Down to only one hour of contact time a week ...
I've had my last Themes and Sources class of the year, and (I think) my last ever. This means that no academic will talk to (or indeed at) me at any time except for 2pm-3pm on Friday. Apart from that ... in the eyes of the History Faculty, I don't exist. Could certainly be worse, I guess. This whole contact-free degree is slightly disconcerting in some ways though ... in most respects it would be difficult to devise a more unstructured week than my own, in that basically I have to deliver my weekly work once and that's it. They give me rope to hang myself; I invariably end up hanging from the gallows at around 4am on the due date.
Anyway, it was actually quite an interesting class on Caribbean and south Asian migration to the United Kingdom since 1945. Some interesting points about the way in which politicians exploit(ed) the migration issue and played on a lot of old stereotypes and fears (of which, I suspect, more in another entry another day). But also, lots of time spent listening to radical/political reggae and to some ska, partially to show how ethnic minority cultures and musical forms mingled with white British influences to produce new forms of music and change old ones. But some of it's also pretty chilling/harrowing - the one which hit me the most was Sonny's Lettah by Linton Kwesi Johnson. It's very, very, very dark, and that's compounded by the fact that things very like this did happen (often), and sometimes still do - but there's something darkly humourous somewhere in elements of the lyrics, which just makes it all the more chilling overall. Other songs talked about fighting back against fascists - the message being that the UK was their country too, whether the "indigenous" community had accepted that or not, and that they were prepared to stand up for their own rights. I did find one of Johnson's albums to listen to, after much innovative googling. You probably either like it or you don't, but it's definitely growing on me ...
After my class, I went with my friend Gianna (same college and same Themes and Sources option) to the CD shop, where I valiantly resisted temptation, and to a bookshop where I didn't. (Did have £16 to spend in book tokens, though, so I think I have something of a defence, even if none of the books actually relate to work.) Aside from that episode, I've been theoretically working this afternoon and in practice pratting around on facebook and acquiring political reggae, plus some ska. Pleased to realise that my classes teach me something ...
Anyway, it was actually quite an interesting class on Caribbean and south Asian migration to the United Kingdom since 1945. Some interesting points about the way in which politicians exploit(ed) the migration issue and played on a lot of old stereotypes and fears (of which, I suspect, more in another entry another day). But also, lots of time spent listening to radical/political reggae and to some ska, partially to show how ethnic minority cultures and musical forms mingled with white British influences to produce new forms of music and change old ones. But some of it's also pretty chilling/harrowing - the one which hit me the most was Sonny's Lettah by Linton Kwesi Johnson. It's very, very, very dark, and that's compounded by the fact that things very like this did happen (often), and sometimes still do - but there's something darkly humourous somewhere in elements of the lyrics, which just makes it all the more chilling overall. Other songs talked about fighting back against fascists - the message being that the UK was their country too, whether the "indigenous" community had accepted that or not, and that they were prepared to stand up for their own rights. I did find one of Johnson's albums to listen to, after much innovative googling. You probably either like it or you don't, but it's definitely growing on me ...
After my class, I went with my friend Gianna (same college and same Themes and Sources option) to the CD shop, where I valiantly resisted temptation, and to a bookshop where I didn't. (Did have £16 to spend in book tokens, though, so I think I have something of a defence, even if none of the books actually relate to work.) Aside from that episode, I've been theoretically working this afternoon and in practice pratting around on facebook and acquiring political reggae, plus some ska. Pleased to realise that my classes teach me something ...