Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 00:52:22 +0000 From: James Heartfield <James-AT-heartfield.demon.co.uk> Subject: Re: M-TH: Burying the dead -- still a live issue in Kosova In message <l0302090cb12c864d07d6-AT-[130.244.113.41]>, Hugh Rodwell <m- 14970-AT-mailbox.swipnet.se> writes >The arrogance and brutality of the Serb chauvinist thugs -- already >revealed in complete clarity in Bosnia, with systematic mass rape, torture >and murder of Muslims and other opponents -- is repeating itself in Kosova. > >In the light of our discussions of Greek drama on the list we can link some >of the actions and implications thousands of years back to the conflict >between an arrogant state represented by Kleon and family rights >represented by Antigone. > >This area of Europe has a fanatical attachment to family honour, vendetta, >blood feuds and so on. In neighbouring Macedonia there are still festivals >in honour of the dead where the family gathers on the grave and eats in >ritual nourishment of the dead. Hugh departs from all semblance of historical materialism and delves into psych-history and worse racial history. The origins of the current balkan conflict are not to be found in either Antigone, or ancient blood lusts, but the relations of living human beings today. The involution of pan-slavic solidarity has its roots not in any intrinsic evil gene to be found amongst the Serbs, but the real conditions of the break up of Yugoslavia under the impact of market reforms and inter-imerpialist rivalries in the region. -- James Heartfield --- from list marxism-thaxis-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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