A Vital Void: Reconstructions of Downtown Beirut

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hashim Sarkis
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Robinson Crusoe ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Greek Orthodox ◽  
International Scope ◽  
South Lebanon ◽  
History Of ◽  
Reconstruction Project ◽  
The City

A few lines before the end of The Tiller of Waters, the protagonist, Nicholas Mitri, wakes up after his death in a void. Once he orients himself, he realizes that this void is actually the center of Beirut that he has inhabited alone during the 1975–1990 civil war and that he has been desperately trying to narrate and preserve throughout the novel. Mitri, a Greek Orthodox man from the predominantly Muslim West Beirut, had been forced out of his house by Shiite Muslim refugees from South Lebanon who had, in turn, been displaced by an Israeli invasion. Homeless, he drifts to his father’s textile shop in downtown Beirut, the contested battle zone between Christian East and Muslim West Beirut. There, he lives alone like Robinson Crusoe in the wilderness of the city center and recounts his family’s story and the history of the different peoples and religious groups that inhabited his life and the prewar city. The house where he lived with his Greek Alexandrian parents and with the Kurdish maid he loved, the shop owned by a Sunni Muslim next to his father’s in the bazaar of downtown Beirut, and the parlor where his mother was trained by an Armenian piano teacher are all eventually wiped out—not by the war but by the reconstruction project. The void, at the end of the story, represents the futility of his efforts to preserve the places. The buildings and streets, it turns out, are more fragile than the memories that inhabit them. The civil war that entrapped Mitri was triggered in 1975 by disagreements between Lebanon’s Christians and Muslims over the presence and power of the Palestinian militias in Lebanon. The war would briefly stop in 1977, with the intervention of Arab forces led by Syria, only to be resumed again, this time with the participation of the Syrians on the side of the Palestinians and Muslims. When the Israelis invaded Lebanon in 1982 to support the Christians and expel the Palestinians, the war took on an international scope with a failed American and European military intervention.

Re-membering Syria’s Traumatic Past: Gender, Poetics, and Loss in Manhal al-Sarrāj’s As a River Should

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 202-227
Author(s):  
Linda Istanbulli
Keyword(s):  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Traumatic Memory ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Historical Interpretation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Traumatic History ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The City

Abstract In a system where the state maintains a monopoly over historical interpretation, aesthetic investigations of denied traumatic memory become a space where the past is confronted, articulated, and deemed usable both for understanding the present and imagining the future. This article focuses on Kamā yanbaghī li-nahr (As a river should) by Manhal al-Sarrāj, one of the first Syrian novels to openly break the silence on the “1982 Hama massacre.” Engaging the politics and poetics of trauma remembrance, al-Sarrāj places the traumatic history of the city of Hama within a longer tradition of loss and nostalgia, most notably the poetic genre of rithāʾ (elegy) and the subgenre of rithāʾ al-mudun (city elegy). In doing so, Kamā yanbaghī li-nahr functions as a literary counter-site to official histories of the events of 1982, where threatened memory can be preserved. By investigating the intricate relationship between armed conflict and gender, the novel mourns Hama’s loss while condemning the violence that engendered it. The novel also makes new historical interpretations possible by reproducing the intricate relationship between mourning, violence, and gender, dislocating the binary lines around which official narratives of armed conflicts are typically constructed.

scholarly journals Предательство человечности. Красный террор большевиков в Крыму во время гражданской войны 1918–1920 гг. в повести Ивана Шмелева „Солнце мертвых”

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 383-396
Author(s):  
Svetlana Kravchenko
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Historical Events ◽  
Extreme Situation ◽  
Human Survival ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Dead ◽  
The Rich

[Betrayal of humanity. The red terror of the Bolsheviks in Crimea during the civil war in 1918–1920 in the light of Ivan Szmielev’s novel “The Sun of the Dead”] The article analyzes the novel by the Russian writer Ivan Szmielev “The Sun of the Dead” (1923). It was written on the basis of historical events. I analyze the composition of the work, which is based on two symbols – the sun and death. The sun symbolizes the rich and beautiful Crimea, and deathis a symbol of the new power – the power of the Bolsheviks who destroyed this wonderful land of Crimea. The author of the article emphasizes the autobiographical nature of the story “The Sun of the Dead”. Its narration is based on a firstperson story by Ivan Szmielev. This is a feature of lyrical prose. Describing the tragic events of total red terror, hunger and the struggle for survival, Ivan Szmielevs howsthat death affects everyone – people, animals, birds, trees, plants. The author of the article also emphasizes the philosophical and humanistic aspect of the work, which shows the history of humanity and human survival in an extreme situation, when very few are lucky enough to resist and not become victims of brutal murders of the Bolsheviks or starvation. In the process of the story, the image of the desert appears – a metaphor with which the writer emphasizes the scale of the destructive activity of the Bolsheviks.

