LINES OF THE DAY

". . . But the past does not exist independently from the present. Indeed, the past is only past because there is a present, just as I can point to something over there only because I am here. But nothing is inherently over there or here. In that sense, the past has no content. The past -- or more accurately, pastness -- is a position. Thus, in no way can we identify the past as past." p. 15

". . . But we may want to keep in mind that deeds and words are not as distinguishable as often we presume. History does not belong only to its narrators, professional or amateur. While some of us debate what history is or was, others take it into their own hands." p. 153

Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History (1995) by Michel-Rolph Trouillot

Thursday, November 29, 2007

New Hobsbawm on the Way!

On EmpireAmerica, War, and Global Supremacy, written by Eric Hobsbawm.

Unreconstructed marxist who has lived through just about everything he's been writing about over his very long life-career.

Vaquero and I have read his works aloud to each other for many years -- coz, well, he's been doing his work for so long. So we haven't read them all to each other. Vaquero, however, who has better eyes than I do, has actually read all the volumes, in sequence, of Hobsbawm's marxist analysis of the history through which he's lived.

An astounding career, and mind.

2 comments:

Phil said...

Hi there Foxessa, thanks for dropping by my blog.

I haven't read any Hobsbawm, but most leftists in Britain will have heard of him. He was in the old Communist Party for a good deal of his active intellectual and political life. This doesn't necessarily mean he's pro-Stalin incidentally. But other than that, I can't say anything else except his work is generally well regarded.

Foxessa said...

We regard his work very highly. He's always a high point in the London Review of Books. Hobsbawm is also an excellent jazz journalist.

You have a great blog!

Love, C.