The Origins of Global Fury:
A Third World Perspective

310-20220-01

Spring 2004
Sec 1: 10:50-12:05; SMIT 112
Office phone: 274-3028

Naeem Inayatullah (naeem@ithaca.edu)
Muller 325
Office Hours: Tu, Th 1:00-2:20 and W 1-2:50

1. Motivation

I am guessing that many of us are bewildered by the frustration and rage that many in the Third World now explicitly express. Of course, that rage has a basis in the historical dynamics of global power structures. Most Honors students are from the U.S. are unlikely to be familiar with the historical origins and underdevelopment of the Third World. Without this familiarity our understanding of recent events, such as the attacks of 9/11 and the subsequent U.S. response may remain shallow, easily manipulated, fruitlessly confusing, and inaccessible to public deliberation. For those who seek it, an analysis of First/Third World relations that is historical, ethnological, psychodynamic, and political-economic may serve to ground their understanding of the motives of foreign others as well as to catalyze future explorations of their own role as global citizens.

This course does not seek to accumulate, sort, and evaluate ethical judgments on recent world events (e.g. 9/11, war against terrorism, the war against the Taliban, the war on Iraq). Rather, it is motivated by a prior question: Is it possible to bridge communication between, on the one side, a set of beliefs cultivated under the aegis of a super-power and beliefs forged through resistance to such power on the other? More simply, under what conditions (social, pedagogical, motivational) can First and Third worlders communicate without violence but nevertheless with openness, sincerity, integrity, and passion. My public speaking experiences after 9/11 produced poor discussions and created doubts about whether such communication can occur. And yet, it seems clear that much depends on our willingness to keep trying.

While this may sound like a course designed for those who thrive in history, politics, economics, and sociology, it is also the case that those who intend to specialize in, for example, math, natural science, music, drama and computer science, must still project themselves as living in a world where global fury seems rampant. Indeed, perhaps it is these later students who may have had the least opportunity to engage in deliberate public discourse about the current state of the world and would most welcome an opportunity to unknot their intuitions.

2. Readings

Ludo De Witte, The Assassination of Lumumba
Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth
Adam Hochschild, King Leopold’s Ghost
Barbara Kingsolver, Poisonwood Bible
Stephen Kinzer, All the Shah’s Men
Sven Lindquist, Exterminate All the Brutes
Sven Lindquist, History of Bombing
Malahat Review, #110

• Course Reader (Purchased from Patty Doxater in Muller 309):
Contents:

1. Arundhati Roy, “Mesopotamia, Babylon, The Tigris and Euphrates,” The Guardian, April, 2, 2003.
2. Arundhati Roy, “Instant-Mix Imperial Democracy,” CommonDreams.org, May 18, 2003.
3. Ayesha Khan, “Of Spooks and Masters.” 2002.
4. Regis Debray, “The Indispensable Nation,” Harpers, January 2004, pp. 15-21.
5. William Mckee Evans, “From the Land of Canaan to the Land of Guinea: The Strange Odyssey of the “Sons of Ham,” American Historical Review, 85 (1), 1980, pp. 15-43.
6. Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, “What the World Thinks in 2002,” http://people-press.org.org/reports/print.php3?PageID=655
7. Susan Buck-Morss, “Hegel and Haiti,” Critical Inquiry, 26, 4 (Summer 2000), pp.821-65.
8. Christopher Hitchens, “The Case Against Henry Kissinger: The Making of a War Criminal, Part One,” Harper’s Magazine; Feb 2001; 302, pp. 33-58.
9. Christopher Hitchens, “The Case Against Henry Kissinger: The Making of a War Criminal, Part Two,” Harper’s Magazine; Mar 2001; 303, pp. 49-74
10. Harry Magdoff et al. “U.S. Military Bases and Empire,” Monthly Review, 53, 10, 2002, [15 pages]
11. Robert Drefuss, “The Thirty Year Itch,” MotherJones.com March/April 2003 [8 pages]
12. Robert D. Kaplan, “Supremacy by Stealth: Ten Rules for Managing the World,” Atlantic Monthly, July/August 2003, pp. 66-83.
13. Sheila Nair, “Human Rights and Postcoloniality: Representing Burma,” in Power, Postcolonialism and International Relations: Reading Race, Gender, and Class, 2002, pp. 254-84.
14. Janet Abu-Lughod, “The Indian Ocean Divided Into Three Parts,” Before European Hegmony, 1989, pp. 251-60.
15. Janet Abu-Lughod, “The Indian Subcontinent: On the Way to Everywhere,” Before European Hegmony, 1989, pp. 261-90.
16. L. S., Stavrianos “A Note from the Author,” “Introduction,” “Chapters 2-3” in Global Rift, 1981, pp. 23-73.
17. L. S Stavrianos., “Ch. 19: Era of Defensive Monopoly Capitalism…” in Global Rift, 1981, pp. 433-83.
18. Bhikhu Parekh, “The Cultural Particularity of Liberal Democracy,” in David Held’s Prospects for Democracy, 1993, pp.156-75.
19. Raymond Williams, “Democracy,” Keywords, 1983, pp.93-97.
20. David Chandler, “A New Era for International Justice?” MS. 2001.
21. John K Cooley,., “Introduction,” and Carter and Brezhnev in the Valley of Decision,” in Unholy Wars, Pluto Press, 2000, pp. 1-28.
22. Lewis Hanke, , “The ‘Requerimiento’ and Its Interpreters,” Revista de Historia de Amaerica, vol. 1, 1, 1938, pp. 25-34.
23. Steve Kangas, , “A Timeline of CIA Atrocities,” (www.korpios.org/resurgent/CIAtimeline.html), pp. 1-13.
24. Joshua Muravchik, Exporting Democracy, AEI Press, 1992, Ch. 1-3, 8, 9, 14.

• Films:

- Lumumba
- Battle of Algiers
- Children of Heaven

3. Design of the Course

I think of the design of a course as similar to a style of music. Most courses follow “classical (European) music” in design. That is, the audience hears music pre-determined by the score. The music may change slightly from performance to performance but this change is not usually a part of the design of classical music. In contrast, Jazz and classical Indian music combine the structure of the tune, the interpretative skill of the players, and the response of the listeners to create a specific structured improvisation. Accordingly, I have designed this course to change from one experience to another according to the interaction of students, instructor, and the reading materials. Thus no two classes or experiences should be the same because the interaction of the three differs on each occasion. This design embraces the necessity of collective improvisation.

A Jazz design has consequences for our sense of time in the course. To some the course will feel less structured and slower than what they might expect. The good news is that the course may also feel like something we create together.

4. Evaluation

I will determine your grade by evaluating the following components.

60% will come from two essays of 8-10 pages, due on Wednesday, October 1st and Wednesday, November 12. Please see my “writing suggestions for essays” (section 6, page 4) on how I would like you to write these essays.
40% of your grade will be derived from a take-home final essay, due 10AM Friday, December 19, 2003. I would like to see a comprehensive and retrospective essay. I will provide further details in class. Please see my “writing suggestions for essays” (section 6, page 4) on how I would like you to write these essays. Essay topics will synthesize reading materials, lectures, and discussions
An “entry paper” and an “exit paper” are required but not graded.
Note Well: If you are unclear about these expectations or feel that they do not suit your style of learning, please see me in my office. I will do everything I can to accommodate you. However, please see me by Friday, September 19. After this date, I will assume that you agree to the above arrangement.

Entry paper: due Tuesday, January 27.
First essay: Tuesday, February 24.
Second essay: Tuesday, April 6.
Final essay: due 1:30 Thursday, May 6.
Exit paper: due by Noon on Friday May 7.