Category Archives: governance

The tragedy of post-colonial self-determination

Posted on June 10, 2022 by

In her challenging book Worldmaking after Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination (2019), political scientist Adom Getachew discusses self-determination in the Anglophone Black Atlantic, with special emphasis on post-colonial independence as well as Caribbean and African federations.  It would be interesting to compare the political thought of intellectuals and statesmen such as George Padmore, Kwame Nkrumah, Eric Williams, Michael Manley, and Julius Nyerere, which she explores, with that of contemporary writers.  In particular, it would be fascinating to study the failure of self-determination that started in the 1960s in light of contemporary tragedies of autonomy that focused paradigmatically on Haiti, such as Monsieur Toussaint (1961) by Edouard Glissant, Toussaint (1961) by Lorraine Hansberry, Drums and Colors (1961) by Derek Walcott, The Tragedy of King Christophe (1963) by Aimé Césaire, and C. L. R. James’ revisions to The Black Jacobins (1962) that recast it as a post-colonial tragedy.

8 June 2022

Posted in autonomy, Blog, founding, governance, revolution, theatre

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The tragedy of Haiti in history, drama, and performance

Posted on May 30, 2022 by
Last week, as I read in The New York Times the four-day series
“The Ransom – The Root of Haiti’s Misery: Reparations to Enslavers”
and I continued work on Aimé Césaire’s superb drama The Tragedy of King Christophe (1963, 1970)
for my book-length project The Tragedy of Revolution,
I took the train to Chicago and caught the last performance of the wonderful American premiere of this Shakespearean tragedy.
On the way home, I was reminded of what the Martinican Césaire said when talking about a visit to the Caribbean island:  “In Haiti I saw mainly what should not be done!  A country that had supposedly conquered its liberty … and which I saw more miserable than Martinique, which was a French colony! … It was tragic.”
30 May 2022

Posted in Blog, founding, freedom, governance, hubris, revolution, terror, theatre, tragic politics

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“The Root of Haiti’s Misery: Reparations to Enslavers” (ΝΥ Times)

Posted on May 22, 2022 by

“In 1791, enslaved Haitians did the seemingly impossible. They ousted their French masters and founded a nation. But France made generations of Haitians pay for their freedom — in cash.”

Posted in founding, freedom, governance, Nota Bene, revolution, tragic politics

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Miquel Vila: “Why Catalonia Failed”

Posted on May 12, 2022 by

“Spanish authorities have recognized the continuing threat to state sovereignty. They have closely monitored the pro-independence movement and Catalan politicians since 2017. The events following the referendum left a scar on the activists and sympathizers of independence. Sympathy for civil disobedience like that seen in 2019 continues to rise. While Madrid has disciplined Catalonia’s politicians, the new generation of movement leaders is growing up with more radical, confrontational tactics and less faith in the electoral process.“

Posted in autonomy, defeat, governance, Nota Bene, performance

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Ronan Burtenshaw: “The Irish Chartist who Led Britain Towards Revolution”

Posted on March 20, 2022 by

“The Chartist movement made one last heave—inspired by revolution in Paris—during 1848, as another petition was drawn up to be presented to parliament. But, facing enormous police mobilisation, the mass demonstration they organised became a mass meeting in Kennington Common, and although the images from the day remain impressive, it marked the end of the movement as a force.”

Posted in freedom, governance, power, revolution

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“Nicaragua Descends Into Autocratic Rule as Ortega Crushes Dissent”

Posted on November 8, 2021 by

“Daniel Ortega became a hero in Nicaragua for helping overthrow a notorious dictator. Now, 40 years later, he has become the kind of authoritarian leader he once fought against.  After methodically choking off competition and dissent, Mr. Ortega has all but ensured his victory in presidential elections on Sunday, representing a turn toward an openly dictatorial model that could set an example for other leaders across Latin America.”

Posted in freedom, governance, In The News, power, revolution, tragic politics, tyranny

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Raoul Vaneigem: “Back to Basics: Theses on and Observations about the Struggle in France”

Posted on April 25, 2021 by

“It is up to us to learn to be reborn in the rebirth of the world.”

Posted in autonomy, freedom, gender, governance, Nota Bene, power, resistance

Brian Meeks: “How a Revolution on the Tiny Island of Grenada Shook the World”

Posted on March 14, 2021 by

“Revolutions are, inevitably, fraught periods of great danger and uncertainty. At their moment of triumph, the old order is temporarily prostrate, but there remains great hostility to the new regime both internally and internationally. The chances of initial consolidation and success are slim, and the very act of asserting authority in order to survive becomes the definitive and often negative signature of revolution.”

Posted in founding, governance, Nota Bene, power, revolution, rights, tragic politics, tyranny

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Johnisha Levi: “A Tale of Two Insurrections”

Posted on February 28, 2021 by

“The Capitol insurrection and the 1898 Wilmington coup share key similarities. They both divided our citizenry between those wanting to guarantee rights for a broader cross section of individuals versus those wanting to restrict them to a privileged few. Both events were also orchestrated from the top down in an attempt to place party above country and to delegitimize our election process. And finally, both instances were perpetuating a so-called Lost Cause.”

Posted in governance, justice, law, Nota Bene, revolt, rights, violence

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Robert Solé: “Ten Years of Hope and Blood”

Posted on February 28, 2021 by

“But in Lebanon, as in Algeria or Sudan, the game is not over. The same can be said of all the countries that have experienced a “Spring”, however fleeting, followed by a counter-revolution. The Arab peoples now know that it is not enough to overthrow an authoritarian regime to achieve democracy. Elsewhere in the world, the road has always been long and painful. Refusing to despair, the most committed or lucid citizens are trying, in Gramsci’s words, to combine the pessimism of intelligence with the optimism of will.”

Posted in defeat, democracy, freedom, governance, melancholy, Nota Bene, revolution, tragic politics

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