BBC Article on newest continuing strike in Nepal
Maoists have been holding a strike (bandh) since May1st. They are trying to kick the current prime minster out on false pretenses stemming from Maoist Leader Prachanda's unskillful firing of the Chief of Police last May. Though, that is only one point on the discussion table.
The reality that the deadlline (and the funding) for the constituent assembly to have finished their draft of the new constitution (May 28th) is rapidly approaching.
People in Kathmandu are frustrated and fed-up with the political elites making decisions only to benefit them.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Limits - Thoughts on WNYC's Radio Lab Podcast
"The act of forgetting is crucial to create preciousness."
how does this relate to desire and passion in the human experience?
do we perpetuate not-knowing?
how does this relate to desire and passion in the human experience?
do we perpetuate not-knowing?
Storytelling
Collecting definitions of words and concepts that relate to storytelling (and thus applicable to lecturing, writing about storytelling, and getting more smrt). These are words I use all the time when I am speaking with students, or scholars, usually to sound more smrt, but I think it is time to start using them properly and actually understanding their meaning. AND reading the works that are connected with the constructs as I know them in literary theory.
Allegory
Monomyth
Semiotics
Rhetoric
metaphor
Allegory
Monomyth
Semiotics
Rhetoric
metaphor
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Top Grammar Reminders - Spring 2010
-
- Eliminate your contractions (including they’re) – there are NO contractions in scholarly writing.
- Check your comma usage around quotation marks.
- Do not use single quotation marks as you would with your fingers in general speech. Technically, the single quotation mark does not exist in scholarly writing.
- Possessive apostrophe usage: Ben’s sitar, Akbar’s tomb, Chelsea’s elephant. The most common mistake this semester has been writing, “It’s,” when you mean, “Its.”
- Proper colon and semicolon usage.
- Proper usage of italics - words in another language.
- SPELLING – especially names and places.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Looking for a comic/graphic novel version of the Buddha's life story
Here are some good finds, but not exactly what I am looking for. My target audiences are high school, gap year, and university students who are hearing about/learning about the story of the Buddha's life for the first time. The aim is to help the students understand from an historical/mythological perspective who the Buddha was and why he is so important to the structure of South Asian history.
As Mary said today, "He must have been a cool dude if we are still talking about him 2600 years after he died." The same could be said for all the prophets of all religions. It is the same myth that is perpetuated, though Buddhists differentiate by clarifying the Buddha's teachings did not have the same focus of eternalism that the messianic religions had, or developed. Nor did the complete opposite nihilistic view encompass what the Buddha said he discovered. But the myth remains - the story of a prince who gives it all up to find a way out of suffering.
I asked a good buddy who knows comics to help me find what I am looking for. These were some sites he found:
www.buddhanet.net has great teaching tools for primary and secondary students - I need to do some more digging to find out who these guys are and from where they are pulling their information. This coloring book of the life story of the Buddha is quite detailed and cleared up a few of my questions and confused other facts I thought I knew e.g. in this book, it says that the first person to give the Buddha food after he fainted during his six years living and practicing as an aesthetic was a young nameless boy. I had understood that Sudhana gave him rice and milk and this was enough to realize that the way of denial of physical needs was the opposite spectrum and there needed to be a balance to that. Hm.
Deepak Chopra also has an illustrated book of the life of the Buddha - here's the cover. I am not sure about this one. I didn't know that Deepak Chopra was a Buddhist ? ?
Then, there is a famous Japanese graphic novel called Buddha by Osamu Tezuka in eight volumes. People I talked with seem to know this one best. I endeavor to read this as soon as possible. Here's a review of the series.
Other suggestions are most welcome. I leave you with this found here.
As Mary said today, "He must have been a cool dude if we are still talking about him 2600 years after he died." The same could be said for all the prophets of all religions. It is the same myth that is perpetuated, though Buddhists differentiate by clarifying the Buddha's teachings did not have the same focus of eternalism that the messianic religions had, or developed. Nor did the complete opposite nihilistic view encompass what the Buddha said he discovered. But the myth remains - the story of a prince who gives it all up to find a way out of suffering.
I asked a good buddy who knows comics to help me find what I am looking for. These were some sites he found:
www.buddhanet.net has great teaching tools for primary and secondary students - I need to do some more digging to find out who these guys are and from where they are pulling their information. This coloring book of the life story of the Buddha is quite detailed and cleared up a few of my questions and confused other facts I thought I knew e.g. in this book, it says that the first person to give the Buddha food after he fainted during his six years living and practicing as an aesthetic was a young nameless boy. I had understood that Sudhana gave him rice and milk and this was enough to realize that the way of denial of physical needs was the opposite spectrum and there needed to be a balance to that. Hm.
Deepak Chopra also has an illustrated book of the life of the Buddha - here's the cover. I am not sure about this one. I didn't know that Deepak Chopra was a Buddhist ? ?
Then, there is a famous Japanese graphic novel called Buddha by Osamu Tezuka in eight volumes. People I talked with seem to know this one best. I endeavor to read this as soon as possible. Here's a review of the series.
Other suggestions are most welcome. I leave you with this found here.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Hegemony
Italian activist/thinker Antonio Gramsci (1891 - 1937) introduced concept of cultural hegemony. He was one of the most important Marxist thinkers of the 20th century. He died at age 46 after being released from a prison sentence in conjunction with the accusation of an attempted assassination of Mussolini.
Gramsci expanded upon Lenin's ideals about hegemony with a thorough analysis of why the Marxist revolution of the proletariat had not yet happened despite the prediction of it
Need to read more about this. Read Prison Notebooks.
