In a recent post ("Mideast: Resource Round-Up") the Lynx strongly recommended Ann Applebaum’s article suggesting that the current wave of upheavals in the Arab world is more like the revolutions in Europe in 1848 than any other era of unrest. For teachers this is potentially a "double-duty" article because there is also a link between Wisconsin in 2010 and Europe in 1848.
This connection is not simply comparative or inferential. It is real and indisputable because the historical chain begins with real people, mostly Germans, who participated the 1848 revolutions and then emigrated to America. Those who settled in Wisconsin, and in Milwaukee in particular, brought their ideas and ideals with them–their brains weren’t empty suitcases!
In Germans in Wisconsin, Richard Zeitlin explains that German immigration to Wisconsin occurred in three waves. The first wave included some farmers and artisans, but it was the Forty-Eighters who passed on a special legacy–for among them were a large number of "intellectuals, radicals, religious dissidents, advocates of Free Thought, and reformers of all kinds" (1) These free-thinkers dominated Milwaukee’s cultural and intellectual life for more than a generation, turning the city into the "German Athens" of America (2). The result was an intellectual infusion that is still detectable today. Fortunately, if you want to read more about this topic, Hani Holzman’s thesis, "The German Forty-Eighters and the Socialists in Milwaukee: A Social Psychological Study of Assimilation" is available online (3).
For the general context in which the ideas of European revolutionaries took root in Wisconsin--where they contributed one way or another to the Republican Party, the Progressive movement, and Milwaukee’s "Sewer Socialism" see the Turning Points page of the Wisconsin Historical Society web site. These are short articles, handy as references or for reading in class, but each has an ample collection of printable primary sources. While not focusing on the Forty-Eighters, they sum up Wisconsin’s labor history and progressive political tradition:
For links to episodes in Wisconsin labor history and other protests see articles posted on the "Odd Wisconsin Archives" (http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/odd/
Carl Schurz
On the national stage the most famous Forty-Eighter was Carl Schurz, whose Wisconsin connection is well-known to teachers and students in Wisconsin. In 1848 he was just 19 years old, a student in Bonn, when he joined a German revolutionary movement. In his Reminiscences Carl recalled the exhilaration that overtook him when he learned, in February 1848, that the French had toppled Louis Philippe (4). An excerpt is part of Internet Modern History Source Book. This primary source fits the life history approach as it illustrates so well how a young man became caught up in events.
In 1848 German was a collection of principalities and states. Carl’s group of revolutionaries had as their primary goal a unified nation-state. Their actions resulted in the detention of Carl’s teacher and mentor, Gottfried Kinkel. Though Carl and his friends managed to rescue Kinkel, the movement’s defeat forced them into exile. Among Carl’s fellow revolutionaries was Fritz Anneke, who would emigrate to Wisconsin with his wife Mathilde and settle in Milwaukee. Mathilde Anneke is revered in Wisconsin as one of the state’s foremost feminists (5).
Carl Schurz,accompanied by his wife, arrived in New York City in 1852. By 1855 they had moved to Wisconsin, where they lived in Watertown. Finding a political home in the newly formed Republican party, Schurz went on to campaign for Lincoln in several states and briefly served the Lincoln administration as envoy to Spain. During the Civil War, as Brigadier General Schurz, he was charged with leading a cohort of the Army of the Potomoc’s German-speaking troops (6). After the war he turned to journalism. A decision to become part owner of a German-language newspaper in St. Louis brought him to Missouri. In 1869 he was elected U.S. Senator from that state. Later he served in the administation of President Rutherford B. Hayes.
During the years that Carl and Margarethe lived in Watertown, she opened the first kindergarten in America (7). In school, of course, we heard much more about Margarethe’s kindergarten than we ever learned about Carl’s reformist and liberal (in the 19th century sense) ideas. (DISCLOSURE: I attended Watertown High School, where social studies teachers in the 1960s were very circumspect about their political views.)
So let me insert here a plea for teaching more Wisconsin history in the state’s US history classrooms. We now have a fine new textbook for teaching state history in fourth grade but that’s insufficient. Students need exposure to state history as part of national and world history; they need to re-study it when they are old enough to handle topics too abstract or complicated for fourth graders. I’m sure a few teachers are doing this already, but whenever I’ve voiced this concern most people agree--more needs to be done.
Resources for Carl Schurz
Mesaros, Glenn. "Carl Schurz, German American." This biographical sketch is fairly detailed. It is followed by a noteworthy set of links to local newspapers and excerpts from the New York Times (1861) and Watertown Daily Times (2001). http://www.watertownhistory.org/Articles/CarlSchurz.htm
Brief biographies of Carl and Margarethe Schurz are part of the "Dictionary of Wisconsin History" and from "Carl Schurz you can access a description of the Carl Schurz papers. Click on "Browse People" at http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=browse&term_type_id=1&term_type_text=People
Read more about Carl Schurz in Wisconsin Magazine of History articles available on the Wisconsin Historical Society site. Perhaps the best item is the translation of a diary Schurz kept as a young revolutionary (a great primary source for European and world history).
To print these, find the left column where it is says "view: document description" and change this to "view: complete print version" and click on GO (this brings up a PDF file).
1) Schurz, Carl. "The Surrender of Ratstatt." Wisconsin Magazine of History 12 (March 1920): 239-70. http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/wmh&CISOPTR=6585&CISOSHOW=6475&REC=4
- ARTICLE ABSTRACT (WHS): This diary was kept by Carl Schurz (1829-1906) during the climactic events of the German Revolution of 1848-49. Across the German states in 1848, large numbers of citizens demanded freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and an elected parliament. Leaders and participants in the democratic movement, if caught, were executed or sentenced to long prison terms; many fled to the U.S., where they were known as "Forty-eighters." A short-lived democracy centered in Frankfort was easily overthrown by the armies of Austria and Prussia. When soldiers in Baden mutinied rather than suppress the movement, they were quickly crushed by the Prussian army in May of 1849 at Rastatt. Schurz was on the barricades at Rastatt, where he kept this personal account. It was unearthed in Germany in 1928 by Wisconsin Historical Society director Joseph Schafer and first translated here.
