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Notes -
So, what are you reading?
Still on The Question of Palestine. Said's writing is great as usual, and it is making me want to reread Orientalism. He kinda omitted that the displacement of 1948 was in the context of war, but perhaps he was assuming common knowledge. Interesting facts abound, but the core of the book is the system of thought he's applying, and it remains unclear how useful it is.
Otherwise picking up Al-Ghazali's The Book of Contemplation, book 39 of his Revival of the Religious Sciences series.
About halfway through Wolf Totem. So far, I find the Mongolians to be relatable and people like me. The Han students are sympathetic outsiders- despite being viewpoint characters. The Han officials come off horribly. The wolves are portrayed as a bit like fairies, more than like real animals. The dogs are portrayed like, well, dogs. I continue to be impressed with the quality of the prose, and it significantly increases my opinion of the ability to translate Chinese into English without making a hash of things.
Wolf Totem is our version of a “Noble Savages” book. Not to criticize it too harshly but it’s one of many works that try to understand and explain why China fell behind, though I’m not convinced they truly understand the culture they romanticize. Few of those writers have more than a superficial understanding of the savages. That genre has become increasingly irrelevant in China anyways. I guess this particular book does align quite well with American red tribe values.
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