-
Mistaken Identity – Reith Lectures 2016 – Kwame Anthony Appiah
Genetically we seem predisposed to seek links with groups outside our immediate family, and seek differences that distinguish “us” and “them”. Important in the small groups that early man survived in. Colour – Western peoples assumed everyone came from Abraham, via Noah, and race/colour were considered mere geographical variations! Race ideas emerged at same time…
-
Culture Wars
Josie Appleton (Institute of Ideas) When wars of religion ended, wars of culture took over. Islamism began with people leaving Europe to go to Afghanistan or Bosnia. Jihad was how Bedouin tribes came together to defend community or expand empire. Al Qaeeda then declared war on US colossus but chain of command, objective focussed cf ISIS – have…
-
Origins of totalitarianism
Hannah Arendt “origins of totalitarianism” – panic and confusion after Great War. The collapse of imperialism as a benign ideal. Awareness of power of advertising to influence people. Democracy and liberalism became weakened. People were not to be trusted with autonomy. Hence powers given to Hindenburg before Hitler ever came to power. Fascism then set…
-
Glagolitic script
An early Christian alphabet, introduced in Moravia (present day Czech republic, Slovakia), then spread to Croatia, Bulgaria etc. Rites had been conducted previously in Greek but it was an attempt to reach out to Slavic people, and maintain independence from Constantinople. Use continued for 1000 years in Croatia! The letters are fantastically ornate. Some eg…
-
The 2nd Sino-Japanese war
Started in 1937, morphs into second world war. Actually skirmishes well before that as Chinese nationalist government under Chang Kai Shek struggled to control warlords. Japan wanted to establish control of mainland (Manchuria), particularly given colonial expansion throughout Asia, and had forces throughout China, even in Shanghai. Other East Asian countries obviously see this as…
-
Story of Sinuhe
A verse epic, although not very long, from the Middle Kingdom of Egypt circa 1800BC, but only discovered in 1895. A rich text, full of different forms eg letters, use of foreign words, probably performed as well as read. Clearly popular for hundreds of years as fragments have been found in lots of different places…
-
The Scramble for Africa
Berlin conference 1884 – European powers met to divide up Africa into different imperial territories. Gave Leopold of Belgium territory 70x his own state, essentially as his own private property (his claim was based on explorations by Stanley). He instituted serfdom, wiped out elephants for piano keys, billiard balls and false teeth (as in other…
-
Ethnic minorities and Scottish nationalism
Aspirational pluralism in Scotland – all political parties see ethnic/racial minorities as essential to Scottish society. Minorities find it easy to feel Scottish, and are more likely to identify as such than minorities in England. This is in part because Scotland is smaller, also because language is not key to Scottish identity cf Catalunya, Quebec.…
-
FGM – female genital mutilation
Some improvements globally, esp Kenya. But not obviously related to expenditure on public health campaigns – incidence was already falling in Kenya and did not speed up. Senegal has tried hard to reduce incidence, with no obvious improvement. Maternal education, sadly, does not help. In Somalia and the Sudan, rates are actually higher where mums…
-
Livingstone
The David Livingstone centre, bless, will always try to paint him in a positive light. His biographer Tim Jeal, however, makes clear that he was imperfect, obsessive, perverse and often misguided man. He wrote lovely letters to his wife, but it was probably a marriage of convenience, at least to begin with. He risked their…