2) Fish, Carl Russell. "Carl Schurz–The American." Wisconsin Magaine of History 12 (June 1929): 345-58.
http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/wmh&CISOPTR=6720&CISOSHOW=6590&REC=8
3) Schafer, Joseph. "Carl Schurz, Immigrant Statesman." Wisconsin Magazine of History 11 (June 1928): 373-94. http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/wmh&CISOPTR=6331&CISOSHOW=6203&REC=9
Trefousse, Hans Louis. Carl Schurz, a Biography. 2nd edition. Fordham University Press, 1998 (1st edition 1982). Also at Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Xh88sn29RVwC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=carl+schurz&ots=y9zuezPpZw&sig=A1C89MEkiByA_mRg9xK7adEcHiw#v=onepage&q&f=false
"Carl Schurz." Wikipedia. See for much detailed information and citations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Schurz
For access to additional online material consult "Google: Timeline Results for CarlSchurz." http://www.google.com/#q=carl+schurz&hl=en&prmd=ivnsbo&tbs=tl:1&tbo=u&ei=buBnTYOdF8H38Ab5z_GsCw&sa=X&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=17&ved=0CHcQ5wIwEA&bav=on.1,or.&fp=42ea6e12edc6080
Notes
1) Richard H. Zeitlin, Germans in Wisconsin. Revised and Expanded Edition (Madison: The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 2000), pp. 6-7. Later waves were dominated by farmers and laborers displaced by industrialization.
2) For Germans in Milwaukee, see John Gurda, The Making of Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI: Milwaukee Historical Society, 1999), especially Chapter 3 (for the Forty-Eighters, pp. 62-63, 96). For Milwaukee’s labor history (to which Poles and other immigrants made significant contribution), see Chapter 5. For Milwaukee socialism, see Chapter 6.
3) Hani M. Holtzman, M.A. Thesis, Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1948. URL: http://minds.wiconsin.edu/handle/1793/7106?show=full
4) Schurz, Carl. Reminiscences. New York: Doubleday, 1908. The excerpt is from Vol. I, pp. 112-14, 116-17. URL: http://www.fordahma.edu/halsall/mod/1848schurz.html
5) "Carl Schurz" in Wikpedia. For brief biographies of Fritz and Mathilde Anneke, use the "Dictionary of Wisconsin History" (click on "Browse People"). http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=browse&term_type_id=1&term_type_text=People. See also Gurda (note 2).
6) Glenn Mesaros. He the fascinating detail that the officers of General Fremont’s corps, to which these troops were attached, wore Hungarian Forty-Eighters. To expand the Forty-Eighters in America theme, you might begin with Wikipedia’s "Forty-Eighters" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty-Eighters)
7) Whether this was actually the nation's first kindergarten is sometimes disputed. The people of Watertown and nearby localities, however, proudly make this claim.
World History Resources
1) My top recommendation in this round-up is Anne Applebaum’s comparative essay, "In the Arab World, It's 1848 - not 1989." She begins with a quotation from an unidentified work about the tumultuous 1848 revolutions across Europe, a passage that applies not just to other years of tumult (1968, 1989) but to any of the revolutions commonly examined in a world history course. Here it is:
- "Each revolution must be assessed in its own context, each had a distinctive impact. The revolutions spread from one point to another. They interacted to a limited extent . . . The drama of each revolution unfolded separately. Each had its own heroes, its own crises. Each therefore demands its own narrative."
To find the source I typed the entire text into Google and discovered that it is from Peter N. Stearns, 1848: The Revolutionary Tide in Europe. The link was in the Salon re-posting of Applebaum’s piece. Stearns is now one of the leading scholars in the world history field.
I think instructors of WH need to take what Stearns is saying here very seriously. If each uprising or revolution "demands its own narrative," is it wise to ask high school students--who have little knowledge of these narratives--to write an essay comparing them? While it’s OK (often stimulating) to think comparatively, keep the discussion open-ended and dispense with the required thesis statement!
REFERENCES
2) Berkshire Publishing is offering FREE background articles–but only for a few more days. To create your own "bundle," go to the URL and print from its HTML pages. This page includes a few discussion questions. An illustrated PDF of the same articles costs $15.99.
Contents of the Berkshire bundle:
- "Egypt" from the Encyclopedia of World History: an overview of Egypt in world history–from ancient times to the late 20th century
- "Civil Disobedience" from the Encyclopedia of World History: coverage ends about 2000; no discussion of Gene Sharp’s influence
- "Egypt" and "Middle East Peace Process" from Global perspectives on the USA
- "Political Science and Human-Computer Interaction" from the Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction; how computers build "associational communities" and thus provide a tool for mobilization
New York Times Coverage
1) In Times Topics the tag is "Middle East Protests (2010-2011)."
2) REMINDER: go to The Lede for "Updates on Middle East Protests." This is a convenient place to access video from several different sources (BBC, Al Jazeera, YouTube) and Twitter messages with breaking news. These go back to February 14-19, then resume with February 22. (To find The Lede go to the NYT home page, click on blogs.)
On the Twitter side of The Lede you can find news about the volatile situation in Libya--almost instantaneously posted.
- For example, yesterday (Feb 21) at 4:48 PM CST, Sultan Al Qassemi’s Tweet reported that Libyan Military Officers had issued a statement asking all members of the Libyan army to join the protesters. Apparently, this was only a faction of the officer corps–but it prompted me to go directly to Al Jazeera English to check out its Live feed.
- When I checked today (2:04 CST), Sultan al Qassemi had just sent Tweets saying that Libya’s Interior Minister was joining the anti-Gaddafi protesters and that he was urging th army to join them too.
3) For a quick overview of the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt see "Spreading Revolution," an Interactive feature that combines audio by NYT reporter David Kirkpatrick with photos and video clips (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/world/middleeast/2011-spreading-revolutions.html?ref=middleeast#intro).
This is especially useful if students know little about the events that have inspired protests across the Arab world. It mentions Khaled Said, whose brutal death inspired Wael Ghoneim’s Facebook page (where the instigating call for the January 25th protest in Egypt appeared).
4) The revolution has changed how Egyptians see themselves and perhaps that will be its most lasting impact. Mona El-Naggar shares the views of several Egyptians in her Week in Review article, yet she is does not evade the uncertainty of a process that is only beginning.
REFERENCE: El-Naggar, "The Legacy of 18 Days in Tahrir Square." NYT (2-20-11). URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/weekinreview/20tahrir.html?scp=1&sq=legacy%20of%20egypt&st=cse
5) For background on North African and Middle East countries where protests are taking place (Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudia Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, Iran) see "Challenges Facing Countries Across North Africa and the Middle East." Print copies to use as hand-outs with breaking news videos or articles about any of these countries.
URL: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/17/world/middleeast/0217-mideast-region-graphic.html?ref=middleeast
6) The NYT video section includes an excerpt from a Blogging Heads dialogue between Matt Duss and Eli Lake ("Egypt’s Revolutionaries").
Go instead to the complete video at Blogging Heads because there you can sample any of the six segments and select what might be best for your class. The dialogue is "wonky" and would probably bore younger students (even most high school students) but it does model how discussion from different points of view can proceed in a civil manner. The second segment, "Eli sees two ideological prophets" mentions a book by Natan Sharansky and Ron Duermer, and then takes up the influence of Gene Sharp. Eli Lake knows quite a bit about Sharp as he has reported on Sharp’s followers in Serbia.
