New article: Memoirs of an Early Arab Feminist reviewed
Electronic Intifada, 31st May 2013 With the exception of her observations on women’s changing roles, Anbara’s memories are interesting and important not for what they reveal about home life through … Continue reading
Annie Laurie and Victorian sentimentality
My paternal grandfather, Tom Irving, was born on a small farm outside Maxwelltown in Kirkcudbrightshire in South-West Scotland. Maxwelltown is probably best known for being mentioned in the first line … Continue reading
New article: Nihad Sirees interviewed
The Arab Review, 28th May 2013 Sitting in the foyer of a London hotel, Sirees looks tired and a little dazed, but is cheerfully talkative.“The news every day affects me … Continue reading
‘Grim fairy tales…’
This is grotesque but brilliant – nicked from Dwight Towers. The fairy-tale rhythmic language is note-perfect – ‘little pig, little pig, let me in… I won’t by the hair on … Continue reading
New article: Marilyn Booth interviewed
One of the most exciting things about being based at Edinburgh University’s Dept of Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies for the past two years has been people who make up … Continue reading
Noise vs music
‘You and I have very different tastes in music…‘ observed husband this evening (well spotted, after ten years). It’s a subject I’ve been thinking about a bit lately, though. The … Continue reading
As if Edinburgh didn’t have enough book temptation…
I heard a rumour at the end of last year that a Middle Eastern specialist bookshop was going to open in Edinburgh. After months of intermittent hovering about on Google, … Continue reading
Greycat
I shall probably cringe with shame and delete this post later on, but this evening I’m in a wistful, nostalgic kind of mood. In the middle of having another clear-out … Continue reading
‘Human rights’: how meaningless can this phrase become?
A really important article – and a bitter expose of the ironies of Western ‘human rights’ work – came out last night from Electronic Intifada. By Lebanese journalist and fixer … Continue reading
Maxime Rodinson on ideology and oppression
Ideology always goes for the simplest solutions. It does not argue that an oppressed people is to be defended because it is oppressed and to the exact extent to which … Continue reading
Manchester/climate change short story competition
Manchester Climate Monthly is running a short story competition on the theme of “Manchester in a warmer world” (that’s Manchester, Britain, not some American interloper). You don’t have to live … Continue reading
Some ancient history on Nigel Farage, UKIP and the BNP
The Francis Wheen article reproduced below is from 1999 – which seems like a terrifyingly long time ago – and was originally published in The Guardian. It’s a reminder, whilst … Continue reading
UK Border Agency vs art/sanity (AGAIN)… and an intemperate rant against UKIP
Facebook is bad for my blood pressure. Usually because of its commercialised intrusive horribleness (although AdBlock still goes a long way…), but also because of information like this, from yesterday: … Continue reading
TWO paid postgrad internships in Arabic/English publishing
… both based in London (booo…) and both open to people with Masters level degrees from UK universities or enrolled on PhD programmes at UK universities. Both organised by the … Continue reading
The Queen of Sheba/Kathleen Jamie
The Scottish Poetry Library has a delightful programme of publishing a set of postcards every six months, each featuring different poems or excerpts from them. One of the first I … Continue reading
New article: Palestinian-Scottish bilingual poetry collection
Electronic Intifada, 1st May 2013 In 2003, Iyad Hayatleh and Tessa Ransford met during a project to introduce Scottish and refugee poets to one another. Hayatleh is a Palestinian “double … Continue reading
Sarah Irving 