· November, 2009

Stories about Ethnicity & Race from November, 2009

Egypt: German Justice for Marwa El Sherbini

  15 November 2009

The killer of Marwa El-Sherbini, the Egyptian woman who was stabbed to death inside a German courthouse by a Russian-German immigrant, Alex Wiens, has been sentenced to life imprisonment, without a possibility for early release. Justice is finally served and the killer is being punished, say Egyptian bloggers.

Egypt: One day before playing Algeria

  13 November 2009

Tension is building up over the decisive football match between Egypt and Algeria due to take place in Cairo on November 14. The encounter will determine which of the two teams will qualify to next year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Some Egyptian bloggers enjoy a game with a twist.

Japan: Hitler's “Mein Kampf”, the manga version

  13 November 2009

After more than 80 years since its first publication, Hitler's Mein Kampf has become a Manga comic. The 190 page volume, which sold some 45,000 copies in the first printing, tells in a very simple way the story of Adolf Hitler, from his childhood to his rise as the leader...

Denmark: Immigrants offered money to leave the country

  11 November 2009

Denmark is offering immigrants from “non-Western” countries 100,000 Danish kroners (US$20,000) if they volunteer to move “home”. A Facebook group protesting the law has been set up to collect 100,000 kroners to pay the leader of the anti-immigrant Danish People's Party to leave the country instead.

Africa: The UnAfrican African

  11 November 2009

Is there such a thing as an unAfrican African?: “What is African? What isn't? What defines who we are? Our identity? From our archives is an article by Stephen Wanyama on why he finds little identity with Africa”

Bermuda: Young Black Males

  10 November 2009

“The 200+ long report on the plight of Bermuda's young black males is a damning indictment of a school system that leaves 50% of BBM's ‘on the wall'”: Wishful Thinking says that the report in question should be used “a guide to making a change for the betterment of all...

Taiwan: Issues of identity

  8 November 2009

Catherine at shu flies responds to an e-mail questioning how she identifies herself. Michella at Alive and Kicking! who was also a subject of the e-mail  describes her own multi-cultural background. Catherine also follows up with a post on why she calls herself a Taiwanese-American.

Cuba: Blogging Prejudice

  5 November 2009

Late one night, a Cuban taxi driver stops for Yoani Sanchez because of the colour of her skin, but when he learns that she's a blogger, his unease reveals another kind of prejudice: “His spectrum of classification stigmatizes not only some shades of color, but also certain leanings of opinion…that...

Bermuda: Key Reports

  4 November 2009

As two critical reports are released in Bermuda, Wishful Thinking says: “Both key reports…will dictate much of the policy as Bermuda moves forward…the important thing is that these reports are actually acted upon.”

USA: Race and Gender Politics of Halloween

  3 November 2009

Racial stereotypes and oversexed depictions of women were not uncommon for Halloween costumes this season, as many US bloggers noted. One "illegal alien" costume sold in major stores, was even found offensive enough to provoke a campaign against it.

Trinidad & Tobago: Determining Racism

  3 November 2009

“The important thing, I think, is that if you don't want to be a racist, you need to focus on how you treat people, not on how you react to people”: Trinidadian Ian Ramjohn suggests that “in the end, it all boils down to what you're used to.”

Syria: The Best or the Worst Article Ever?

  3 November 2009

Syrian bloggers frequently decry travel writing about their country - often it's too stereotypical, sometimes downright false. And for a country considered long "isolated" at least from the United States, it can be particularly frustrating to see such writing promoted as accurate. In this post, we will examine reactions to a recent National Geographic article on the country.