What characterizes your life?

The Guardian has asked several writers around the world this question.

 

I recently stumbled upon these responses published in Guardian in 2017. The headline was “The Writing Life of Writers Around the World”.

 

Although these essays were all written in 2017 before the Covid crisis, they are still very up to date because they highlight many of the perspectives that have been pushed into the background by the Covid crisis, but still exist.

 

Join a tour de force through…

 

… Bangladesh (where freedom of expression is strongly threatened),

 

… Istanbul in Turkey (where the big city and the country are changing at a colossal pace),

 

… Mexico City (which is both cosmopolitan as well as ugly and chaotic),

 

… Jutland in Denmark (where a few wolves roam in more ways than one),

 

… And Afghanistan (which is still a land of land full of poetry, storytelling, fables and folk tales even though there has been war for more than one generation)

 

 

These essays may inspire to read on: all 5 authors have works translated into English, and they also introduce us to other authors from their countries.

 

God rejse / bon voyage /have a good trip!

 

 

Here are the 5 essays I have chosen for you:

 

 

Things we don't write: K Anis Ahmed on the murdered writers of Bangladesh

 

“Bangladeshi authors and bloggers, religious fanaticism is putting their security and freedom of speech at stake, in a level of repression only comparable to dictatorial regimes of the past. K Anis Ahmed explains what it means to be a writer in Bangladesh’s harrowing “new normal””.

 

The final words in this essay are “we are reminded that freedom is not something we inherit. It is something for which we may have to fight, again and again.”

 

click here

 

The last station: Burhan Sönmez on gentrification, fire and protest in Istanbul 

 

“All Turkish authors are destined to write about Istanbul, sooner or later. While doing this very thing, author Sönmez examines the changing face of Turkey’s biggest city.”

 

click here

 

'You must embrace the ugliness': the writing life in Mexico City 

 

“Novelist and essayist Daniel Saldaña París reflects on the poets, murderous cartels and piano tuners found in the Mexican capital.”

 

click here

 

 

 

A wolf in Jutland: Dorthe Nors on the writing life in Denmark

“As she returns to nature in her native Jutland, author Dorthe Nors reflects on the state of Scandinavian literature – from why crime fiction dominates publishing to why she wishes Danish men would read more.”

click here

 

'How can they write about anything but pain?' The writing life in Afghanistan

“Emerging Afghan writer Fazilhaq Hashimi looks back at an upbringing surrounded by war, even in language – and reclaims his country’s past status as the land of poetry, story-telling, fables and folktale.”

 

click here

 

What characterizes your life? 

 

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 Teach GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP Newsletter no. 42

Everyone, who is engaged in developing global citizenship, is welcome to receive these thematic introductions & curated learning possibilities. 

August 2021, Copenhagen, Denmark

Egon Hedegaard

Thanks goes Glenn Schweitzer for editing.

Links to all blog posts: click 

Blog in English: Keep ON going:Teach better by use of evaluation and action plans

Blogs in Danish: 

Uddannelsesreformer verden rundt

Der er brug for medborgerskabs-engagement i FN´s verdensmål  

 

 

How to inspire resilience?

One of many ways is to dig into your family history.

Here are some examples from my own.

See & download the English version (27 pages text & photos, pdf):  

CLICK HERE!

Hvor man kan finde inspiration til ukuelighed?

Det kan man i enhver families slægtshistorie.

Her er nogle eksempler fra min egen.

Klik, se & download den danske version (27 sider tekst & fotos, pdf)

 

 KLIK HER!

Teach GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP Newsletter no. 41

Everyone, who is engaged in developing global citizenship, is welcome to receive these thematic introductions & curated learning possibilities. 

April 2021, Copenhagen, Denmark

Egon Hedegaard

Thanks goes to Lone Birgitte Christensen and Glenn Schweitzer for editing.

Links to all blog posts: click 

Blog in English: Keep ON going:Teach better by use of evaluation and action plans

Blogs in Danish: Uddannelsesreformer verden rundt

Der er brug for medborgerskabs-engagement i FN´s verdensmål 

How should teachers teach students about what happened at the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021?

This blog article focuses on how to talk about what happened on January 6, 2021, when a crowd of pro-President Trump demonstrators invaded the U.S. Capitol. 

