The Fire and the Word: The Most Complete History of the Zapatista Movement

Kristin Bricker blogs:

Mexican journalist Gloria Muñoz Ramírez says that in 1997 she left her work, her family, and her friends to live in Zapatista communities. Her book The Fire and the Word: A History of the Zapatista Movement is the result of seven years of research, interviews, and—most importantly—listening in Zapatista territory.

Originally published in Spanish as 20 y 10: El Fuego y la Palabra in 2003 for the tenth anniversary of the Zapatista uprising and the twentieth anniversary of the EZLN, the book has since been translated into French, Italian, German, Turkish, Persian, and Greek. While English-speakers had to wait five long years to read it, Muñoz made The Fire and the Word worth the wait. The English translation updates the Spanish version, including new chapters and pictures of Zapatista history up through the Other Campaign in 2006.

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Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation

Professor What If reviews the book That’s Revolting: Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation:

That’s Revolting, in thirty-two essays, covers the breadth and depth of queer activism. It is not a queer theory anthology, but a primer in, as the subtitle suggests, “queer strategies for resisting assimilation.” The broad coverage of the book is both a strength and a weakness. On the plus side, the wide-range gives readers a succinct, entertaining overview of queer history and activism over the last 40+ years. The writing is strong throughout, emphasizing an in-your-face analysis laced with humor.

The anthology does a particularly fine job stressing the intersectionality of privilege and oppression, and for anyone unsure about the differences between ‘gay rights’ and ‘queer activism’ (or merely what ‘queer identity’ means), That’s Revolting delivers a witty, angry, and thought-provoking introduction to the Q word. Taken as a Cliff’s Notes of queer activism, the text serves as an inspirational guidebook for the queer activist in training.

Eugenics and Education

Bill Ayers reviews Ann G. Winfield’s book Eugenics and Education in America:

Written out of the official story as quackery and the handiwork of a few nut-cases, Winfield demonstrates beyond doubt that eugenics was not only respectable, mainstream science but also that its major tenets were well-springs in the formation of American public schools with echoes in the every day practices of today. Formed in the crucible of white supremacy and rigid hierarchies of human value, American schools have never adequately faced that living heritage.

Reading Capital with David Harvey

Bhupinder blogs:

Listening to David Harvey’s lectures on Capital Vol 1 not only gave me a feeling that I was re- reading Capital but also provided a refreshing enthusiasm that I had experienced when first reading the tome. Though the first three chapters are considered to be somewhat intimidating, these three chapters are also the most interesting ones. As Harvery points out, Marx follows different literary techniques in different parts of the book, and the first three are marked not only by philosophical flamboyance but also literary flourishes with copious references to Shakespeare , Schiller and Balzac (the latter, like Harvey, I read much after reading Capital).

160 Years Ago in February

Bhupinder blogs:

This little book was first published 160 years ago on 21st February 1848.

The world has not stopped listening to it ever since.

Thanks to Marxists Internet archives, you can actually now listen to the audio.

The 4th People of Color Scifi & Fantasy Carnival

The fourth People of Color Scifi & Fantasy Carnival is up at Francie Doesn’t Like Coffee Ice Cream:

I’m starting off this edition of the People of Color Carnival with the question: what is common knowledge and whose knowledge is it?

Grada Kilomba begins the first day of class by asking her students questions about things which are common knowledge for most of the black students in her class, but that her white students have never heard of. This simple exercise highlights the biases behind what is considered “common knowledge.” Kilomba then says

It is not that [Africans] have not been speaking; but rather that our voices – through a system of racism – have been systematically disqualified as valid knowledge; or else represented by whites, who ironically become the ‘experts’ of ourselves.

The 4th People of Color Scifi & Fantasy Carnival

The fourth People of Color Scifi & Fantasy Carnival is up at Francie Doesn’t Like Coffee Ice Cream:

I’m starting off this edition of the People of Color Carnival with the question: what is common knowledge and whose knowledge is it?

Grada Kilomba begins the first day of class by asking her students questions about things which are common knowledge for most of the black students in her class, but that her white students have never heard of. This simple exercise highlights the biases behind what is considered “common knowledge.” Kilomba then says

It is not that [Africans] have not been speaking; but rather that our voices – through a system of racism – have been systematically disqualified as valid knowledge; or else represented by whites, who ironically become the ‘experts’ of ourselves.

The Way of Sufi Chivarly

Abudul-Halim V, of the blog Planet Grenada, points us to a book that focuses on the spiritual aspects of futuwwah:

The Way of Sufi Chivalry by Ibn al-Husayn al-Sulami (translated by Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi). The Arabic term translated as “chivalry” is futuwwah. In Arabic, fata literally means a handsome, brave youth. But the book goes on to explain that based on its use in the Quran, the word came to mean “the ideal, noble and perfect man whose hospitality and generosity would extend until he had nothing left for himself; a man who would give all, including his life, for the sake of his friends.” (the term is used to describe Abraham in the Quran [21:60] when he destroys the idols of his people.)