Dear people
Maybe a positive thing to do right now would be to produce a kind of
collective keywords decoder for use in classrooms etc. What I have in mind
is modelled on Raymond Williams keywords book - a document (on-line) that
allows us to analyse the press and the politicians in terms of the language
they are using. Think for instance of the word "crusade." We all have an
idea about where that word comes from and what it implies but some of us
(James!!) might know more than others and be able to contextualise it.
Similarly other words that are not so abstract (like "Pakistan") come to
mind. We are watching Pakistan transform before our eyes. Not so long ago
(1999) Pakistan was subject to economic sanctions from around the world
following a military coup. It was expelled from the Commonwealth Council
of Ministers and all US and UK aid was withdrawn. Now it is this
reasonable, rational, pro-western, "moderate" government etc etc. A
similar transformation happened with Saudi Arabia in the Gulf War.
Other entries in this non-exsitant document include:
Racism (and anti-racism)
Minimum wage
Skyscaper
Terrorist
War
Western
Fundamentalist
Security
Self-defence
Assassination
Democracy
Coalition
Calibrate
Proportionate
CIA
Iran
Collatoral Damage
Islam
Jihad
Civilisation
Immigrant (illegal)
allies
Etc.
Tim
Tim Cresswell
Senior Lecturer
Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Ceredigion SY23 3DB
United Kingdom
Tel: 44 (0)1970 622782
e-mail [log in to unmask]
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