[Xmca-l] Re: Sledgehammers in Mosul

Shirin Vossoughi shirinvossoughi@gmail.com
Sat Feb 28 10:16:22 PST 2015


Helena,
What is the message here? Does the link speak for itself and what does it
say? I am thinking about the "cultural vandalism" of the west in Iraq and
other parts of the region, and of the complex history (in which the US has
played a central role) that has led to what is being depicted in this
story. I do not mean to re-inscribe simplified west vs. middle east
narratives, but I do want to question how we are being asked to interpret
such acts. In this clip, as in so much media coverage of the region, such
practices are rooted in the uniquely anti-democratic or anti-free speech
tendencies of Islam. As Said famously argued, "we" are thereby exalted as
all the more democratic and free.
I wish the Western experts lamenting the destruction of artifacts in this
clip had as loudly and boldly lamented the destruction of life in the
brutal wars that led to this mess.
Shirin

On Sat, Feb 28, 2015 at 10:38 AM, Helena Worthen <helenaworthen@gmail.com>
wrote:

> http://bcove.me/1yo9t5x9
>
>
> Helena Worthen
> helenaworthen@gmail.com
>
>
>


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