URL (excerpt): http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/02/16/opinion/1248069643954/bloggingheads-egypt-s-revolutionaries.html.
URL (complete dialogue): http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/34259?in=17:25
Bahrain
1) Nicholas Kristof has been reporting from Bahrain. For his columns and related videos just put "Kristof" in the NYT search box. These are moving accounts, with graphic footage. Just reading "In Bahrain, The Bullets Fly," where he describes the chaos and injuries in a Manama hospital, leaves little doubt that we all ought to be outraged. Also recommended is the video "Violence in Bahrain," narrated by Kristof http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/opinion/18kristof.html).
2) US relations with Bahrain, critical because the Navy’s Fifth Fleet’s base is situated there to protect shipping in the Persian Gulf, will be tense if the country’s Shiites win concessions. Ironically, it seems that the US military, wearing blinders for years about the degree to which Bahraini Shiites faced discrimination, is partly responsible for putting the US in a corner. This is reported in Michael Slackman’s article but send students to explore the briefs and documents at the website of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (URL: http://www.bahrainrights.org/en).
Slackman, Michael. "Dim View of U.S. Posture Toward BahrainiShiites Is Described." New York Times (2-22-11). URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/world/middleeast/22bahrain.html
Libya
Both The Lede and Al Jazeera English are excellent for breaking news. Yesterday I viewed AJE Live: the images were horrific but the sources and commentators had much to offer. The interview with the Libyan Ambassador Ali Ojli showed a man of great integrity, no longer willing to serve a dictator. David Owen (former British Foreign Minister) called for a UN resolution to create a no-fly zone to prevent Libyan planes from attacking civilian protesters, a possibility also discussed on BBC News (the half-hour program on some PBS stations). AJE’s coverage emphasized how Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is calling the shots (figuratively AND literally).
Libya’s Deputy Ambassador at the UN, Ibrahim Dabbashi has resigned and called for action to stop the bloodshed. Show the video, "Ibrahim Dabbashi’s Press Conference" as a visual primary source, together with a breaking news article. Access the video from "Qaddafi’s Grip Falters as His Forces Take On Protesters" (URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/world/africa/22libya.html?ref=middleeast).
There is plenty of material on the web about Muammar al-Gaddafi. For a close encounter from the past see Charlie Rose’s 2001 interview with the idiosyncratic dictator on the CBS origram "60 Minutes II." A link is posted on the Washington Post web site (URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2011/02/21/VI2011022104674.html).
(This post is unavoidably personal as the Lynx grew up in and now lives in Wisconsin. I believe it is better to signal a POV than to pretend, out of a misplaced perception of objectivity, not to have one.)
When I was a kid and needed braces on my teeth, my mother took me to an orthodonist in Madison, whose office was on the Square. Madison’s grid of streets form a square around the Capitol, a building with four entrances (1). Whereas Tahrir Square is a vast empty space, the Square in Madison is an epicenter around an iconic building that, when protesters occupied it, expressed their sense of civic investment: this is our Capitol and we own it. From the Square it’s only a few blocks up State Street to the University of Wisconsin campus. Like Cairo, Madison is a city with students and faculty quite willing to act on their idealism. For me it was trips to Madison, and especially exposure to UW’s cosmopolitan atmosphere, that convinced me I had to go to college there.
It is truly amazing to see so many Wisconsinites filling the Square and all levels of the Capitol’s rotunda. Wisconsin rarely makes an appearance on the national stage (an exception being the 2008 presidential election, when Wisconsin was a battleground state). Now, thanks to the national media’s attention to events in Madison, Wisconsin’s "days of rage" have put it on the the global stage.
What’s at stake is the future of public employee unions in Wisconsin and across the nation (2). What began as a protest against Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill has turned into a struggle to preserve union rights in a state with a long history of union organizing, where the nation’s first public employee union was formed more than 50 years ago (3). Yes, Walker’s agenda really is a union-busting agenda–despite his insisting, over and over again, that it’s all about the budget deficit (4).
Please don’t misconstrue my title. Let me make it clear that I’m NOT proposing that we view protests in Madison and around the state as if they were strictly analogous to those in Egypt. What I want to emphasize is the information age connectivity that we can observe flowing between them. In today’s world, what goes around in the 24/7 media circus just keeps swirling–making it possible for protesters in Madison to compare the behavior of the Gov. Scott Walker and with that of Mubarak. This is not all that surprising since many protesters in Wisconsin are teachers, who were probably already plugged into current events in the Arab world.
Earlier this week, while watching local news on Milwaukee TV station, I saw a young protester carrying this sign: "WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN." Obviously, he had connected emotionally with the new-found pride and empowerment of his Egyptian peers. And, people in Egypt know about what’s happening here. Yesterday in Tahrir Square a young Egyptian held up a sign of solidarity: "Egypt Supports Wisconsin!"(5). That's what inspired me to write this post.
By the way, I don’t condone truly outrageous rhetoric because, as Ann Althouse has suggested, it hurts the cause. She makes her point by embedding a Wisconsin GOP video that highlights the hypocrisy of liberals who espouse civility but then act out their incivility (as some clearly are doing in Wisconsin (6). Most Wisconsinites, whatever their politics, are polite and conservative in their personal decorum. So the tone of the rhetoric is signifying how angry people are about Gov. Scott Walker’s positions (refusing to compromise on the benefits issue, overreaching on the union rights issue).
What’s my position on public workers unions, more specifically on teachers’ unions? To be honest, I’m somewhat critical of unions that could do more to uphold professional standards and do less to protect ineffective teachers. Still, teachers and public workers need unions to protect their interests. And unions do serve the interests of students when their efforts improve working conditions in the classroom. I belonged to a faculty union when teaching at a university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Thanks to APSCUF (the PSSHE union) I had excellent health benefits and a reasonably good salary. In those days (I don’t know current details) APSCUF helped to maintain the quality of education by negotiating contract that kept the numbers of adjuncts low. This union was affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, whose current president Randi Weingarten, has addressed the need for more rigorous teacher evaluations and other reforms (7).
Finally, I am concerned about political patronage. Let me explain. I grew up in Jefferson County and attended Watertown High School. The city of Watertown, though mostly in Jefferson County, is partly in Dodge County, the home turf of the Fitzgerald clan. On Saturday I discovered that NYT columnist Gail Collins (nearly always a hoot to read, even if you don’t agree with her) had heard of the infamous Fitzgeralds (8). The Senate Majority Leader is Scott Fitzgerald and the Assembly Majority Leader is his brother Jeff Fitzgerald. Oh, there’s one more, their father, appointed by Gov. Walker to head the state patrol. The stench of nepotism now polluting (figuratively) the Horicon Marsh is not unlike that of the Mubarak regime. Perhaps some of Gov. Walker’s supporters now see the folly of this appointment.
