Hathor Consort
09/03/2021
We haven’t sung anything for a long time, but this weekend, we will. Axé.
More Afro-Pessimism
07/03/2021
The words about slavery — negro, mulato, zambo, and more come from Spain. The idea of race and racial discrimination came from there too, starting with religion, Jewishness as a race. The Portuguese brought slaves to Spain in the early 15th century and slaves were brought to the Americas early on; the Iberians may have … More More Afro-Pessimism
Afro-pessimism
06/03/2021
“What is essential is neither the interpersonal nor institutional orientation toward blackness, but the fact that blackness is the essence of that which orients. Put differently, the coherence of reality (be it institutional or interpersonal coherence) is secured by anxiety over both the idea and the presence of blacks. The black, to paraphrase Frantz Fanon … More Afro-pessimism
The article, or the book
03/03/2021
Seeing like a state: Cecilia Valdés causes anxiety, or trouble, because she is not legible, except to a Latin American, who can fijarla and therefore is also fixed in place by her. (What moves and what slips from view is interesting in this book.) Legras points out that in the case of the Mexican revolution, … More The article, or the book
Estoy enojada
24/02/2021
Mail not sent I Dices: “No tengo prisa ni ganas de publicar el libro, tal como lo tienes, porque no es mejor que [mi último libro].” ¿Por qué, entonces, pediste la revisión de tu traducción, para una editorial? ¿Sobre todo si estabas todavía escribiendo el libro, añadiéndole cosas? Mail not sent II Un aspecto extraño … More Estoy enojada
Empathy and neoliberal realism
22/02/2021
La declaración de Luiselli es tan provocadora como pretenciosa y vacía; sin embargo, refleja la sensibilidad hípster que desdeña la utilidad de la propia escritura, capitaliza la emocionalidad para vehicular un mensaje “político”, pero a la vez rechaza el debate entre literatura y política como mero onanismo. El problema estriba en que obras como la … More Empathy and neoliberal realism
On Foucault
19/02/2021
I must remember my lunchtime insight on Foucault, and write about it. His message is that you have lost, and you can analyze this but resistance is futile. I thought it as a freshman, reading him in the French Library as person upon person renounced militancy, and I am thinking it again. The other point … More On Foucault
La dama de Elche
13/02/2021
This is such a lovely photograph of the Dama de Elche. She and Cybèle are my favorites. Axé.
On teaching people how to use quotations
01/02/2021
Along these lines: what I’ve been doing for this is 1) I had them read the handout on doing summary, paraphrase, and quotation that I usually lecture from, 2) work in groups to write summaries of what we’ve been reading, and the summaries had to include a mix of paraphrase and quotation, and citations following … More On teaching people how to use quotations
Point Reyes Farmstead
22/01/2021
It is too expensive and self-indulgent for me to buy as a grocery, but the Point Reyes Farmstead needs support during COVID and is very good. I’m interested in the Quinta cheese and I am thinking of it for a birthday present in March. Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 