Monday, March 9, 2009
It's Not Library Time Yet
I was planning on going to the library this weekend (now that the photocopiers there are working again, they were broken and you aren't allowed to check out books) but I got rather ill on Saturday and so spent Saturday and Sunday morning out of commission. I wanted to go to the library today instead but as it turns out, it is a national holiday so nothing is open right now. So, I'll next be heading out to do more research on Wednesday. This is unfortunate, but I've got sufficient information to write my thesis and a good amount of support for my research paper, although there are still a few little problems that I'm unsure about regarding my interview. My travel journal is coming along swimmingly and it's a lot of fun to write. I celebrated my 18th birthday on Sunday (they celebrate everyone's birthday here on the weekend nearest one's actual birthday, since there are usually no celebrations during the weekday.) I got a really cool watch from my uncle and in two weeks my aunt and I are going to go visit the south of Tunisia for three days, in which we will be riding camels, visiting desert and mountain oasises (oases?) and the saharan gate, which sounds like it will be a blast. I realized that I may have been overly generous regarding the liberality of Tunisia. Recently it has become more and more apparent, but it caught me by surprise how different the country is from the United States. Still, I guess the lack of the liberality here might be beneficial, despite its costs, to the country and society as a whole. And, in comparison to its neighbors, Tunisia has definitely made strides in progressive thought, which is something to take into consideration.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Duncan...It really sounds fantastic..I cant wait to see pictures. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY
PATTY
happy birthday. . . and what are you thinking about Fanon, now?
happy birthday. . . and what are you thinking about Fanon, now?
Duncan,
Sorry you were sick, but the rest sounds good; I'm glad that you are on track to write your paper.
P.S. Happy Birthday, sir! ("sir" because you're an adult now!)
Well, I'm a little confused about Fanon, I guess I just need to think about it some more. But it seems like Tunisian relations with the French were entirely different than the kind of relationship Fanon writes about between Algeria and France. The French presence just wasn't as big a factor in Tunisia, I guess, since there were so few "pied-noirs" in Tunisia in comparison. Most of the opposition that Tunisian independence movements faced came from Native Tunisians, which makes me a little uncertain about the direct relevance of Fanon's writing about Algeria. I don't know, I'll think about it some more and do some more reading and such I guess.
Why were native Tunisians opposed to these independence movements? Why was the French presence less apparent in Tunisia?
It seems like Tunisia wasn't home to nearly as many French colonists as was Algeria, the most significant French influence, it seems, was in Bizerte and other areas in which there was heavy French military presence really seemed to stir the pot a lot more than any sort of cultural clash. Even the French were in overwhelming support of Tunisian liberation and when it was put to a vote in 1956, Tunisia and Morocco both gained independence with tremendous support from the French, despite the wishes of leaders like De Gaul and certain Military Generals. There's plenty of mention of Tunisian opposition that feared the consequences of a lessened French presence, especially religious figures who feared the idea of a secular leader like Bourguiba.
Hey Duncan,
I was curious that you say the "lack of the liberality here might be beneficial, despite its costs." By liberality, I assume you mean freedoms such as freedom of the press? How does this benefit the country? ... It's interesting, too, to hear you say this, in light of the recent "liberation" of Iraq from the constrictions of Saddam Hussein, and the comments that some Iraqis have made that "at least we knew what to do and what not to do under Saddam, and there was security" that they don't have now. Would like to hear your thoughts on this at some point.
p.s. Have you had any luck finding information about Tunisian laws re: freedom of speech?
Post a Comment