Why was it that, back then when we were in Comparative Literature, we thought Linguistics was the other cool field? I think it had to do with not being a discipline that reproduced a nation-state or the Area Studies model, and that was theoretical, and that (we thought then) could begin to dismantle colonial arrangements … More Sur la linguistique
1. Catalan is a language, not a dialect. 2. All of Spanish America speaks Castilian. 3. There are very many literate Mexicans, including winners of the Nobel Prize in literature, and Mexicans are completely comprehensible to other Spanish speakers. 4. I, as a person who speaks educated Spanish and am really competent in it, can … More P.S.A.
That I was not just a person with a question, but an unredeemably flawed person due to the sins of my ancestors. The worst of it, and the proof of it, was that I could not see my own inferiority. The only cure was to self-flagellate in some manner, and I certainly did not deserve … More Encore une fois, what I learned in psychotherapy
This is an important article and should be read. “You would be hard-pressed to find a mental-health professional, a productivity expert, or a writing coach who would suggest that — rather than recognizing people’s talent and rewarding their hard work — the way to get good results out of people is by making them feel … More On abusers and enablers in academic culture
It is cheaper for me to stay longer at my conference location than I need to than it is for me to stay less time, and this does not mean missing any more classes than I absolutely must. Therefore, I get to spend a week and two weekends in Mexico in October and I will … More Money and a room of one’s own
THIS is why the people with their alarm clocks and hourglasses, upping their so-called productivity, seem so antithetical to the life of the mind. “The world of labor and wealth is armed against the idleness and utopia that it sometimes promises. Thinking and dreaming require unregulated time; intellectuals lingering over coffee and drink threaten solid … More On having time to yourself
I do not agree with everything in this Appiah article on primitivism but there are some very interesting references in it. ⇔⇔⇔⇔⇔ I have been in Utrecht for a week and it has changed me greatly. I want to live here. I looked at some notes I made the first day and I know so … More On primitivism and aristocracy
Joan Didion, again. “Writing is an aggressive, hostile act.” Trysh Travis: [In] graduate teaching, this means helping students figure out what they are arguing about complex and multifaceted topics with which they tend to have, in clinical mental health terms, deeply codependent relationships. . . . . . . bell hooks calls the process “coming … More Writing is the act of saying I
I want to read Bauman’s Social Europe book. Perhaps, since the book comes in non-traditional forms, this is something I will do while traveling. I submitted something to my writing group but must not forget to do something with it once I get it back. It has potential to be overshadowed but should not. After … More A chronicle of crisis
On political euphemism, it is very important to note that the PATRIOT ACT (which was not patriotic) and then, rising to a new level of irony, became the FREEDOM ACT. I read about the lives of Elena Garro and Helena Paz Garro and it was sad. Both died ill, poor and alone; Paz’ death coincided … More Fraught
coldhearted scientist وداد 