Teaching About the Wisconsin Protests (For detailed references and URLs see lists of resources.)
What’s happening in Wisconsin raises a lot of national issues, concerning public policy, labor unions and politics, local/state/federal government budget deficits, and growing income inequality (9). So this is a current events topic with relevance across many subject areas. Language arts and social studies teachers can use it as a stepping-stone to greater global awareness. A lesson on protests at home would help students understand that Americans get frustrated, too, but have rights to free speech and assembly that elsewhere people do not have or are struggling to secure. In addition, it would undermine the notion that tumultuous protests only happen in other countries.
Teachers in Wisconsin should find it fairly easy to bring these themes into a civics or history lesson. For a whole roster of suggestions, turn to Eugene Kane’s column in today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
For a student/teacher event at a local high school see WISN TV’s Slideshow, "School Walkouts, Protests."
To give students an overview of events and issues, show the WISN program "UP FRONT with Mike Gousha" (online as three segments). Gusha interviews a Democrat Senator, then a Republican Assemblyman; a colleague interviews a Marquette University law professor.
For a print-media overviews aimed at a national audience see the New York Times ("Wisconsin Leads Way as Workers Fight State Cuts") or the Washington Post ("Obama Joins Wisconsin Budget Battle"). NYT reporter Steven Greenhouse considers the national and long-term implications of the Wisconsin confrontation in a "news analysis" article ("A Watershed Moment for Public-Sector Unions").
Charles Benson’s interviews with Gov. Walker and President Obama on TMJ4 TV offer different takes on the controversy. These could be used in middle school as well as high school classes.
For advanced students, if you are interested in POV analysis, "Cairo in the Midwest?" by Tobin Harshaw is an excellent resource. (Honestly, I created my title before I saw his.) Harshaw, a native of Wisconsin, provides a sampling of analysis and opinion. Each excerpt is linked to the original and students should be encouraged to check out at least some of thesepiece and, in many instances, find additional material. For example, John Nichols, a Wisconsinite writing for The Nation and from a pro-union/progressive point of view, presents a running account in "ON WISCONSIN: Live Reports From Ground Zero for Labor Rights" that is worth reading in its entirety.
OBSERVE: Simply tell students to look for signs mentioning Egypt or Mubarak in visual media (TV news, video, photos in print or online). Then ask them to share examples in class. ASK: Do these tell us anything about how Wisconsin protesters are processing their reactions to Gov. Walker’s proposals?
COMPARE/COMPOSE: Some commentators have suggested that the Wisconsin protests, with their focus on the rights of organized labor, have more in common with labor protests in Europe over wage/retirement concessions that governments are trying to enact. Encourage students to find out more about protests in Greece, Spain, or France in 2009. Then students prepare content to present--in an oral report, PowerPoint, or essay–to support or refute the idea that workers in Europe have concerns similar to public employees in the US.
CRITICAL THINKING: In a journalism or media studies class, examine the the spinning of facts and the accuracy statements by both politicians and media pundits. Send students to Politifact Wisconsin, where there are several items related to the Madison protests.
EXPAND: Read and discuss "First Amendment Remedies: How Working Wisconsinites Took Their Constitution Back" (from the Cap times). Then ask students to search online for a broader range of opinion on the constitutional issues.
WISCONSIN MEDIA RESOURCES
For breaking news and local/state opinion and editorials see coverage on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel or Wisconsin State Journal sites. Also check out these TV web sites for breaking news, video from news casts and special features:
TMJ4 (Milwaukee). http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local
1) ARTICLE: "Rallies Continue .."
http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/116516323.html
2) VIDEO: "Charles Benson Sits Down with Gov. Walker." TMJ4 reporter’s interview with the Governor. http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/116514928.html
3) RAW VIDEO: Charles Benson Sits Down With President Obama." Reporter’s one-on-one with the President on Wednesday (Feb 16).
http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/116358199.html
CBS News 58 (Milwaukee). http://www.cbs58.com/news.html
1) VIDEO: "Tea Party Rally on Saturday"http://www.cbs58.com/index.php?aid=16216
WISN (Milwaukee). http://www.wisn.com/
1) SLIDESHOW: "Images from Madison" (79 slides some out-of-focus)http://www.wisn.com/slideshow/news/26887954/detail.html
2) SLIDESHOW: "School Walkouts, Protests" (15 slides)http://www.wisn.com/slideshow/education/26902326/detail.html
3) VIDEO: UpFront with Mike Gusha (three segments)
Wisconsin State Journal.
The Cap Times. (Published only online.) http://host.madison.com/
1) Editorial. "First Amendment Remedies: How Working Wisconsonites Took Their Constitution Back." http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/editorial/article_adcacc1a-b0d6-5026-b142-d41f0a69be7c.html?sourcetrack=moreArticle
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. http://www.jsonline.com
1) Breaking news (2-19-2011): "Biggest protests yet as pro-Walker side, larger union crowd meet peacefully." http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/116519738.html
2) Bill Glauber and Don Walker. "Showdown Called Defining Moment in Organized Labor" (2-20-2011). http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/116545638.html
3) Don Walker, Lee Bergquist, and Bill glauber. "Unions Concede on Money Issues; Governor Says Bargaining Must Go" (2-20-11).
4) Kane, Eugene. "Teachers’ Absence Could Turn into Civics Lesson for their Students." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (2-20-2011). http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/116544193.html
OTHER RESOURCES
Althouse The blog of Ann Althouse, a UW-Madison law professor, who voted for Scott Walker in the November 2010 election. She has posted many photos and video clips related to the protests.
Politifact Wisconsin http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/
Cooper, Michael, and Katharine Q. Seelye. "Wisconsin Leads Way as Workers Fight State Cuts." NYT (2-19-10). http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/us/politics/19states.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
Denis, Brady, and Peter Wallsten. "Obama Joins Wisconsin's Budget Battle, Opposing Republican Anti-Union Bill." Washington Post (2-18-2011).
Greenhouse, Steven. "A Watershed Moment for Public-Sector Unions." NYT (2-19-2011). http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/us/19union.html?ref=politics
Harshaw, Tobin. "Cairo in the Midwest?" NYT (2-18-2011).
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/cairo-in-the-midwest/?ref=us
Nichols, John. "ON WISCONSIN: Live Reports From Ground Zero for Labor Rights." The Nation (2- 17-2011). http://www.thenation.com
Pollin, Robert, and Jeffrey Thompson. "The Betrayal of Public Workers." The Nation (2- 16-2011). http://www.thenation.com
Notes
1) For a map of the Square in Madison go to "Biggest protests yet as pro-Walker side, larger union crowd meet peacefully" and scroll down left side: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/116519738.html
2) "Showdown Called Defining Moment in Organized Labor" (2-20-2011).
