Random Update

I just had this completely sudden moment of inspiration, and I totally know what I am going to write about for my religion class - specifically, rather than saying my paper is on "Asad, secularism, and violence." Hurray.
My goal is to write it tonight. This will doubtless not work in any real way, but it would be awesome.
Until later...

SNOW!

I should have taken pictures, but didn't. We had (according to WDSU) 6.4 inches. So, I hope all of you weird winter type people enjoy yourselves. I will just stay inside and try to survive the end of the semester.

I am thoroughly aggravated with students now (as if I wasn't before). One comes in today grade grubbing - and with a B nonetheless. Wondering why I didn't give the bonus points - uh, well they are optional and the Webster online dictionary is not a "well-integrated scholarly reference." Soooorrrry!

The other is failing and wants to know how he can pass the class. Um, but he hasn't read any of the articles due for discussion tomorrow, nor seen the film, nor looked at the online lecture notes, or ever came to my office, or .... well, hopefully my point is clear. Grrrr!

Well, enough ranting for now, must immerse myself in peer reviews, grading, paper writing, and article/book reading. (and hiding from the scary snow).

Readings of 2008

I was thinking today about what I have read so far this year - whether anthropology, religion, or fiction. So I came up with a list of a few of my favorites, and a second list of the worst books that I have read*. Oh, and since I can't possibly remember everything I have read in a year, this list is highly biased.

Best of 2008:
Lies of Locke Lamora and the sequel Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
-- Complex plots, sarcastic humor, awesome one liners - everything I like in a book.
Reindeer People - by Piers Vitebsky
-- Beautiful writing, and super holistically informative.
The Gift by somebody who I am not motivated to figure out right now
-- Read much like a folktale, also beautiful writing.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
-- A tad bit disturbing, but otherwise intriguing. Also super well-written, and left me guessing about the end, though other reviewers said they immediately "knew" who the culprit was. Maybe I'm just slow :)

Worst of 2008**:
First three books that are the epitomy of really bad stereo-typical fantasy writing that should never be published. The first two also happen to be the reason why I sometimes lose faith in sequels.
Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner.
--Oh god, unbelievably seriously awful. A miserable experience.
Iron Angel by Alan Campbell
-- A super huge disappointment b/c the first book is really good
The Crimson Sword by somebody (but who cares!)
-- 600 pgs of nonsense, not really sure how it got published.

The Devil's Labyrinth - by John Saul
-- racist, biased, stereotyping ridiculousness

And finally I might be vilified by this last one b/c I know that certain people (who shall remain unnamed) really love this book and this author, but I didn't at all.
Friction - by Anna Tsing



*Obviously I haven't posted anything about SF and probably won't, but everyone (I think) who reads this already knows about the conference, so I don't feel under too much pressure.
** Maybe I should add Talal Asad just for fun? ;)

Just Because

Forthcoming will be a couple of posts here about my touristy adventures in San Francisco. On the other blog I will post my reactions on the conference itself, and some of the papers I heard.

But first, because I am officially delirious, I have written a poem:

Attenuating Seasons And Days

Oh, shall I count the many ways

that the outstanding papers

over the course of several days

without flurries or frivolous capers

cited the man, Asad (power!)

quietly, with reverence, as if for vespers

while I leaned forward with a glower

(religion, history, and the secular)

listening to essays hour after hour?

Talal "no universal definition of religion" Asad

Talal "reads more than enough Foucault" Asad

Talal "at least he doesn't write in French" Asad!

Please don't leave a comment telling me how much I suck - yes, I know that I can't write poetry. But I had fun doing it, and besides I went to talk on anthropology and poetics - so there!!

November complaints

I am rather confused by how it is already November 15, and the AAAs are already next Wednesday. The last few weeks of school are always the worst. I have a proposal to write, which I should have been working on all semester, but, as usual, was not evening thinking about. I also have this crazy paper to write for my religion class. Of course, the professor loved my first paper (b/c it involved Asad), and after discussing various themes and potential topics in a meeting with him, it looks like I will once again be writing on Asad. I think the paper is going to be about religious and secular violence, something to do with power, and maybe nationalism. Actually its too much to think about right now.

But if anyone has suggestions for articles or books that I could use - feel free to tell me. I did find this potentially super useful anthology Violence in War and Peace edited by Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Philippe Bourgois. I glanced through it last night. Oh, and I guess I should really look at Discipline and Punish, but sometimes Foucault makes my head ache.