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Book Review: Alaa Al Aswany and the Yacoubian Building; confronting selfhood and nationhood

Written by Angéle Rougeot First published in Arabic in 2002, and made into a film in 2006, the Yacoubian Building left a widespread print on both the Arab and Western literary world. Acclaimed as the most impactful book since Nagui Mahfouz Cairo’s Trilogy, (The Independant, 2007) the plot takes place in the eponym building in […]

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“Love Jihad”- Hindu Nationalist Gendered Narratives and Their Perpetuation of Sexist Norms

Written by Riyah Bakshi-Choudhury India’s democratic success despite failure in its neighbouring countries has been a great source of pride for the nation since its independence. However, with the rise to power of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has witnessed the implementation of exclusionary policies that have the […]

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Filthy Eldians and ‘Other’ Others

Written by Jon Bangsoy The Manga, ‘Attack On Titan’, displays the logical frameworkof how the Marleyan commander makes sense of evil, violence, and identity. With Nationalism, the irrational fear of the commander compels him to oppress the Eldians who he believes are creatures encased in human bodies. Expressed through the medium of irrational fear, survival is guaranteed by elimination and subjugation of the rampant animals in society. With Manga, Nationalism knows no bounds and the fantasies of man become […]

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“민족(Minjok)”

Written by Jon Bangsoy South Korean national identity is about progress. In contemporary times, South Korean culture, economic prowess and soft power have developed a form of national identity related to South Korean Nationalism or ‘Minjok’. This blog piece is tasked with understanding South Korean Nationalism, how it affects their institutions, their populace, and how they express it through print media called Manhwa. “민족(Minjok)” Originally, Korea was a […]

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The Orthodox Munition

Written by Miriam Yakobashvili The Editor-in-Chief of RT (Russia Today), Margarita Simonyan, suggested that in the case of a reemergent 2008 scenario (referencing Russian invasion of Georgia), no one would send troops into the country, but rather launch a total destruction of Tbilisi through a strike.  Her reasoning was as follows: Tbilisi is not worth sparing as there is no Kyiv Pchersk Lavra there, implying that Russia did not take such measures against Kyiv […]

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The Battle of the Thermopylae, or the Lies of the 300

Written by Gabriel Blondeau The Battle of Thermopylae has been subject to a number of retellings, reinterpretations, revisions and most importantly, lies. We must distinguish the historical facts from the historicised narrative fiction presented as the former, often used as a basis for legitimacy. The Battle of the Thermopylae pass was fought in 480 BC […]

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The Shining Star of Post-Soviet Nationalism Looms Over Russia & its People

Written by Louis Rawlinson Back in June of 2019 I traversed from West to East on the eclectic Trans-Siberian railway. The buildings of St Petersburg suggested a Parisian city with a Roman soul. It was in Moscow however, the spiritual and political heart of Muscovite civilisation, where I experienced a city undergoing its own national renaissance. With a President intent on […]

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Tatreez: Threading Together Palestinian National Identity

​Written by Catherine Burke While national identity and social cohesion are often developed through and closely linked to shared cultural practices, these gain an even greater significance when the nation’s existence is threatened. Therefore, the maintenance of Palestinian traditions and culture plays an important role in keeping Palestinian nationalism alive within the occupied Palestinian territories […]

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Moroccan National Identity & the 1970s Musical Group Nass El Ghiwane

Written by Faisal Ahmad Lyrics to Fine Ghadi Biya (Song): Written by: Laarbi Batma, founding member of Nass El Ghiwane “FINE GHADI BIYA KHOUYA FINE GHADI BIYA Where are you taking me brother? DAKA TABAA DEKA CHKOUNE YHED LBASSE Knock after knock , who can stop the misery LA TLOUMOUNA F LGHERBA YA HAD NASSE […]