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/116545638.html
3) Bill Glauber and Don Walker in the Milwaukee Journal (2-20-2011). See also John Fund, "What's at Stake in Wisconsin's Budget Battle," Wall Street Journal Online (2-19-2011). http://online.wsj.com/
4) See Gousha interview with Gov. Walker. Robert Pollin and Jeffrey Thompson, "The Betrayal of Public Workers."
5) CBS 58 News at 5 PM (2-19-2011). (I don’t recall the details for the first sign.)
6) "After all those efforts to paint Tea Partiers as using violent images and rhetoric, these pictures from Madison have got to hurt.." Althouse (2-17-2011). Access here to Wisconsin GOP video: "Rhetoric vs. Realty: Liberal Protest of Gov. Walker’s Budget" (on YouTube).
7) See interview with Randi Weingarten , "Wisconsin Public Workers Union Rights Go Head-to-Head with State Budget Woes." PBS: Newshour (2-18-2011). Transcript available on site.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/jan-june11/wisconsin_02-18.html
8) Gail Collins, "Sacred Cows, Angry Birds." NYT (2-19-11). See the last five paragraphs.
9) For inequality see Laura Essig's provocative post, "Is It Egypt, Yet?" Online at the Chronicle of Higher Education (2-17-2011), with comments.
First, a clarification about sources: names in bold are web sites (e.g. BBC News) while those in italics or underlined are in print (or I’m using the print version). Material from many print sources, however, is available online, including articles in major newspapers. For example, you can always search the New York Times web site (http://www.nytimes.com/), using the byline and key words from the headline (though NYT print and online headlines are not always identical).
Please look for an addition to the format: some posts now have notes, with citations and/or comments that do not fit easily into the main text. Look for these either BEFORE or AFTER the lists of resources. Find notes for this Update at the end. (In the future I’ll try to be more consistent about this.)
Black History Month
Two recent posts link current events to Black History Month themes. These exemplify the kind of links that the Lynx finds most intriguing–the unexpected ones. Check-out the following posts:
- Martin Luther King and Cairo (Feb 13)
- Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, and the ‘Italian Street’ (Feb 14)
For the influence of Martin Luther King on Egyptian protesters, another reference occurs in a recent NYT article (1). These reporters put more emphasis, however, on a direct link between Egyptian organizers and members of a Serbian movement that, in 2000, helped young Serbs get rid of their dictator, Slobodan Milosovec.
The Serbs drew inspiration from the ideas of an American, Gene Sharp, whose book From Dicatatorship to Democracy, is available online–in 25 languages, including English, Arabic, and Farsi--courtesy of the Albert Einstein Institution (2). This raises the question of whose ideas influenced Sharp. I intend to pursue this, but it is very likely that he consulted the works of Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Intellectual history is just so convoluted!
More on Aretha Franklin’s legacy: Cairo disk jockey Mohammed Safi, who was protesting in Tahrir, has returned to work at Nile FM, an English-language radio station. He told a reporter that the first disk on his playlist would be the Egyptian national anthem. After that, a roster of tunes–and definitely "Respect" by Aretha Franklin (3).
Journalists
Yesterday’s news about the sexual assault and beating of Lara Logan, while reporting from Tahrir Square on Friday, serves as another reminder of the risks of "frontline reporting" (Feb 11 post). The attack occurred after Mubarak’s resignation had been conveyed to the crowd. On a previous trip to cover the uprising, Egyptian authorities had detained and interrogated her–but she came back (4). For more information go to the web site of the Committee to Protect Journalists (http://ww.cpj.org). Ms. Logan is a member of the CPJ board.
Egypt and the Mideast
Reporters David Kirkpatrick and David Sanger have written an excellent piece giving us detailed information about the strategies of Tunisian and Egyptian activists, their collaboration, and the role of social media (5). They begin with the founding of the April 6 Youth Movement in 2005. Moreover, these reporters write from a balanced point of view concerning the role of the military and the Muslim Brotherhood. Since the article follows the Egyptian uprising from its inception on January 25 to its moment of triumph in Tahrir Square on February 11, you can assign it as an overview. It is self-contained enough to serve as a stand-alone reading assignment–even for students who know little about what has happened. For students more engaged with events in Egypt and the Mideast, it will help to pull together what they have learned from other sources.
The Lynx is recommending two videos of special interest to students:
- "Cairo’s Facebook Flat" (posted online on February 8): NYT videographer Ed Ou lets the savvy sons and daughters of the elite explain why they are taking part, what their parents think about their participation, and how they are networking. Of particular interest to historians are their efforts to collect the testimonies of fellow protesters. Also, note that these young people were quite cognizant of what might happen to them if they failed. (See note #6.)
- "Egyptian Protester Back on the Airwaves" (mentioned above): Mohamed Safi reflects on his part in the protests but shows us that he’s happy to return to his radio job. This footage shows a very vocal six-year-old protester, perched on her father’s shoulder, that captivated him. (See note #7.)
Both videos are short and could be viewed in social studies or humanities classes. To begin a discussion focusing on several themes of interest to teens, show "Cairo’s Facebook Flat." It’s only three minutes long.
Another valuable resource, as we keep trying to understand Egypt’s revolution and transition (to what, exactly, is still uncertain) is Fouad Ajami’s "Egypt’s ‘Heroes’ With No Names’" (8). This insightful column suggests, poignantly, that "the Egyptians may give us a consoling tale of an Islamic people who rose to proclaim their fidelity to liberty, and who provide us with a reminder that tyranny is not fated for the Arabs." (Thanks to Mr. Moran of the APWH listserv for posting this item.)
Protests continue across the Arab world and in Iran, generating abundant, frequently updated sources. For a clear, concise place to start, check-out "Five Arab Countries That the "Jasmine Revolution" May Spread to Next" (9). It’s short enough to print and distribute as a hand-out. The author writes for Think Progress (http://thinkprogress.org). (Thanks to History Bobcat for this item.)
Also useful for its summaries of background information is a NYT interactive chart, "Reasons to Seethe" (10). The chart covers Tunisia, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. It can be downloaded as a PDF.
Berlusconi’s "Soap Opera"
An Italian judge in Milan, Cristina De Censo, decided yesterday on a trial date of April 6 for President Berlusconi. He has been charged with paying a minor for sex, and more generally with abuse of office. And he will face a panel of three judges, all of them women. See the Guardian article for a picture of the Karima el-Mahroug (an alleged victim), Berlusconi’s and el-mahroug’s denials, the response of Italian Bishops, and Italian legal procedures (11). Go to this article for links to articles (2003, 2006, 2009) about Berlusconi, his government, and prior allegations of corruption.
