The carceral

Foucault discusses Mettray and the carceral archipelago or network that formed around it. It is important that not all inmates were criminals, and that this is a key feature. 1. The carceral continuum: so many gradations of criminality, and so much discipline (which is distinct from punishment). 2. The carceral network produces delinquents, trained in … More The carceral

Plague course

Best books for COVID-19 class — what would you add? 1. Boccaccio / Decameron — some say just first chapter 2. Camus / La peste 3. Mann / The magic mountain 4. Mann / Death in Venice 5. Anon. / Nibelungenlied (Bary, Chataeva) 6. GGM / Love in the time of cholera (Chataeva likes it) … More Plague course

Imagined globalization (reviewed by Dustin Welch García)

Dustin Welch García, Book Review of Imagined Globalization, AmeriQuests 12.1 (2015). Nestor García Canclini. 2014. Imagined Globalization, trans. G. Yúdice. Durham and London: Duke University Press. Pages: 242. Paperback: $24.95 ISBN: 978-0-8223-5461-1 The recent English translation and publication of Nestor García Canclini’s Imagined Globalization, which first appeared in Spanish in 1999, offers a nuanced examination … More Imagined globalization (reviewed by Dustin Welch García)

Alain Resnais

From Austerlitz, I learned about this Resnais short obliquely based on Borges, Toute la mémore du monde. This article, about architecture in the Bibliothèque Nationale of France, complements the film and the novel very well. And here is a set of 13 films of works by Borges and Bioy Casares. How do you see film … More Alain Resnais

Mitch Landrieu

A speech by the Mayor of New Orleans yesterday on the removal of the statue of Robert E. Lee, at what was formerly known as Tivoli Circle. Thank you for coming. The soul of our beloved City is deeply rooted in a history that has evolved over thousands of years; rooted in a diverse people … More Mitch Landrieu