Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 12:42:30 -0800
From: E Colla <Elliott_Colla-AT-Brown.edu>
Subject: Re: Another intellectual prosecuted


Jeremiah,

To add to Marwan's account on Gene, there are other sources that one 
can use to explore the experience of the fedayeen in Jordan.  Most 
notably, Godard's film "Ici et ailleurs" is based on the same 
history:  in the Spring of 1970, Godard's production group was 
commissioned by Fateh to make a propaganda film about the Palestinian 
revolution -- but before he could produce the film, the events of 
Black September, in which the fedayeen were all but wiped out by 
Jordanian forces.  This meant that Godard had a film on hand about a 
revolution that had, for the moment at least, been killed off.  He 
used the situation to make a very smart film on the problematic 
relations between filmic image and object -- and more interestingly 
to people on this list, the film critiques vanguardist politics by 
interrogating the role of (political and aesthetic) representation in 
revolutionary projects.  Godard also uses the film to ask about why 
European intellectuals have invested so much hope in the possibility 
of revolution in distant places ("ailleurs" or the "Third World") 
when they could be making revolution at home.  Good questions that we 
all think about.  I use Godard's text with along with Genet's as much 
as I can in my courses.

Also, you could flip through old issues of "Review of Palestine 
Studies" and find lots of stuff from Genet in there. For us students 
of empire and colonialism this amazing journal -- which comes out in 
its various Arabic, English and French instantiations -- should be of 
special interest:  over the years it has systematically documented 
the various mechanisms by which Palestinians have been dispossessed 
of land, culture and sovereignty by a myriad of colonial interests -- 
Israeli, of course, but with the active participation of British, 
French and US imperialisms.  And to think it goes on!

Cheers,

Elliott Colla


>Marwan,
>
>thanks for the mail, I have been searching for just such
>figures, I will look into Bishara. somehow I am having the feeling that
>allot of our intellectuals are sell outs. I wont name names
>because its not really all that important. Here in Germany, Peter Handke
> most as the screen play writer for Wings of
>Desire, is one of
>last intellectuals to uphold a strong anti-nato stance. He travels to
>yugoslavia and writes about the war there. but getting back to the
>Palestinian question? I just say a play by Jean Genet  die Zfen or the
>servants, and read somewhere in the bio information that he also fought
>with the Pastestinians or at least some how ended up in jail. do you know
>more about it.
>
>jeremiah luna
>
>On Mon, 3 Jul 2000, Marwan Dalal wrote:
>
> > Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2000 00:36:25 -0700 (PDT)
> > From: Marwan Dalal <dmarwan-AT-yahoo.com>
> > Reply-To: postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
> > To: postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
> > Subject: Another intellectual prosecuted
> >
> > Dear list,
> > Heroes exist, thank god, only in Hollywood movies.
> >
> > When speaking of prosecuted intellectuals, the first
> > one that I choose to bring to my mind is the Syrian
> > thinker Sadek Jalal al-Azem. Al-Azem was tried for his
> > Nakd el-Akl el-Dini (Critique of the Religious Mind)
> > in the late 60's. El-Azem, who was educated in
> > philosophy (he's a Kantian-Marxist)in America refused
> > offers to teach there, and chose to teach, join a
> > leftist Palestinian resistance movement, and critique
> > this movement, all from a devastatingly third world.
> > Had the Arab world been a first one, El-Azem would
> > have been its Sartre, Jan Gene, or Chomsky (make your
> > choice).
> >
> > One can think, of course, of other engaged and
> > prosecuted intellectuals. Ikbal Ahmad who was
> > prosecuted in early 70's under the charge of
> > conspiring to assassinate Henry Kissenger when Vietnam
> > was being bombarded by the world only super power
> > (yes, also then), and of W.E.B Du Bois who was another
> > target for the Mackarthiest committees of the 1950's
> > American congress.
> >
> > The latest engaged intellectual that is being
> > prosecuted (and that I know of as well as know him
> > personally) is Azmi Bishara (www.balad.org). Bishara
> > was educated in philosophy in Germany, lectured in
> > philosophy and cultural studies at Bir Zeit
> > University, and was one of the founders of and now
> > represents Al-Tajamo Al-Watani Al-Dimokrati party
> > (National Democratic Assembly). Last week the Israeli
> > Attorney General has ordered the Israeli police to
> > investigate with Dr. Bishara for supporting a
> > "terrorist" organization (Hizb al-Lah). This order
> > came after a speech made by Bishara in a rally in
> > which he analyzed the reasons for the victory of the
> > resistance movement in South Lebanon.
> >
> >
> > All the Best,
> >
> > Marwan
> >
> > p.s.: this e-mail has a clear political motivation.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ====> >
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites.
> > http://invites.yahoo.com/
> >
> >
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> >
>
>
>
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elliott Colla
Department of Comparative Literature
Brown University
Providence, RI 02906
(401) 863-2038



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