Category: Japan

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The Construction of Enemies in Ron Rash’s “Return”

All of us, no matter how hard we try, succumb to preconceived stereotypes and the construction of others who may disagree with us enemies. Salman Rushdie discusses this extensively in his memoir Knife as he writes about his stabbing in August 2022 at the Chautauqua Institute. During a fictionalized interview with his would be assassin, Rushdie tells the man, “I know that it is possible to … Read More The Construction of Enemies in Ron Rash’s “Return”

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“We’d find it hard to have enemies if we cared about what happened to them”: How the Construction of “Enemies” Harms Us All

Fear arises not just through a lack of action but also through, as Lillian Smith puts it, “the singsong voices of politicians who preached their demonic suggestions to us as if elected by Satan to do so.” The creation of an enemy, of an other, outside of ourselves, someone we look down upon as “uncivilized,” “unintelligent,” “inferior,” or “”bestial,” serves as a weaponization of … Read More “We’d find it hard to have enemies if we cared about what happened to them”: How the Construction of “Enemies” Harms Us All

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The Transmission of Virulent Ideologies: Part II

Last post, I wrote about the unease individuals feel when they study their own history and how they feel comfortable learning about this history of others because it removes their own actions from the equation. There, I focused on Zakir in Inzitar Husain’s Basti. Today, I want to continue that discussion; however, I want to shift it a little by looking at the ways that Yuasa Katsuei … Read More The Transmission of Virulent Ideologies: Part II