It’s really been a mask-off day.

Sure sure — who gets to decide who/what should be centered? Well, maybe a blockbuster art event that purports to give the stage to those at the margins, ie “foreigners everywhere”, should bear a bit of responsibility.

May it be generous and lasting

Thanks for sharing Viola! The Carthage room is superb

The Bardo conveys a history of Tunisia that is plural, variegated, and generous, an antidote to rising authoritarianism & populism which seek to narrowly define national narratives. The past gives us strength to reject these linear shortcuts (and lies).

Thank you Reem. It’s getting worse and worse. Tonight the parade happened in my neighborhood (I’m away). Every image and racist chant is lacerating, esp since we’ve warned that this was coming.

Leading journal publishing an interview today blaming banlieue violence on… sexual frustration. Next: Arabs all rapists? I have never been exposed to so much unhinged, daily, deafening violence against Arabs. Even during 9/11 people had some filters at least. I dread the future of Arabs in France.

Haha because the Orient needs to be (re)discovered and digested and re-narrated of course! More seriously though, it’s a great topic on which I wrote briefly (role of Islamic science on perspective in Renaissance paintings). A missed opportunity not to have this as a two-way dialogue.

All conveniently said to be acquired pre-1970. Ha. Ha.

Sorry about that! Not alone. Had a shitty experience with Jacobin recently. Performative leftist/socialist politics, close to zero respect for writers in my case.