The article quotes six US education experts' opinions (and links to a teacher´s video) on how to talk to children and young people about such violent events, about the deep disagreements about what actually happened, and how they are interpreted.

Many of the considerations expressed here are also worth considering in relation to how we adults talk to those we disagree with, so that we avoid isolating ourselves in our own bubbles. Democracy cannot survive anywhere without democratic conversations.

”How should schools teach kids about what happened at the US Capitol on Jan. 6? We asked 6 education experts” Read the whole article here

"Don’t avoid the topic

... Educators may worry they don’t know the right thing to say and will unnecessarily upset students. But saying nothing can say a lot to children that adults are unaware, unconcerned, unable or unwilling to provide support in difficult times. ...

Especially in the midst of a pandemic, when children and adults are worried about illness and death and many families are dealing with financial concerns and other sources of stress, it’s not a time for teachers to introduce their personal take on what elected officials did right or wrong or to speculate about potential future dangers. ..."

"No business as usual

... When engaging in this work, teachers must not treat the question, “Did Joe Biden legitimately win the 2020 election?” as open to interpretation. He most definitely did. ...

The question, “Should President Trump be impeached again?” is, however, open for interpretation. ...

This moment is an opportunity for everyone to deepen their understanding about democracy. And social studies teachers should not let it slip away. ..."

"Focus on white supremacy

White supremacy has always been violent, and upheld in America’s institutions. This is well documented and we must teach it. The world witnessed yet another example on Jan. 6, 2021. ...

Teachers also must resist the urge to view what I consider a coup attempt as an isolated incident. Instead, they should place it in a historical context.

Many resources are available

 

"Kids are, sadly, familiar with violence

... Children and teens are no strangers to disagreement, questions of fairness and, unfortunately, scenes of violence like those we saw in the Capitol. ...

For example, schools commonly have active-shooter drills that can leave children feeling confused, scared or angry. ....

In a truly democratic society, students are not only taught about democracy but are encouraged to practice it. ...

That is, students are empowered to use what they have learned to engage in civic life outside of the classroom walls. ..."

 

"Connect events to the past and the future

... Most students today have never seen our elected leaders and political systems work well, let alone live up to America’s constitutional ideals. Many are confused by what they’ve seen, if not angry and traumatized. It’s important for teachers to communicate that all kinds of emotional reactions are valid...

Let students express and process what they feel safely. Do not dehumanize any student because of their opinion – but teach them to always consider the intent and impact of their response. If appropriate, encourage methods like journaling that allow for reflection without sharing. ...

Even with younger students, I don’t believe educators should shy away from the fact that some people violated not just social norms but their professional, political and moral duties – and why their actions threaten the health of our republic."

 

"Explain what ‘dissent’ is

... teachers should help students distinguish justified protest from the violent siege that occurred at the Capitol. They should explain how good dissent seeks to understand problems, critiques injustice, sparks discussion between people with different views, bases claims on evidence and employs democratic processes. ..."

Read the whole article here

Listen

This teacher, who makes a weekly video on YouTube, argues that one must listen without having a plan in advance about where the conversation will lead. Otherwise one is not listening carefully. "Your attention is more important than your advice".

J. C. Reynolds (January 2021): ”Talking to Students About Capitol Invasion” (5 min., video) klik

Last words

These considerations also apply to talking with children and young people about many other disturbing events around the world.

Finally, many of the considerations expressed here also apply to how we adults talk to each other.

......

A supplementing blogpost:

Blogpost in Danish: 

Januar 2021: Den amerikanske undervisningsminister Betsy DeVos og den officielle ringeagt for lærere  er væk, men de politiske modsætninger (med historiske rødder) fortsætter klik

English translation of the blogpost title:: January 2021: US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and the official contempt for teachers are gone, but political contradictions (with historical roots) continue (Chose Google Translate in order to read my blogpost in English)

Have you thought about whether you are a sheep or a wolf? Millions of Chinese ask themselves this question after reading "Wolf Totem"

 This book is said to be the most read book in China after Mao's Little Red Book, which was the obligatory handbook for Chinese during the Cultural Revolution.

 “WOLF TOTEM” is worth reading for many reasons, and excerpts from the book as well as the film adaptation are relevant to include in teaching in citizenship education and similar subjects.

