· January, 2013

Stories about History from January, 2013

Pakistan’s Forgotten Hindu Heritage

Shiraz Hassan recently visited dilapidated temples and gurdwaras of Rawalpindi and appeals that these old heritage sites, which depict the secular past of the country, need to be preserved. There...

31 January 2013

‘Student Hair Revolution’ in Thailand

Kaewmala writes about the complaint of many Thai students against the official school hair policy of “crew cut for boys and ear-lobe-length bob for girls.” Some student groups want to...

30 January 2013

Two Versions of Mao's China: History Retouched as Propaganda

A collage of historical photos showing two versions of Chinese history during the Mao's era (1949-1976) published by micro-blogger @Pongyoung with a brief comment: "How history has been amended?", has been retweeted 13362 times with 2237 comments within one day.

30 January 2013

Tibetans Outraged by Chinese TV Drama on Tibet

A recent TV drama, Tibet's Secret, has outraged many Tibetans who criticize that the director Liu Depin for distorting Tibetan culture and religion. As the drama was broadcasted in the state-run China Central Television (CCTV), the conflict is inevitably political in nature.

29 January 2013

Meeting the Mummy at the Museum in Mumbai

Anuradha Shankar at ‘A Wandering Mind’ writes about the ongoing Egyptian Mummy exhibition in Mumbai, India. These mummies started a global tour from the British Museum to educate people across...

27 January 2013

“Stop Erasing Hong Kong's History”

To prevent Hong Kong's government from destroying public records, citizens call for legislation to protect public archives and the citizens' right to access government information. As one of the supporter puts it, "a place without history is always a colony," and Hong Kong should be decolonized by efficiently documenting the city's own history.

25 January 2013

Turkish President's Letter To Bangladesh Denounced

Last month Turkish President Abdullah Gül sent a letter to the president of Bangladesh requesting for “clemency” of the accused Islamist leaders who are under trial for crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of Bangladesh. There has been a lot of reactions online and offline against the letter and the visit of a Turkish delegation to investigate the trial.

20 January 2013

Rajoelina Steps Aside for Madagascar's Presidential Race

With interim president Rajoelina announcing that he withdraws from a bid to run for the presidential elections following a similar announcement by former President Ravalomanana in December 2012, Malagasy people are likely to have a new president in 2013, provided that elections take place as planned in the electoral agenda. Many of the observers are skeptical about the elections timeline in light of the statements of Rajoelina after his announcement and his wishes to change the electoral agenda.

20 January 2013

Gabon to Mali: History of French Military Interventions in Africa

The French military intervention in Mali, known as Operation Serval started on January 11 following the advance of terrorists groups towards Bamako. Lauded by a substantial part of the Malian population and many outside observers, the military intervention diverts, however, from the non-interventionist line professed by French President Hollande in Africa.

18 January 2013

Brazil's World Cup Construction Threatens Indigenous “Living Museum”

About six years ago, the abandoned building of the First Museum of the Indian, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil turned into a “living museum” and became home to several different indigenous communities. On the morning of January 12, 2013, the military police arrived ready to evict the community. Activists soon arrived on the scene.

16 January 2013

Belize, St. Vincent: Garifuna Culture

…the Garifuna language, which integrates Arawak and Carib, and which was declared a ‘masterpiece of the oral intangible heritage of humanity’ by UNESCO in 2001, is severely threatened. It possesses...

16 January 2013

Oral History Of The Indian Constitution

Rohit De at ‘Law And Other Things’ informs that journalist, blogger and writer Sidin Vadukut has uploaded a series of podcasts on the oral history of the Indian constitution, beginning...

13 January 2013

2012: A Year of Revolt and Social Change in Francophone Countries: Part 1 of 2

The year 2012 was marked by armed conflicts in Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. There were elections in Senegal, Quebec and France, while demonstrations for change took place in Chad, Madagascar and Togo. Debates raged on issues such as immigration, the economic crisis and equality in marriage laws. This is the first part of a review of the year 2012 in Francophone countries.

11 January 2013