Managing Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka through Constitutional Arrangements

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Ilam Khan
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Ethnic Group ◽  
Ethnic Conflict ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Struggle ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Political Liberalization ◽  
History Of

Marginalization causes conflicts; they may be political, social, or economic. A careful contemplation over the history of Sri Lanka reveals that the sentiments of being marginalized have been present — in one (ethnic) group or the other — in the island right from its independence. When the majority ethnic group, i.e., the Sinhala, was in a position of power, it manipulated the constitution of the country to safeguard its own interests. This widened the rift among different ethnic and religious groups, especially between the Sinhala and the Tamil. This structural marginalization resulted in a civil war, starting in 1983, that lasted for 26 years. However, the ethnic conflict did not resolve even after the end of the civil war and continues to exist in the form of a political struggle between the Tamil and Sinhala. The Tamil demand for federation, autonomy, inclusion, and self-determination can only be achieved through constitutional means. Therefore, this research evaluates the post-Civil Warconstitutional development and amendment processes that were, at a point in time, more pluralistic and liberal, and contributing well to managing the ethnic conflict in the country. It was expected that the ethnic conflict would be permanently resolved through the constitutional arrangements, which Sri Lanka was already heading. However, the majority (Sinhala) reversed the progress through a new (20th) amendment to the constitution. Against this backdrop, this article argues that all segments of the society can be accommodated in the political sphere of the state through political liberalization which is possible only through constitutional arrangements.

The originality of the “estate topos” in the A.N. Tolstoy’s novel “Peter the First”

2020 ◽  
pp. 262-272
Author(s):  
Anna S. Akimova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Childhood Memories ◽  
Research History ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Peasant Household ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Poor Peasant ◽  
The City

Moscow is the city which united the characters of A.N. Tolstoy’s novel “Peter the First”. Kitay-Gorod is the space where the action of the first book is mainly set. In the novel Tolstoy showed in great detail the everyday life of the city and its inhabi- tants. According to the I.E. Zabelin’s research (“History of the city of Moscow”) in late 17 — early 18 th centuries Moscow was like a big village that is why Tolstoy relied on his childhood memories about the life in the small village Sosnovka (Samara Region) describing the streets of Moscow. The novel begins with the description of a poor peasant household of Brovkin near Moscow, then Volkov’s noble estate is depicted and Menshikov’s house. The space of the city is expanding with each new “address”. Moscow estates, and in particular, connected with the figure of “guardian, lover of the Princess-ruler” V.V. Golitsyn, in Tolstoy’s novel are inextricably linked with the character’s living and with the life of the country. The description of the palace built by Golitsyn at the peak of his career is based on the Sergei Solovyov’s “History of Russia in ancient times”. Golitsyn left it and went to his estate outside Moscow Medvedkovo and from there in exile.

Beirut e la guerra: Elias Khuri e Oriana Fallaci

2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 255-275
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Jaran
Keyword(s):  
Historical Event ◽  
Contemporary History ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Peaceful Coexistence ◽  
Entire Region ◽  
Lebanese Civil War ◽  
History Of ◽  
Assimilation Process ◽  
The City ◽  
Beautiful City

