Monthly Archives: April 2008

Contingency

Posted on April 3, 2008 by Timothy Burke

The students in my Central Africa survey are writing papers about whether there were any distinct points at which the independence of the Belgian Congo might have turned out differently than it did. Like most counterfactuals involving colonialism, it’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa | 8 Comments

Does the Other Shoe Ever Drop?

Posted on April 2, 2008 by Timothy Burke

If you’ll recall, my initial statement on Ward Churchill was that I found his scholarly work extremely weak, and agreed that his case raised questions about standards and expectations in academic life, particularly in programs that see identity as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Politics | 35 Comments

The Things That Hold

Posted on April 1, 2008 by Timothy Burke

I spend a lot of time in my classes and my scholarly writing trying to explore the legacy of European colonialism and the Atlantic slave trade in Africa. I think these are wide-open questions. Depending on my mood, I can … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Politics | 3 Comments

Gustatus Similus Pullus

Posted on April 1, 2008 by Timothy Burke

You never know if you’re getting punk’d by a story on April Fool’s Day, but assuming this story about secret military units and their patches is on the level, there’s some interesting metacultural content to many of the patches. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellany | 5 Comments