For more about Sunday’s demonstrations and the views of working to change the position of women in Italian society, see Sabina Zaccaro, "It’s a Lot Worse than Sex Parties" (12).
Notes
1) Kirkpatrick, David D., and David E. Sanger. "A Tunisian-Egyptian Link That Shook Arab History." New York Times (2-14-11); online (2-13-2011).
2) Sharp, Gene. From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation. Originally published in 1999–for Burmese activists in Thailand. http://aeinstein.org/organizations4caf.html
3) View the NYT video "Egyptian Protester Back on the Airwaves" and listen to Safi’s playlist near the end. ASK: why do you think he chose to play these selections?
4) "CBS’s Lara Logan Attacked by Egytian Mob in Cairo." BBC News (2-15-2011). Brian Stelter, "CBS Reporter Attacked in Cairo," NYT (2-16-2011).
5) See note #1.
6) Video: "Cairo’s Facebook Flat." Produced by Rob Harris and Ed Ou. New York Times (2-8-2011). 03:06 mins. http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/02/08/world/middleeast/1248069622796/cairo-s-facebook-flat.html?nl=multimedia&emc=focusema1
7) Video: "Egyptian Protester Back on the Airwaves." Produced by David Botti. Featuring Mohamed Safi. New York Times (2-13-2011). 04.16 minutes. http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/02/13/world/1248069634893/egyptian-protester-back-on-the-airwaves.html?nl=multimedia&emc=focusema1
8) Fouad Ajami, "Egypt’s ‘Heroes’ With No Names.’" Wall Street Journal (2-12-11). http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704132204576136442019920256.html
9) Jilani, Zaid, "Five Arab Countries That the "Jasmine Revolution" May Spread to Next." Truthout (2-??-2011). http://www.truth-out.org/five-arab-countries-that-jasmine-revolution-may-spread-next67695
10) "Why the Arab World is Seething." New York Times (2-6-2011). Also In the print edition’s "Week in Review’ section as "Reasons to Seethe."
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/06/weekinreview/06marsh.html?ref=weekinreview
11) Hooper, John. "Sivio Berlusconi Sent for Trial Accused of Paying for Sex With Teenager," The Guardian (2-25-2011). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/15/silvio-berlusconi-trial-teenage-sex
12) Zaccaro, Sabina. "It’s a Lot Worse Than Sex Parties." Inter Press Service (Rome: 2-14-2011). http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=54463
(Yesterday’s post featured a link between the peaceful tactics of Egypt’s revolution and the non-violent message of Martin Luther King. While reading today’s NYT, the Lynx found another Black History Month tie-in to current events. DISCLOSURE: Aretha’s "Chain of Fools" album was among the few LPs I took with me to Uganda in 1969).
Last night in Los Angeles the Grammy Awards show began with tributes to Aretha Franklin, one of the greatest-ever gospel and soul singers (1). For many of us growing up in the Sixties, Aretha defined what it meant to be a "natural woman" AND a woman deserving
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Now 68, she recently had surgery but intends to resume performing. I sure hope so because we all, but especially young women, need to draw inspiration from her strong voice.
Now let’s shift the scene from Los Angeles to the streets of Rome, where Italian women have said "Enough." Disgusted with the "unbecoming-a-president" lifestyle of President Silvio Berlusconi, Italian women and some men turned out on Sunday to express their frustration (2). In the words of Susanna Camusso, head of Confindustria (Italian General Confederation of Labor), Berlusconi has turned Italy into "an ugly television soap opera." Also speaking on the stage in Rome were a nun, Sister Eugenia Bonetti; and a center-right politician, Gianfranco Fini. Fini, who is the speaker of the lower house of Italy’s parliament, broke away from Berlusconi’s coalition last summer. The high-profile participation of Sister Bonetti and Mr. Fini means that this was not just a crowd of fanatical, radical feminists.
Berlusconi is just as clueless about what Italian women want as Mubarak was about what the Egyptian protesters wanted. In Egypt people sought to end a repressive, stagnating regime as a means of ending an era of national decline--in which Egypt’s regional power declined, the economy declined, and people's self-respect declined. In Italy too there is a sense that the government has been unresponsive–and not just to women’s issues. As Susanna Camusso puts it, a country failing to support its women’s "capacity for growth" is "a country that goes backward" (3).
Among the signs held by protesters, this one caught the NYT reporters’ eye: "We want a country that respects women." That’s where Aretha comes in. On Sunday, in the streets of Rome, protesters were dancing to her great anthem "Respect"–an anthem for all women, for all people everywhere (4). We need to keep dancing to that tune!
"Respect" was written and originally recorded by Otis Redding, but Aretha made it her own. According to Wikipedia, during the 1970s her version "came to exemplify the feminist movement" but an editor’s note tells us that this claim needs a citation. After Sunday, the song’s feminist (or womanist) legacy is not longer in doubt.
You can bring this legacy into the classroom in several subject areas. You might focus on Aretha Franklin and the larger context of the Civil Rights movement, the Sixties, Soul music, and African American and/or women’s history. In doing so, mentioning the protests in Italy to expand the topic beyond the US. This could be part of a social studies or sociology class or a reading-across-the curriculum activity in a language arts class. With more discussion of the song’s transatlantic/global influence, it would fit well in a world history or European history class.
LISTEN: Jump-start a lesson with an audio/video of "Respect" (see Resources).
VIEW: A great photo accompanies the WP article. Save it for a PowerPoint and project on screen to introduce the topic of the Italian women’s protests. Also, there are many excellent, current and vintage photos of Aretha Franklin online.
VIEW: The documentary "Aretha Franklin" at Biography.com is excellent. Its six segments follow her story from childhood to the present. Preview these and select according to themes and content suitable for your class. Since each segment is just over six minutes long, you could shown one per day, followed by a brief discussion, and still leave time for the day’s regularly scheduled work. One segment shows Martin Luther King with Aretha Franklin.
READING: Select the NYT, WP, or NPR (Reuters) article as a reading comprehension exercise–with students reading online or from print-outs. If time is a constraint, use the article to teach scanning skills by asking students to scan to find answers to specific questions (check questions against content of selected article):
Who is Aretha Franklin?
Why were women in Rome dancing to "Respect" (her 1967 hit song)?
Who is Susanna Camusso?
Why doesn’t Ms. Camusso like President Berlusconi?
Why did Sister Bonetti join the demonstration?
Why did Gianfranco Fini desert President Berlusconi?RESEARCH: Find out more about Aretha Franklin’s life and achievements from biographical sources. Read more about Italian politics, the scandals plaguing President Berlusconi, or women's issues in Italy. Use the World Economic Forum report to compare data about gender and women’s lives in Italy with another country (e.g. Egypt).