 

 Overview - which also gives you 7 reasons to read the book and / or watch the movie!

1. “Wolf Totem” is a surprising story from the Cultural Revolution in China 1966-1976;

 2. “Wolf Totem” is a description of an indigenous people's ecological understanding;

 3. “Wolf Totem” is also a book about an ecological disaster: “Desertification” of grasslands;

 4. The book's Chinese success, and the scandal that escaped the attention of censors;

 5. The author behind the pseudonym is a champion of democracy;

 6. “Wolf Totem” has been translated into the movie “The Last Wolf” in 2015;

 7. The messages are universal.

 

 The text on this lengthy book has many layers like onions. The book was published in Chinese in 2004 and in the English version 2008 (527 pages). 

The English translator Howard Goldblatt has said: "Jiang  Rong had several things in mind: To educate , to promote and to entertain" (source)

 1. "Wolf Totem" is a surprising story from the Cultural Revolution in China 1966-1976

 In the beginning of the book, Zhen has just been admitted to Beijing University, but like all other students during the Cultural Revolution, he is sent out into the countryside to be re-educated, unlearn bourgeois norms, and learn to serve the people (as it was called then).  Chen chooses to be sent to join the nomads in the desert of Inner Mongolia because he hopes that there will not be as much control of his attitudes there as elsewhere, and that he will be allowed to keep his box of world literature, which he loves.  

 Life turns out to be much harsher than he could have imagined. As a shepherd, you must not only take care of a large flock of sheep, but also protect them day and night from the wolves, which are life-threatening for both humans and animals. He also discovers that the nomads do not have a simple understanding of the wolf as an enemy, but they also worship the wolf as a totem, that is, a spirit.  This totem maintains the balance of the entire nomadic culture, so it is vital to respect it.

 Along the way, Chen is almost adopted by the old man Bilgee who is the most knowledgeable and experienced in the entire tribe, and with him Chen experiences how dangerous the wolves are to the sheep, the horses, and the nomads themselves.  At the same time, he becomes more and more fascinated by the wolves' strength, their wisdom and their ability to cooperate, plan hunting strategies, and often survive against all odds.

Chen becomes so preoccupied with knowing more about the wolves that he steals a just newborn and still blind wolf cub from a female wolf's cave.  The wolf cub fights against being captured from day one, and even though it learns to react to the name "Little Wolf", he refuses to be tamed. The nomads that Chen lives with find it completely wrong to keep a wolf trapped, but they do see that everyone learns a lot about wolves thereby. Chen becomes attached to the wolf, and he to him, but by nature he is so freedom-seeking that the problems grow and grow.  It ends badly, but how it ends should not be revealed here.

 "Wolf Totem" is a book about nomadic culture with the wolf in the center. “If you don’t know wolves, you can´t understand the spirit and character of the nomads, and you´ll certainly never be able to appreciate the differences between nomads and farmers or the inherent qualities of each”.

  2. “Wolf Totem” is an example of an indigenous people's ecological understanding

 It is a story about the harsh life of the nomads on the Mongolian steppes where the winter lasts 6 months and is incredibly cold, and where the other 3 seasons each are short.  Even the summer is almost unbearable due to the heat and the mosquitoes that plague humans and animals.

 Through a concrete story, we readers get an insight into how nomadic culture is based on a deep knowledge of the interplay between all living things: If the wolves become too many, then they will hunt hard to get food, and catch many of the nomads' horses and sheep.  Therefore, the nomads may have to hunt the wolf and reduce the number even though they honour them as totems, but the wolves must not become too few, because then there will be too many marmots and especially mice. These animals live by grazing the same steppes as the nomads' sheep, and if there are too many of them, there will not be enough grass for the sheep.

 The whole nomadic way of life is about doing the right thing in terms of maintaining the ecological balance.  Chen is attracted to the great knowledge of the older nomads in particular, about the interplay between all living things and the desert itself, as he tries to acquire this knowledge by learning from the experienced nomads through their myths and their daily lives.  In doing so, Chen experiences the exact opposite of what the Cultural Revolution stood for, namely that old traditions should be eradicated.  If the nomads become permanent residents at one place all year round, the very fragile ecological basis of nomadic existence will be destroyed.  It is concretized in this section on page 476:

 Bilgee, the elder, says:  “Take the pastureland, for example.  Each seasonal pasture has its separate function.  The spring birthing pasture has good grass, but it's short.  The livestock would die if a winter snowstorm covers the grass. We cannot settle there.

