The Holocaust is undoubtedly the most tragic event in the history of modern human civilization. One has to go back many centuries in time to point a catastrophe of such magnitude – for example, the Black Death that afflicted most of Europe and wiped out nearly a third of its then population. The difference of…
Category: History
History of Belly Dance
Belly Dance originated from the Middle East, where it is referred to as Raqs Sharqi. Other alternative names for it are Middle Eastern dance and Arabic dance. Belly dance originated in the royal courtyards of Ottoman Empire and beyond. In the glory days of the empire, it used to be performed by members of a…
Arab Identity: The views of Sayyid Qutb, Sati al-Husri and Taha Hussein
The first text in question is Milestones by Sayyid Qutb. One of the pioneers of the idea of Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, his martyrdom for his cause has enhanced his standing in contemporary Islamic revivalist movements. Qutb is a passion advocate of his beliefs about nationality in the Islamic context. He begins his essay emphatically…
American History: Reconstruction Era
The American Civil War the period following it was critical in the nation’s history and it has deeply influenced subsequent social and political developments. The Civil War would have its most important effect on the lives of millions of African American slaves, as a large proportion of them would be decreed ‘free’ toward the end…
How did George Washington’s understanding of military tactics and geography helped defeat the British?
George Washington is one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. He played a key role in the events leading up to the Declaration of Independence and also in the military confrontation that followed. Washington did not have any formal training in military and his experience in running military campaigns was also…
America and the Great War
There are many causes that led to the First World War, but the assassination of the monarch of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Archduke Franz Ferdinand) acted as a trigger in destabilizing what was then a delicate state of European political balance. A combination of unfortunate timing of the assassination alongside the growing internal tension among European…
Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden”: Clarifying the relationship between oppressors and the oppressed
Even after a hundred years since its publication, Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘The White Man’s Burden’ continues to be debated, discussed and reinterpreted in various ways. When we look at the context in which the poem was written and published (originally written for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations), it becomes clear that Kipling is promoting the…
Perspectives on the Scramble for Africa
In the readings, different perspectives were given regarding ‘the scramble for Africa’. Colonial scholars of the period propagated the idea that native Africans were somewhat barbaric and backward, and that they need guidance from a more civilized people. This assessment is not totally untrue, for Africa (then and now) remains technologically backward, although cultural backwardness…
An analysis of the Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Reverend Martin Luther King’s famous letter from Birmingham Jail captures some of the core elements of his public discourse. Although the letter had not been orated in public, it is similar in style to his more popular public speeches and brings out the inspirational and charismatic aspects of King’s personality. The letter was first published…
Public World of the Ancien Regime
The second reading is chapter 5 titled Public and Private. The author presents a slightly different perspective of the private and public spheres by placing them in the context of the larger society, with its attendant interpersonal relations, social norms and trends, individual needs, rights and aspirations. This reading too is historically well informed, as…