EXPAND/RESEARCH: In AP European History, learn more about African Americans musicians, writers, and intellectuals living in Europe in the 1920s/30s and after World War II (e.g. James Baldwin). What drew them to Europe? How did they influence European culture?
EXPAND: The Arabic word for "Enough!" is "Kefaya!" It seems that people everywhere reach a point where they are just fed up. What are the equivalents in other languages? (This would be very appropriate in an ESL or foreign language class.)
SHARE: Info about the World Economic Forum report with any feminist (female or male) math teachers. This PDF includes a wealth of statistical data to study and manipulate. Also useful in sociology and global studies classes.
Notes
1) Widely reported in US media. See The Los Angeles Times: "Singing Aretha’s Praises: Jennifer Hudson" (2-14-2011). http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/02/aretha-franklin-jennifer-hudson
2) Based on Donadio/Povoledo article, NYT (2-13-2011).
3) As quoted in Donadio/Povoledo article.
4) Also reported by The Washington Post and The Associated Press (as posted on the NPR site).
Resources: The Protests
Donadio, Rachel and Elisabetta Povoledo. "Italians Protest Over Berlusconi Scandals." NYT (2-14-11). Article with link to TT: Aretha Franklin.
D’Emilio, Frances. "Women Denounce Berlusconi." Washington Post (2-13-11).
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/13/women-denounce-berlusconi [if this doen’t work, search WP’s "World" section]
"Italian Women Protest Against Silvio Berlusconi." Associated Press (2-13-1011). NPR
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/13/133732293/italian-women-protest-against-silvio-berlusconi
Alberici, Emma. "Italian Women Protest Over Berlusconi Sex Scandal." ABC [Australian Broadcasting Corporation] News (2-14-2011). Article is transcript of audio available here (listen to voices of Ms. Camusso and Sister Bonetti)–or view video shown on ABC News TV.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/14/3137665.htm?site=news
Makenzie, James "Berlusconi Refuses to Resign, Dismisses Protest.’ Reuters (2-14-2011). Yahoo! News. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110214/wl/nm/us_italy_berlusconi
Resources: Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin http://www.aretha-franklin.com/bio.htm
"The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin." Short biography at aretha-franklin.com. Scroll down past the "Strawberry Fields" trailer to find it.
"Aretha Franklin." Biography (cable network). A documentary in 6parts (each just over 6 minutes long). http://www.biography.com/articles/Aretha-Franklin-9301157
"Aretha Franklin." Wikipedia. This article includes citations and links throughout–as well as a list of worthwhile external links. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin
"Respect." Wikipedia. Detailed information about the song, its original version, Otis Redding’s reaction to Aretha’s hit, its chart history, and covers by various artists. The covers included one by a Basque fusion-rock band, not too surprising–given the Basque struggle for autonomy and respect. Access from "Aretha Franklin" article.
"Aretha Franklin--Respect Lyrics." These lyrics are correct–with TCB at end of line that is sometimes misquoted. For the meaning of TCB see Wikpedia article. http://www.lyrics007.com/Aretha%20Franklin%20Lyrics/Respect%20Lyrics.html
To listen to "Respect" (02:24):
Times Topics: Aretha Franklin
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/f/aretha_franklin/index.html
NPR. http://www.npr.org/ Search "Aretha Franklin NPR" to access several NPR stories.
Bego, Mark. Aretha Franklin, The Queen Of Soul. St. Martin’s Press, 1989.
Salvatore, Nick, Singing in a Strange Land: C. L. Franklin, the Black Church, and the Transformation of America. New York: Little Brown, 2005.
Resources: Berlusconi and Women in Italy
Donadio, Rachel. "Surreal: A Soap Opera Starring Berlusconi." NYT (1-22-2011). This "news analysis" appeared in the Sunday Week in Review section. About half of it discusses why Berlusconi is still in power (with a reference back to late Roman times).
Donadio, Rachel. "Prosecuters Seek Immediate Trial for Berlusconi." NYT (2-9-2011).
Donadio, Rachel. "Under Threat, Berlusconi Enlists His Media Empire." NYT (2-11-2011).
Times Topics: Silvio Berlusconi (Access to the Donadio articles and much more.) http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/silvio_berlusconi/index.html
NYT Room for Debate. "Decadence and Democracy in Italy" (January 26, 2011).
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/01/26/decadence-and-democracy-in-italy?ref=europe
Corporate Gender Gap Report 2010: Part 2: Country Reports. World Economic Forum. Countries are listed on page 3 but page numbers are those of the printed report and do not correspond to the PDF page numbers. So slide down to find any country (arranged alphabetically). http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_CountryProfiles_2010.pdf
Here’s an unusual but timely topic for Black History Month: compare the Egyptian uprising/revolution with the US civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. What motivations, values, and strategies do these movements have in common? How are they different? What does such a comparison tell us about the relevance of King’s message in today’s world?
Eugene Kane, writing in Sunday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, calls for such a lesson. He asks us to recall the protests that changed America forever, and to recognize that "it was just as dangerous for freedom marchers to confront police in the American South as it was for anti-government protesters last week in Cairo."
We can take this theme farther--beyond a discussion of similarities and differences. Could there be a direct link between the nonviolent tactics of Martin Luther King and those of the young Egyptians, who brought down the Mubarak regime? Did any of the Egyptian protesters draw inspiration from the US civil rights movement?
Kane tells us about the work of Dalia Ziada, an Egyptian human and women’s rights activist. For Dalia the story of the Montgomery bus boycott resonated so strongly that she decided to spread King’s message in the Arab and Muslim world. Finding an old comic book, "The Montgomery Story," she produced an Arabic version and helped distribute it. So, how much influence did this comic book have?
It is difficult to trace the diffusion of ideas and to assess their effectiveness, but this particular link certainly merits more investigation. No doubt the success of the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings will inspire other opposition movements to try similar nonviolent tactics. Thus, we may observe a kind of "multiplier effect."
That Arab activists would espouse the nonviolent teachings of Martin Luther King might seem to strange to some Americans, but Dalia’s own story helps to dispel stereotypes about Arabs and Muslims, and in particular young women. Time magazine casts Dalia as a determined "Activist in a Veil" (the caption beneath her photo), who organized and then saved Cairo’s first human rights film festival. "When authorities shut down the movie theater she had rented for the affair, she moved the entire opening night proceedings to a boat on the Nile, where the films could be shown beyond the reach of the law."
Learn more about Dalia and her views, including commentary on vents in Egypt, on her blog: http://daliaziada.blogspot.com.
