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, July 28, 2011

Why New Orleans Matters

How far does the significance of New Orleans reach?

Here is a video of a street parade in Norway. It's a jazz funeral, a second line, complete with le baronne.

These Norwegians reached for their Lutheran traditions to express and process their grief. They also reached for the New Orleans way, an ocean, continents and cultures away from them. That's how far New Orleans reaches now.

I watch this, breathless.

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