David Irving is one of the most controversial modern historians. Born in Britain in 1938, Irving has written many books about the Second World War and its leaders. For example, he has written detailed accounts of Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Goebbels, etc. In his books, he focussed on the military aspects of the war. But…
Tag: Work Cited
An open letter to Assata Shakur in response to her autobiography
Dear Assata Shakur, I would like to start by saying that your autobiography has had a profound effect on me. You will always remain an inspiration for generations of underprivileged groups as well as students like me. I was much impressed by the clarity of your thoughts and the rationale for your goals. The quality…
Lerone Bennett’s description of the three axial forces of African American life that enabled the community to survive slavery
One constant source of hope for the enslaved African Americans is the prospect of a blissful afterlife that the Christian doctrine offered. While the first generation of black slaves in America brought with them their native religious beliefs and practices, they were soon replaced by Christianity. The white slave owners instilled in their slaves the…
Summary of The Populist Addiction by David Brooks
Noted New York Times columnist David Brooks makes a scathing criticism of the notion of populism in American political culture today. The crux of his argument is that populist politics divides the country when what is actually required is unity. He criticizes the leadership of both the Democratic Party as well as the Republican Party…
Brief Analysis: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson
Jeo Turner’s Come and Gone is one of the most memorable plays written by playwright August Wilson. It is one instalment in The Pittsburgh Cycle series, which documents the lives and struggles of black Americans in early 20th century America. Set in the time of the Jazz Age, the book’s heroes are former slaves who…
The Instrumentalist approach to ethnic and national identities: A review of D. Ronen’s ‘The Quest for Self-Determination’
D. Ronen’s scholarly work The Quest for Self-Determination further explicates the nature of ethnic and national identities. In order to illustrate the complexities involved in ethnic and national identities, Ronen constructs a new conceptual framework which he calls “aggregations”. According to this theory, political discourses relating to human communities refer to the latter from one…
Primordialism and Ethnic Conflict: A brief review of Walker Connor’s “Beyond Reason: The Nature of the Ethnonational Bond”
The reading titled “Beyond Reason: The Nature of the Ethnonational Bond”, written by Walker Connor, will provide the contextual background for this think-piece exercise. The central argument of the author is that ethno-national bond is much stronger than patriotic bond. The basis for the formation of ethno-national bonds are never fully based on fact and…
The impact of Abolitionism on First Wave Feminism
One way of looking at the significant historical events in North America and Europe over the last few centuries is by studying and understanding the first wave feminist movement and the abolitionist movement. Such a study will lead to the inference that the two social movements had much in common and each took strength from…
The impact of Utopian Socialism on First Wave Feminism
Any discussion of the first wave feminist movement is incomplete without reference to the impact of Utopian Socialism on the former. Considering that the feminist movements in general have sprung from the need for “equality” in the interpersonal and social affairs of men and women, it is no surprise that an economic system such as…
Film Review: The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith and ably supported by Jadie Smith & Thandie Newton is an average movie overall. The rest of this essay will briefly outline the areas where the movie fails and areas where it succeeds. In doing so, I hope to convince the reader of the veracity of the following…