 There's tall grass on the winter pastureland, but it wouldn´t last long if the livestock grazed there through the first three seasons.

 The summer pasture has to be close to water, or the animals would die of thirst.  But those are all in the mountains and the animals would freeze to death in the winter.

 We move to an autumn pasture for the grass seeds, but would there still be seeds left if the livestock stayed to graze in the spring and the summer?

 Every pasture has several downsides and one advantage.  The whole point of nomadic herding is to avoid the downsides, and make good use of the advantage.

 If we settle in one spot, we will face all the downsides, with no more advantage. Then how do we keep herding? ”

 3. “Wolf Totem” is also a book about an ecological disaster: “Desertification” of the grasslands

 In the book's concluding chapter, Chen, the book's main character, sits in Beijing 20 years after his time on the steppes, writing while a storm from Inner Mongolia whips sand against the windowpane: Large parts of Inner Mongolia have become deserts since the 1970s.  This  “desertification” has happened because thousands of farmers moved to Inner Mongolia, where the former nomadic steppes were turned into cornfields and enclosures with livestock.  Unfortunately, it went as the nomads feared.  After some years of intensive agriculture, large parts of Inner Mongolia became barren sandy areas.

 As part of the colonization of Inner Mongolia by the Chinese farmers, the wolves were exterminated and the ecological balance was disturbed.

 At the end of the book, the former students go back and visit the nomads of their own age with whom they lived in the decade of the Cultural Revolution.  They now live in areas with enclosures that have not yet become desert, they drive pickups and raise livestock.  So it is also a book about the downfall of a nomadic culture.

 4. The book's Chinese success, and the scandal that it escaped the attention of censors

 The book's fame went like wildfire through China.  The book has sold more than 2 million copies, but it is also believed to have been copied in many millions of copies (I have read guesses of from at least 6 to 15 million copies).  It is not the description of the values ​​of nomadic culture that captures the Chinese mostly. It is the inspiration from the enthusiastic description of the wolf's characteristics that provides inspiration.  The wolf's strength, wisdom, fearlessness and ability to both cooperate, compete, and be indomitable even when fighting alone have led many Chinese to say: This is how I want to be characterized, too!

 The book has inspired the use of the wolf as a metaphor in both the banking world ("wolf strategies"), among diplomats ("diplomat wolves") and even by officers in the Red Army.

 

 5. About the author behind the pseudonym:A champion of democracy

 It became a major scandal in China when it turned out that the author behind the pseudonym was one of the student leaders who were arrested after the student uprising at Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989, and kept in jail without trial until late 1991.

 After the release, those in power discovered that the Chinese censorship had been circumvented by the use of a pseudonym. It is now said that it is impossible to have anything published in China under a pseudonym.

The writer  about his 10 years of experience in Inner Mongolia (4 m. YouTube) click

Only when the author received the first Man Asian Literary Prize in 2007 did he come forward with a name and a photo to the award presenters. But when he said in an interview that he experienced oppression and that a lack of democracy will in the future get China to resemble Germany during the Nazi era, he became very unpopular among those in power. Lü Jiamin, which is his real name, has never been allowed to get a passport and travel outside China.

 Lü Jiamin had been sent to Inner Mongolia in 1967 as a student from Beijing University, and he lived as a nomad for 11 years.  In 1978, he returned to Beijing University to study economics, and he later came to teach in the same place.  As early as 1971, Lü Jiamin began to get ideas for what he later wrote in the book.  He worked intensely for six years to write the book in secret.

 

 Lü Jiamin and his friends at the nomads

 6. “Wolf Totem” has been translated into the movie “The Last Wolf” in 2015

 The story in the book was turned into a film by French director Jean-Jacques Annaud.  The film is the result of 3 years of training wolves and over a year of filming in Inner Mongolia during all 4 seasons.  The film does a lot to show the nomadic culture, the nomads' daily life, and the controversies with the invading farmers.  The beauty of the steppes and the characteristics of the wolves are also at the center.  The wolves become almost the main characters in the film, although the Chinese actors also do an excellent job.

