Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 17, No. 342.
Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/
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Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 06:45:18 +0000
From: Willard McCarty <willard.mccarty@kcl.ac.uk>
Subject: serious blogging
Toby Dodge, in "An Iraqi in cyberspace", TLS 24 October 2003, p. 27,
reviews Salam Pax, The Baghdad Blog (London: Guardian Books, 2003), which
is apparently a transcript of a blog (Web log) continuing at
www.dear_raed.blogspot.com. The reviewer explains very briefly the history
and nature of blogs but is chiefly concerned with what "became one of the
most authentic voices chronicling the build-up to war, the invasion and its
chaotic aftermath. Salam Pax, in a witty, sometimes catty monologue,
managed to do what the combined weight of the international media could
not. Using a cheap computer and unreliable internet access, he documented
the traumas and more importantly the opinions of Iraqis as they faced the
uncertainty of violent regime change" and its chaotic aftermath. This is,
and was, "intelligence" for free, in both senses of the word, but it was
ignored, apparently. Pax documented in the build-up to war, "a population
living under tyranny. Risking certain death if discovered, Pax describes
the attitude of his friends and family towards the US but also to Saddam
Hussein's Baathist dictatorship. For those seeking to understand Iraq,
Pax's narrative, straightforward and sincere, is revealing. If
decision-makers in London and Washington had taken the time to consult
Pax's musings before the war, their understanding about the country they
are now failing to control would have been greatly enhanced."
A lively, consequential example of Web publication for our students. I
wonder, is this the first example of a primary Web publication reduced to
print for commercial publication?
Unfortunately the review itself is not online, not yet even for
subscribers. For the TLS itself see http://www.the-tls.co.uk. Curiously the
reviewer doesn't ask or ward off the question of whether Salam Pax is a
pseudonym ("peace" in Arabic and Latin would seem a bit of a stretch
otherwise). One can understand why the fellow would take on a false name.
Yours,
WM
Dr Willard McCarty | Senior Lecturer | Centre for Computing in the
Humanities | King's College London | Strand | London WC2R 2LS || +44 (0)20
7848-2784 fax: -2980 || willard.mccarty@kcl.ac.uk
www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/wlm/
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