Be sure to read the autobiographical "About" page and check out its links. Dalia’s Facebook Wall includes links to her blog posts and to other media. Wall posts and comments are sometimes in Arabic, sometimes in English.
Resources
Kane, Eugene. "King’s Nonviolence Resonates in Egypt." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (2-3-2011). http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/116094689.html
Mendel, Noah. "Can a Comic Book About MLK Change the Middle East (At Least a Little)?" History News Network (5-11-2009). http://www.hnn.us/articles/80834.html
Time. "Islam’s Soft Revolution, Led by Cairo Women." 13 slides
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1886206,00.html?iid=redirect-cairo
Vesely-Flad, Ethan. "Martin Luther King, Egypt, and the Fellowship of Reconcilation." Fellowship of Reconcilation (2-2-2011).
http://forusa.org/blogs/ethan-vesely-flad/martin-luther-king-egypt-fellowship-reconciliation/8479
Wright, Robin. "A Quiet Revolution Grows in the Muslim World." Time (3-19-2009). http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1886539,00.html
Dalia Ziada. Blog: http://daliaziada.blogspot.com
Facebook: Dalia Ziada
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dalia-Ziada/245065015578
Ziada, Dalia. "Can Egypt Turn Into Islamic State After Mubarak?"
http://daliaziada.blogspot.com/2011/02/can-egypt-turn-into-islamic-state-after.html
(This post, partially drafted a few days ago, reinforces my advice that we pay more attention to the reporting of journalists, photographers, videographers, and bloggers at work in the midst of the uprising. To understand why the uprising succeeded we must examine--among many factors--the critical role of both social and conventional media. Thus the continuing relevance of what follows. Numbers in parentheses refer to notes at end of post.)
Today at daybreak Egypt was teetering on the brink of a possibly violent historic turn. Mubarak, in his speech last night (February 10) claimed that he was transferring authority to Vice President Omar Suleiman. His refusal to step down disappointed and angered protesters in Cairo and across Egypt. Nobel laureate Mohammed ElBaradei predicted that "Egypt will explode" and asked the army to intervene to save the nation (1).
Now, on Day 18, a persistent, resilient people’s movement for democratic reforms, is celebrating a great victory. For ElBaradei it is "the greatest day of my life" (2). Activist Gigi Ibrahim told a BBC reporter that she was now "the happiest Egyptian alive" (3). (As I write, I can hear cheering from Tahrir on the live feed.)
Last week, when the Mubarak/Suleiman regime unleashed its forces on the protesters, trying to squelch their demand that Mubarak resign, the government’s targets included Egyptian and foreign reporters, whose coverage was influencing global public opinion (4). Press reports had been exposing the falsehoods dominating state-controlled TV and radio. Reporters had exposed the government’s role in inciting the violence in Tahrir Square and elsewhere. This put journalists on the front line. Reporters experienced harassment, bodily harm, arrest, and interrogation (5).
Future historians will owe a great debt to these reporters and to their sources–including the activists and ordinary people who forwarded blogs and Tweets. The result was an unprecedented collaboration between professional and "citizen journalists" in the production of what is often called "the first draft of history." It takes a lot of courage to keep working in the midst of such danger.
To share the hair-raising, even terrifying experiences of reporters in Egypt have your students read a first-hand account. Such an account is a primary source with an "on-the-ground" point of view (POV in a very literal sense) and affords an immediacy that other sources rarely match.
Maram Mazen
Maram Mazen, an Egyptian journalist working in Sudan for Bloomberg News, who had returned home on vacation, found herself caught up in the turmoil in Cairo. She was riding in a car with friends when it was attacked by the police and Mubarak supporters. Among her friends was the rather notorious blogger Sandmonkey, who was probably the target. Though Sandmonkey later revealed his identity, he had not yet done so at the time Ms. Mazen’s piece appeared online and so she makes not specific reference to him.
In addition to Ms. Mazen’s full-of-suspense description of the attack and detention by the police, she gave an interview. While you can use either or both in the classroom, the text tells a more complete story.
ASK: How would you have reacted if you had been Maram? What does the interview add to your understanding of the event?
WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Write a fictional account--based on Maram's--as if you were in the car and in detention with her.
Souad Mekhennet and Nicholas Kulish
Foreign press credentials offered little protection to Souad Mekhennet and Nicholas Kulish, two New York Times reporters, and their Egyptian driver. On February 3rd, while driving from Alexandria to Cairo, just as their car was entering the city, it was stopped at a checkpoint. They were detained for 24 hours and interrogated. But worse than their own interrogations were the screams of less fortunate detainees, whose "torture made it nearly impossible to think." Their account appeared online (Feb 4), then on the front page of last Sunday’s "Week in Review" section of the Times.
ASK: Why do you think these reporters were detained? How did Ms. Mekhennet’s identity–beyond being a journalist--influence how she was treated? Consider her identity as a woman, a German citizen, a person whose name pointed to her Arab ancestry. Why did the interrogator accuse their driver of being a traitor?
Committee to Protect Journalists http://cpj.org
RESEARCH ACTIVITY: Direct students to the web site of the Committee to Protect Journalists, where they can find out more about the dangers faced by journalists in Egypt or other countries. The top story on the CPJ home rotates. Today’s page includes "As Mubarak Leaves, the Press is Freed" and "Petition Calls on Iran to Free Journalists."
Scroll down to Mohamed Abdel Dayem’s blog post ("Courage in Documenting Egypt’s Revolution"). After reading it, follow the link to CPJ’s documentation of the "censorship, assaults, detentions, and worse" experienced by journalists covering the uprising in Egypt.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Write a blog post, news article, or opinion essay drawing on information provided in CPJ items and/or in their links.
Resources
Mazen, Maram. "‘You Will Be Lynched," Egyptian Policeman Tells Reporters; First Person." Bloomberg (2-4-11). http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-04/-you-will-be-lynched-egyptian-policeman-tells-reporters-first-person.html
VIDEO of Maram Mazen interview (05:21). Access from article or go to:
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/66471082
Mekhennet, Souad and Nicholas Kulish. "2 Detained Reporters Saw secret Police’s Methods Firsthand." NYT (2-4-11). In print in Sunday’s Week in Review section (2-6-11).
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/weekinreview/06held.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
Notes
1) Widely reported. See NYT (2-11-11).
2) Reported on BBC and Al Jazeera live feeds (2-11-11).
3) Reported on BBC live feed (2-11-11). For Ms. Ibrahim see HistoryLynx (Feb 6).
4) See Peter Bouchaert, "Egypt’s Foreign Blame Game." Foreign Policy (2-9-11): http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/02/09/egypts_foreigner_blame-game
5) Widely reported on live feeds; see Robert F. Worth, "On Al Jazeera, A Revolution Televised Despite Hurdles." NYT (1-29-11).
