For the first day of classes
23/08/2015
All last year I had been amazed that this particular student appeared to have become a born-again Christian. Now he has a new name and it is clear that in fact he has converted to Islam. Axé.
Manuela Picq
22/08/2015
An important scholar keeps emailing this listserv I am on, questioning Manuela Picq’s statements that she was beaten by police during her arrest and detention last week. He says it is important not to distort facts and that researchers must be objective. I understand that, of course, but do not really understand him, and I … More Manuela Picq
Hannah Arendt
16/08/2015
Hobbes was the true, though never fully recognized, philosopher of the bourgeoisie because he realized that acquisition of wealth conceived as a never-ending process can be guaranteed only by the seizure of political power, for the accumulating process must sooner or later force open all existing territorial limits. He foresaw that a society which had … More Hannah Arendt
Ryan Craig
16/08/2015
C’est donc en raison de ses faiblesses et non de ses réussites que l’université américaine présente une menace: tout l’invite à inventer d’urgence des solutions innovantes et, pour les rentabiliser, à les diffuser à l’étranger. L’Asie sera sa première cible, pour des raisons démographiques et économiques. Mais l’Europe sera également touchée si les Etats-Unis créent … More Ryan Craig
Identity politics, students as customers, and academic freedom
16/08/2015
If adjuncts and tenure-track professors are disempowered in relation to their students, the solution isn’t to attack students. . . . sneering at undergraduates with too many feelings or an unsuspecting woman who had the misfortune of tweeting about the biases of scientific research and discourse. Rather, it’s to focus on a university system that … More Identity politics, students as customers, and academic freedom
Libraries and electronic copies exist
09/08/2015
I wanted to see this film here in Barcelona but I don’t think I am going to get to it. (There is so much else I have not done.) I will leave here the fantastic 1999 edition of the DK Eyewitness Barcelona Travel Guide because there is a 2014 one that can be had. I … More Libraries and electronic copies exist
Rosemond Tuve
08/08/2015
There is an article we should all read and discuss, as it is about the present. It is part of a symposium on the teaching of literature, where other luminaries presented as well. Tuve, Rosemond. “More Battle than Books.” Sewanee Review 55:4 (Oct.-Dec. 1947): 571-585. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27537774 This post is for all, but is … More Rosemond Tuve
Sobre los sentimientos
08/08/2015
In Reeducation, it was considered “inappropriate” or evidence of “denial” not to feel fearful or not to be so. You were to “learn to actually feel your feelings” which meant to give any fears you did have free rein. I had a book contract that according to Reeducation it was inappropriate that a person like … More Sobre los sentimientos
Biblioteca de Catalunya
07/08/2015
I spent five days there. The first two, I did not bring the laptop because I did not realize you could plug them in and mine had short battery life. Then I realized this was because I needed a new battery, so I took the computer to the shop and was without it for two … More Biblioteca de Catalunya
Some notes on Barcelona today
31/07/2015
Solving the SNCF mystery. The sun in the cathedral, with its palm trees. The Archive of Aragon, with Columbus’ original capitulations. Getting a library card. The port. The theatre listings, the Café de la Opera. The tourists, the trendy shops. Buying green shoes. The rain. Lost and there were no locals to ask for directions, … More Some notes on Barcelona today
coldhearted scientist وداد 