Tumblr- Cut text.... January 24, 2019Dictatorships are rarely transparent. The manner through which a few individuals make decisions that others implement in the absence of decisive elections remains hazy enough that the trite or cliché—the black box, the secret meeting, the hidden network of power—are obvious and ubiquitous for a reason. Each dictator and dictatorship is unique, politically, h […]
- "But the paramount reason for resisting this deal, and any other, is what it would mean symbolically..." January 24, 2019“But the paramount reason for resisting this deal, and any other, is what it would mean symbolically to erect the wall or any portion of it. Like Trump himself, it would represent a repudiation of the pluralism and inclusivity that characterizes America at its best. It would stand as a lasting reminder of the white racial hostility surging through this momen […]
- "My heart goes out to the people living in hardship. In Sanhe Village of Liangshan in Sichuan..." January 4, 2019“My heart goes out to the people living in hardship. In Sanhe Village of Liangshan in Sichuan Province, I visited the families of two villagers from the Yi people. In Sanjianxi Village in Jinan City in Shandong Province, I sat down with the family of Zhao Shunli to hear about their day-to-day lives. In the Donghuayuan community in the city of Fushun in Liaon […]
- Cut text.... January 24, 2019
Monthly Archives: September 2010
Anniversary
Tomorrow is the official anniversary of my “confer date.” I received my Ph.D. from Stanford University on the 24th. Now, to be sure, I’m not clear where that date came from. My signed dissertation was turned in at least a … Continue reading
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Regimes
The number of autocratic regimes of the past from 1950 (or so) to 2005 (or so) is in dispute. There are 700 heads of state in years in which these nation-states are coded as autocratic. But of course, a change … Continue reading
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Reform
It is the nature of time to continue moving forward. Writers create texts, shape them over time, but then declare them finished, at which point they–unlike reality–cease evolving. This scares writers of non-fiction, especially those in the putatively predictive social … Continue reading
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APSA 2010
Another APSA into the history books. The last DC APSA, IIRC, was the year of Hurricane Katrina. I have memories of staying up and watching the disaster unfold through the odd medium of NOAA’s bulletins with their ALL CAPS and … Continue reading
