For film folks, the premier scholar on African Cinema, Kenneth Harrow, has a dispatch from this years FESPACO in Burkina Faso. There’s short reviews of films that Harrow finds notable and some thoughts on where the festival is as viable and important as in the past. Check out “Has the Magic Gone Out of Africa’s Largest Film Festival”…[Read more]

Thank you to everyone who voted on resolution 2014-1. As you will have heard, the resolution got 60% of the votes in its favor but did not pass because it did not reach the minimum of 10% of the membership required (by a recent rule). This still counts as a major victory. I attach an op-ed by David Lloyd:
Academics Vote for Freedom of Movement…[Read more]

Prove participatory citizenship is still alive! Vote on the MLA resolution! Last 8 hours!

Please forgive me for being exceedingly tedious on the subject of the vote, which ends at midnight tonight. The bar of 10% of the membership that resolutions have to pass is a relatively new one, and arguably not a good one, given the general indifference (which those who proposed it probably were counting on). But it is still possible to prove…[Read more]

a bit more than 24 hours left to vote on the MLA resolution!

I apologize for possibly repeating myself. I’m writing to encourage people to vote on the Israel resolution (right of entry for Americans of Palestinian and Arab descent). I co-sponsored it, so obviously I believe it’s a good and fair and appropriate thing, but I think you will agree if you take a moment to look it over. Voting ends at midnight…[Read more]

Please forgive this graceless appeal. The Israel resolution (Right to Enter) that I co-sponsored with Dick Ohmann is now being voted on. I think it’s a moderate and necessary gesture of support for our Palestinian and Arab colleagues who, though US citizens, have been denied entry to the West Bank to teach, do research, lecture, or attend…[Read more]