Stories about History from May, 2010
Taiwan: In memory of Chao-Jung Hsu, a Taiwanese WWII veteran
As part of an impassioned campaign to create a memorial park for Taiwanese WWII veterans, Chao-Jung Hsu's set himself on fire and died exactly two years ago.
365 Great Stuff from the Philippines
365 Great Pinoy Stuff makes “a random list of Filipino stuff that makes Filipinos proud, happy, nostalgic, elated, high, inspired, hungry, hopeful, confident, comforted, excited, intrigued, entertained, mystified, homesick– you name it, all the feel good experiences we ought to have.”
Ukraine: The Plight of the Crimean Tatars
Paul Goble of Window on Eurasia writes about the 66th anniversary of the deportations of the Crimean Tatars and the current plight of those who have returned to their homeland and those who haven't: “But because of the importance of where they live, their difficulties will not be theirs alone.”
Russia: “Is Khodorkovsky a Dissident?”
Vadim Nikitin shares his thoughts on whether Mikhail Khodorkovsky can be considered a dissident.
South Korea: The 30th anniversary of the Kwangju Uprising
Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of the Kwangju uprising in South Korea, matt from Gusts of Popular Feeling has a roundup post on historical resources about the incident.
Russia: More Victory Day Commentary
A Good Treaty reviews selected blog and media commentary on Victory Day’s 65th anniversary in Russia: “My own feelings on Russia’s WWII past are far from settled, so let me take a moment to express my gratitude to the aforementioned writers, who made an effort to speak coherently about a...
Soviet History: “The False Charges of Treason Against the Crimean Tatars”
J. Otto Pohl writes about his new article (.pdf) – “The False Charges of Treason Against the Crimean Tatars” – which was published at the International Committee for Crimea website on the 66th anniversary of the 1944 deportations.
Russia: Photos of Grozny
LJ user greedyspeedy posts the first installment of photos of Grozny, Chechnya, taken in April, and writes (RUS) in the comments: “This photo report is about the glossy Grozny; I'll show the other, gloomy, side of Grozny in part two. […] Compared to Gudermes, Argun – the largest cities after...
South Africa: Nation mourns passing of Dr Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert
The day was July 9 1987. The place was Dakar, Senegal. The participants - members of the then banned African National Congress and a group of 61 influential white Afrikaners. The mission – sketch a new, democratic future for South Africa. Amongst this delegation was a man who would become a giant in South African politics – Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert.
Philippines: Linguistic Roots of Ancient Pot
Filipino academics retrace the linguistic roots of inscriptions etched in the rim of an ancient pot of high archeological value excavated in the Philippines.
Taiwan: Expecting Youth Power of New Generation
Aboutfish, former senior journalist and now the founder of TaiwanGoodLife(online aggregator of citizen media), talks about the moments of democratic enlightenment in her youth life(zht). Like most Taiwanese born before 1980, she did not know any democratic movements and protests ever happened in Taiwan due to media and ideological control...
Bangladesh: The Zamindars
Bangladesh Unlocked shares the history of the Zamindars in the Indian Sub-continent, who were officials employed by the Mughals and the British colonial rulers to collect taxes from peasants.
Macedonia: Bloggers Celebrate 1945 Victory Over Fascism
Several Macedonian bloggers joined the May 9 celebration of victory over fascism in World War II.
Spain: 73 years of the Bombing of Gernika
Prof. César Arrondo writes [es] on the symbolism surrounding the 73rd anniversary of the Bombing of Gernika in April 26th and the idea of a Basque homeland in Izarro News blog [es].
India: The Curious Story Of The Hamilton Bridge
Maddy writes about the curious story of the Hamilton (Barbers) Bridge in Chennai, India.
Belgium: Comic Strip “Tintin in the Congo” Faces Ban Over Racism
Tintin in the Congo, the second of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé and featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero, faces ban over racism. On his blog Alain Mabanckou thinks that «Tintin must remain as a proof...
Ukraine: Victory, Defeat, and Reconciliation
Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop writes that “WWII continues in Ukraine to this day, fuelled not by the veterans, but by politicians and demagogues […]. They are the ones preventing veterans’ grandchildren from turning the page. They are most interested in keeping Ukraine divided and thus more easily ruled from...
Russia: Photos From Victory Day in Moscow
May 9 photo reports from Victory Day celebrations in Moscow (RUS) – by LJ user chistoprudov (here) and LJ user zyalt (here, here, and here).
Czech Republic: “Top Ten Daytrips From Brno”
The Journeys of Captain Oddsocks recommends “top ten daytrips from Brno.”
The Balkans: 30th Anniversary of Tito's Death
Sleeping With Pengovsky, Balkan Insight (via Balkan Travellers) and Piran Café write about the 30th anniversary of the death of the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito.
Russia, Ukraine: WWII, Stalin, History, Politics
A selection of posts on WWII, May 9, history, Joseph Stalin, and today's political discourse in Russia and Ukraine – at Foreign Policy Association's Russia blog (here and here), Global Chaos (here and here), Foreign Notes, Ukrainiana, Sublime Oblivion, A Good Treaty, Robert Amsterdam.