultural Revolution. Dr. Dikötter, Chair Professor at the University of Hong Kong and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, is the author of People’s Trilogy,… Read More The Cultural Revolution: A People’s History with Frank Dikötter

On fascization

Rather than debating whether today’s far right is fascist, we need to think about fascization. Focusing on language and desire enables us to understand the process of becoming fascist, even within ourselves, and thus to resist it. Pierre Zaoui If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face… Read More On fascization

Patrick Lawrence: Authorized Atrocities / Late-Imperial Duplicities

GAZA casualties live statistics Israel’s lawlessness has a history that those in the West share with the apartheid state. It is remarked often enough, including in this space, that Israel’s savagery in its determination to exterminate the Palestinians of Gaza — and we had better brace for what is next on the West Bank of… Read More Patrick Lawrence: Authorized Atrocities / Late-Imperial Duplicities