Relevance to FSS - Edward Said quotes Gramsci extensively in his introduction to Orientalism (1978). Here, Said discusses Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony (a process of moral and intellectual leadership through which both dominant and subordinate classes consent to their respective roles as opposed to being forced or coerced into that role) as a way to discuss the structure of the West's need to understand/dominate that which they view as Oriental.
Seems to me that Said's use of Gramsci is a bit radical. Especially because he is speaking about Orientalism as a construct of the West, and western thought/literature/imagery, that continues to perpetuate and inform the West's understanding of the Orient. This relationship does not seem to be one where both parties are informed about their role and consenting. In fact, Said expounds that this is not the case at all - that the occupants of the Orient in the eyes of the West fully created and controlled by Western observations as a fulfillment of some fantasy that defines the West as significant and powerful.
Need to read more.
Gramsci expanded upon Lenin's ideals about hegemony with a thorough analysis of why the Marxist revolution of the proletariat had not yet happened despite the prediction of it
Need to read more about this. Read Prison Notebooks.
Relevance to FSS - Edward Said quotes Gramsci extensively in his introduction to Orientalism (1978). Here, Said discusses Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony (a process of moral and intellectual leadership through which both dominant and subordinate classes consent to their respective roles as opposed to being forced or coerced into that role) as a way to discuss the structure of the West's need to understand/dominate that which they view as Oriental.
Seems to me that Said's use of Gramsci is a bit radical. Especially because he is speaking about Orientalism as a construct of the West, and western thought/literature/imagery, that continues to perpetuate and inform the West's understanding of the Orient. This relationship does not seem to be one where both parties are informed about their role and consenting. In fact, Said expounds that this is not the case at all - that the occupants of the Orient in the eyes of the West fully created and controlled by Western observations as a fulfillment of some fantasy that defines the West as significant and powerful.
Need to read more.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Sita Sings the Blues - "American" take on Ramayana
Attended a lecture today at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) that was part of a course taught by Drs. Robert and Sally Goldman of UC Berkeley's South Asian Studies Department. They are here in Delhi working on their epic one-of-a-kind translation of the epic narrative The Ramayana composed by the poet Valmiki, which is an integral part of India's (and many other cultures') heritage.
Today's course was framed from last week's (which I did not attend) where Sally focused on ideas of appropriation. This carries a negative connotation for me as in 'cultural appropriation' of that which we perceive as exotic or different, holding some level of fantasy for us, be it savage, spiritually fulfilling, aggressive, or transgressive of our own cultural boundaries. We identify this thing, e.g. Buddhist prayer beads, and we develop our own way of relating to it in the context of our own culture. Appropriation means taking something which is not yours and owning or authoring meaning and significance to that thing outside of its original cultural context.
We started watching Sita Sings the Blues under this premise - The Ramayana is an epic that 'belongs' to India (i actually don't know enough about the history yet to say this - I know it has traveled to many places and been retold in the contexts of many cultures, and today there was some reference to it being part of an extensive folk tradition in many countries as well). Nina Paley used the story of Ramayana as a way to work through some bad things that happened in her own life. She took this epic story, the basis of understanding of cultural structures for India, and looked at it not only through her US American lens, but the lens of a first time viewer of the epic. We discussed many aspects of this after viewing including Nina's motive and her ability to capture what our audience thought were the true meanings/themes of the stories.
What did I see while we watched?
What were the reactions to the viewing? (who made up the audience)
What did Sally and Bob want to talk about? (globalization and relevance of epic stories)
How is this relevant to my work as a cross cultural bridge for Americans in India? I did speak up at the end - actually, I was put on the spot as one of the only two foreigners in the room other than the lecturers, and a US American as well. People were interested in how someone would react to seeing this version as the first version of the Ramayana in their lives. What an interesting question, especially in light of working with young US Americans who decide they would like to spend three or four months in India with the organization I work for. I have often searched for accessible ways to introduce my students to Culture in a sensitive, non-overassuming way - a way in which I feel opens an ethical dialogue and creates understanding, relation, and curiosity about the experience the students might have.
Today's course was framed from last week's (which I did not attend) where Sally focused on ideas of appropriation. This carries a negative connotation for me as in 'cultural appropriation' of that which we perceive as exotic or different, holding some level of fantasy for us, be it savage, spiritually fulfilling, aggressive, or transgressive of our own cultural boundaries. We identify this thing, e.g. Buddhist prayer beads, and we develop our own way of relating to it in the context of our own culture. Appropriation means taking something which is not yours and owning or authoring meaning and significance to that thing outside of its original cultural context.
We started watching Sita Sings the Blues under this premise - The Ramayana is an epic that 'belongs' to India (i actually don't know enough about the history yet to say this - I know it has traveled to many places and been retold in the contexts of many cultures, and today there was some reference to it being part of an extensive folk tradition in many countries as well). Nina Paley used the story of Ramayana as a way to work through some bad things that happened in her own life. She took this epic story, the basis of understanding of cultural structures for India, and looked at it not only through her US American lens, but the lens of a first time viewer of the epic. We discussed many aspects of this after viewing including Nina's motive and her ability to capture what our audience thought were the true meanings/themes of the stories.
What did I see while we watched?
What were the reactions to the viewing? (who made up the audience)
What did Sally and Bob want to talk about? (globalization and relevance of epic stories)
How is this relevant to my work as a cross cultural bridge for Americans in India? I did speak up at the end - actually, I was put on the spot as one of the only two foreigners in the room other than the lecturers, and a US American as well. People were interested in how someone would react to seeing this version as the first version of the Ramayana in their lives. What an interesting question, especially in light of working with young US Americans who decide they would like to spend three or four months in India with the organization I work for. I have often searched for accessible ways to introduce my students to Culture in a sensitive, non-overassuming way - a way in which I feel opens an ethical dialogue and creates understanding, relation, and curiosity about the experience the students might have.
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