“Switzerland of the Middle East” and “the oriental Paris” are some of the names that the beautiful city of Beirut had earned before the disasters of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990). This historical event is considered the most important one in the contemporary history of Lebanon, not only because it marks the end of a difficult peaceful coexistence among the various ethnic and religious groups during the period between the Independence (1943) and the beginning of the conflict (1975), but also because it made radical geopolitical changes to the entire region. At the end of the “Swiss epoque”, the city of Beirut begins to undergo a series of transformations in terms of urban planning, landscape, etc. This paper aims to study the literary representation of Beirut during the conflict, taking as examples two authors, one Lebanese, Elias Khuri, who shows, in his novel The Journey of Little Gandhi, the irrationality of war and its effects on the city and on the inhabitants; the other one is the Italian writer, Oriana Fallaci, who describes in his novel Inshallah the experience of the Italian contingent in the peacekeeping mission in Beirut. Despite the considerable differences between the two authors, the papers shows the narratives’ affinity which highlight the transformation of Beirut, the image of its citizens and the problematic of the assimilation process between them and their city.

scholarly journals Desventuras do Pós-independência em Moçambique: nacionalismo, guerra civil e memória coletiva

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Andressa Da Silva Machado
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Collective Memory ◽  
War Literature ◽  
National Consciousness ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Historical Source ◽  
Civil War Literature ◽  
History Of ◽  
Literature History ◽  
Literary Narrative

O presente artigo apresenta as principais contradições do projeto político nacional da Frelimo, em sua tentativa de construção de uma consciência nacional no pós-independência em Moçambique. É possível  identificar alguns aspectos que interagiam e moldaram a memória coletiva do povo moçambicano com relação à guerra civil, como no romance Ventos do Apocalipse de Paulina Chiziane, onde a autora enuncia, de forma crítica ao governo socialista e unipartidarista em Moçambique, uma narrativa literária que pode ser analisada como fonte histórica.Palavras-chaves: Moçambique. Nacionalismo. Guerra civil. Literatura.Abstract This paper presents the main contradictions of Frelimo's national political project, in its attempt to build a national consciousness post-independence in Mozambique. It is possible to identify some aspects that interacted and shaped the collective memory of the Mozambican people in relation to the civil war, as in the novel Ventos do Apocalipse by Paulina Chiziane, where the author critically enunciates the socialist and unipartisan government in Mozambique, a literary narrative that can be analyzed as a historical source. Keywords: Mozambique; Nationalism; Civil war; Literature; History of Africa

scholarly journals A “STRANGENESS IN MY MIND” BY ORHAN PAMUK – HOW THE NOVEL IS MADE

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-147
Author(s):  
Tsvetan RAKYOVSKI
Keyword(s):  
Main Idea ◽  
Close Relation ◽  
Private Life ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Main Character ◽  
History Of ◽  
Orhan Pamuk ◽  
Postmodern Novel ◽  
Narrative Techniques ◽  
The City

e article explores the diversity of narrative techniques in Orhan Pamuk’s novel A Strangeness in My Mind. The main idea is that the drama of a private life is told against the background of the drama of the life of Istanbul. To do this, the novel parallels the biographical ‘I’ of the main character and the historical ‘He’ of the City. This comparison provokes the idea of the novel’s close relation to the history of Istanbul and Turkey over the last fifty years. Orhan Pamuk does not spare the reader any of the specific, purely "Turkish problems" with the Kurds and Greeks, as well as the radical and conservative moods and public discontent from the 1950s to the 1980s. The narrative line is developed slowly and minutely,owing to the author's intention to authenticate real events through the perspective of fictional characters and vice versa - to romanticize cultural and purely civilizational processes in the last half century of the development of this part of the border between Europe and Asia. This is the only way to explain the presence of the problem of women's emancipation and the lack of that misunderstood "patriotism" which often prevents the depiction of purely national processes in life. This refutes the widespread opinion that A Strangeness in My Mind is a postmodern novel.

scholarly journals КАТЕRYNOSLAV OR ELYSAVETGRAD REBELLION 1918? GEOGRAPHIC MISHAP VOLODYMYR ANTONOV-OVSEENKO BOOK “NOTES ABOUT CIVILL WAR”

2021 ◽  
pp. 34-38
Author(s):  
Mytrofanenko Yu.
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Class Struggle ◽  
Soviet Power ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Long Time ◽  
History Of ◽  
Red Guard ◽  
The City

