Turkish novelist Elif Shafak says that we must cultivate emotional intelligence to live in an increasingly diverse world while battling authoritarians’ reductive desires. Lit is vital in this endeavor.
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Tag Archives: authoritarianism
Shafak: Storyland Is the Taste of Freedom
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Diversity, Elif Shafak, emotional intelligence, multiculturalism Comments closed
Euripides’s Attack on Authoritarianism
It’s possible to read “The Bacchae” as a critique of the autocrats who hijacked Athenian democracy and were running Athens into the ground.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Bacchae, Dictators, Donald Trump, Euripides, rebellion Comments closed
Lit, An Antidote to Authoritarianism
Literature’s universalism functions as an antidote to the exclusionary politics of figures like Donald Trump and Marine LePen.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Dambudzo Marechera, Donald Trump, Hisham Matar, Martha Nussbaum Comments closed
House of Spirits, Authoritarians on the Rise
Strong men (and occasionally women) the world over appear to be having a moment, leading to interest in authoritarianism. Isabel Allende’s description of brutal landowner Esteban Trueba in “House of Mirth” reveals some disturbing similarities to Donald Trump.
Trump’s “Truth” Is Like Big Brother’s
Like Orwell’s Big Brother, Donald Trump has been allowed to define truth. We’re all paying for it.
How Kipling’s Kaa Would Fight ISIS
ISIS resembles the Monkey People in Kipling’s “Jungle Book” in the way it craves attention. It is defeated by Kaa, but the authoritarian python brings his own set of problems, a fascist reaction to anarchy.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged fasicism, Jungle Book ISIS, Rudyard Kipling, terrorism Donald Trump Comments closed