 In relation to the book, a lot is cut away, and the ending gets a kind of happy ending for the captured wolf, which is totally different from the book.  A love story is also created which has no basis in the film.

 Nevertheless, the film is highly recommended. The nomadic life, its harsh conditions but also its beauty are reproduced so that it provides a great experience. The wolves' admirable qualities are shown both in their cruelty and indomitability.

 

Resources:

- “The Last Wolf”” 1 hour 58 minutes at ViaPlay and other pay sites. 

- “The Last Wolf”” movie trailer, English version Click 

- “Der Letzte Wolf” movie trailer, German version Click

- “Dernier Loup” movie trailer, French version Click

- “Meet the cast behind Wolf Totem” & hear them introduce the themes of the film Click

 (3 min., YouTube) 

 

 7. The messages are universal

 In China, the book is read primarily as a call to the Chinese to develop their inner wolf, and thus also to fight for individual freedom. It is also an indirect critique of Confucianism, an authoritarian school system and the system's demands for unconditional obedience that have created a nation of sheep.

 But the messages are not just for the Chinese. Penguin's manager for China, Jo Lusby, has put it this way: "It's a very accessible novel that explores a specific time and place that's rather exotic and unusual," she said. "That said, the themes that it touches upon are truly universal."

 Here is a selection of these universal themes:

 - Criticism of man's impulse to tame nature;

 - Respect for indigenous peoples' rights and ecological understanding based on their myths;

 - Obedience versus freedom;

 - What does it take for a culture to change?

Reference and resources:

 

The book:  Jiang Rong (2008): Wolf Totem. Translated by Howard Goldblatt. Hamish Hamilton – an imprint of Penguin Books https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/299261/wolf-totem-by-jiang-rong/9780143115144/readers-guide/

 

Introduction by the writer to his years of experience in Inner Mongolia ( 4 min., YouTube video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NRy_JdAmBc&authuser=0%2522%20%255Ct%20%2522_blank

 

Introduction to the book Wolf Totem: A Novel | ReadingGroupGuides.com 

https://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/wolf-totem-a-novel 

 

Discussion Questions Wolf Totem: A Novel | ReadingGroupGuides.com 

https://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/wolf-totem-a-novel/guide 

 

Listen to a sample of of the Audible audio edition (introduction & page 1-2) https://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Totem-Novel-Jiang-Rong/dp/B001KOTUA6

 

Book reviews and articles:

Best-seller urges Chinese to release their inner wolf - Telegraph 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/1501764/Best-seller-urges-Chinese-to-release-their-inner-wolf.html 

 

Jiang Rong tells Jonathan Watts about working as a shepherd | Books | The Guardian 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/nov/22/china.features11 

 

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Beijing's Unwanted Best Seller - SPIEGEL ONLINE 

https://www.spiegel.de/international/a-wolf-in-sheep-s-clothing-beijing-s-unwanted-best-seller-a-407184.html 

 

Jiang Rong's *Wolf Totem* 

https://www.curledup.com/wolftotm.htm 

 

Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong | The Life Outdoors 

http://thelifeoutdoors.com.au/books-ideas/book-review-wolf-totem-by-jiang-rong/ 

 

Jiang Rong: The hour of the wolf | The Independent 

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/jiang-rong-the-hour-of-the-wolf-798697.html 

 

The Chinese Identity in Question: “Descendants of the Dragon” and “The Wolf Totem” | Cairn.info 

https://www.cairn.info/revue-de-litterature-comparee-2011-1-page-93.htm# 

 

A Defense of Jiang Rong’s Wolf Totem Timothy Weston 

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1170&context=chinabeatarchive 

 

 'Wolf Totem' celebrates love for nature

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2015-02/16/content_19602927.htm 

 

Wolf Totem and the Post-Mao Utopian: A Chinese Perspective on Contemporary Western Scholarship | MCLC Resource Center 

http://u.osu.edu/mclc/book-reviews/yiyan-wang/ 

 

Before the film by J.J. Annaud, the controversial book “Wolf Totem” 

https://mychinesebooks.com/film-jj-annaud-controversial-book-wolf-totem/ 

 

Wolf Totem: The Movie They Forgot to Make 

https://paper-republic.org/ericabrahamsen/wolf-totem-the-movie-they-forgot-to-make/ 

All links retrieved September 24, 2021.