Politics

Reading Palestine through South American literary and political history, Yumna Kassab reflects on the potency of symbols during times of repression.

In her review of two recent books on Palestine, Micaela Sahhar draws on her family history and experience as a scholar to examine the case for academic boycott and the limitations of the Western liberal mindset for Palestinian allyship.

Hamlet’s dictum ‘I must be cruel, only to be kind’ has taken on new life in the minds of Australia’s border policymakers. Reading Jordana Silverstein’s history of child refugee policy, Ellena Savage uncovers an argument for children’s liberation as well as a critique of the turn towards ‘care’.

The act of reading does not guarantee prompt action, or any action, or the right action. It does not guarantee a particular outcome – or even the first step towards one. It does not turn readers into good people, any more than writing a book means you must be an ethical person.

If Australia were invaded, should it be defended? This is the question at the heart of a short essay by Guy Rundle published…

Democracy, John Keane tells us, is the friend of contingency.

Ultimately, it is of little consequence whether or not Morrison is genuine in his religious beliefs. He probably is.

This difference between Sparrow and many other progressive commentators has been demonstrated recently in his nuanced coverage of pandemic politics, of the left assent to hyperinflated surveillance and policing power, and the class-element that comes embedded in Covid-19 policy responses. He clearly retains a strong belief that minds can be changed through engagement, empathy, well-reasoned argumentation, and, most importantly, material support for people’s wellbeing.

How Australia and much of the West discusses and reports on Israel/Palestine, compared to other conflicts, goes to the heart of Western chauvinism.

I suspect that most decisions about whether to break a luxury shop window, tip over a police car, or sabotage an oil refinery are not made in books, but in the gut.