The purpose of the work. The article aims to study the problems of Ukrainian Revolution in 1917–1921 on a territory of Kirovograd or Dnipropetrovsk region. The type of article is empirical. An unrenowned episode from the history of Ukrainian Revolution in 1917–1921 is analyzed in the article, in particular, the participation of the citizens of Katerunoslavska province in Kamianske town in the events of “National rebellion” in 1918 in Elysavetgrad against Bolsheviks and anarchists. Results and scientific novelty of the study. The author attracted attention to the geographical mistake in the memoirs of V. Antonov-Ovseenko “Notes About Civil War”. The scientific novelty, that author explaine, that he confused the names of the cities: Katerynoslav and Elysavetgrad. The reasons and consequences of the participation of workers of Dniprovskyi plant in Kamianske city in the events of Elysavetgrad national rebellion are determined in the article on the basis of sources. For a long time Bolsheviks concealed, shifted responsibility to their political opponents and then erased from the pages of censored memoirs of participants of revolutionary events the episode of battles between Kamianske and Elysavetgrad workers because it did not fit into the concept of “class struggle” in the history of revolution in Ukraine. The main result of Kamianske workers deception was the numerous victims on both sides. Only the leaflet spread by Elysavetgrad headquarters of the city protection among Kamianske citizens and the end of battles near Elysavetgrad stopped the following bloodshed. Nevertheless, in their memoirs Bolsheviks from Kamianske continued to accentuate that those were they who had established the Soviet power in Elysavetgrad, continued to be proud of the participation in the attempt of helping Bolsheviks to invade Elysavetgrad. The author originality is refutes these statements on the basis of resources. The material of the article may have practical application in scientific studios on the history of Ukrainian Revolution in 1917–1921 on a territory of Kirovograd or Dnipropetrovsk regionKey words: revolution, rebellion, bolshevics, anarchists, Red guard, mishap, Katerynoslav, Elysavetgrad, Kamianske. Мета роботи. Стаття присвячена аналізу маловідомого епізоду революційного періоду 1917–1921 рр. на теренах сучасних Кіровоградської та Дніпропетровської областей. Проаналізовано документи Єлисаветградської міської думи, мемуари учасників подій: Володимира Антонова-Овсієнка та червоногвардійців Дніпровського металургійного заводу м. Кам’янське. В статті на основі джерел розглянуто цей епізод Української революції 1917–1921 рр., визначено причини та наслідки участі робітників Дніпровського заводу м. Кам’янське в подіях Єлисаветградського народного повстання.Результати та наукова новизна дослідження. З’ясовані обставини участі робітників Кам’янського заводу у придушенні «Народного повстання» в Єлисаветграді. Вони були в складі червоногвардійських частин, яких кинули на підтримку більшо-викам та анархістам, що протягом кількох днів безуспішно намагалися оволодіти Єлисаветградом. Доведено, що Володимир Антонов-Овсієнко автор спогадів «Записки про громадянську війну» припустився помилки, що стало причиною географічного казусу. Він сплутав назви міст: Катеринослав та Єлисаветград. Також встановлено, що червоногвардійці Кам’янського стали жертвами більшовицької провокації, які використали їхню необізнаність у ситуації, яка склалася в Єлисаветграді та відправили на фронт. З’ясовано долю кам’янчан, які брали участь в боях під Єлисаветградом.Емпірична стаття написана на різноманітних першоджерелах. Здійснено верифікацію спогадів кам’янських більшовиків, які неправдиво описали результат бою та рушійні сили Єлисаветградського народного повстання. Матеріал статті має прак-тичне застосування. Зокрема, копії документів, використані автором, поповнили експозиції Кам’янського краєзнавчого музею, а факти та узагальнення використовуються під час екскурсії. Під час написання статті було використано метод історичної критики джерел та текстологічного аналізу, застосовано регіональний метод Ключові слова: «народне повстання», більшовики, червоногвардійці, анархісти, «революція, Єлисаветград, Катеринослав, Кам’янське.

War at Our Own Doors

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-41
Author(s):  
A. Wilson Greene
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Economic Background ◽  
History Of ◽  
The City

This chapter provides the geographic, operational, social, and economic background to the Petersburg Campaign. It introduces the commanders of the four armies involved in the campaign and outlines the conduct of the brutal fighting in May and early June that brought the Civil War to the outskirts of Richmond, the Confederate capital. The chapter also provides a brief history of the City of Petersburg, seventh largest metropolis in the Confederacy, and explains why it was such an important military target.

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