Galina DeRoeck

DANSING GIRLS

Dear Chloe and Astrid, Just wanted to tell you about another one of my mementos you will be deciding about when I am gone – whether to keep or do away with. It’s the plate where 8 figures are holding hands in a circle: I call them Dansing Girls. I got this plate in 1983,Continue reading “DANSING GIRLS”

A TRIBUTE TO MY MOTHERS

Dear Chloe and Astrid, I shared a tribute to my fathers with you some time ago, and it is high time that I do the same for my mothers. This time the plural refers to my mother and two grandmothers and also my mother-in law, Francine. Just as with father figures, “mothering” is a broadContinue reading “A TRIBUTE TO MY MOTHERS”

What’s your Class

WHAT’S YOUR CLASS? I cannot boast of having read Marx or Engels, but enough Marxian analysis has ‘trickled down’ to me by now about class relations. It goes like this: in Antiquity society was based on masters and slaves; in the Middle-Ages you had lords and peasants (sometimes attached to the land as serfs);Continue reading “What’s your Class”

Drang nach Osten

Drang nach Osten This German expression means “push to the East.” Going West is more familiar in the American tradition – as in “go West, young man.” And when it comes to massive popular moves, it goes all the way to when the Spaniards and the Portuguese and the Dutch ventured into the open seasContinue reading “Drang nach Osten”

DAVID GIBBS’S REVOLT OF THE RICH

David Gibbs’ book, Revolt of the Rich, is interesting and valuable on so many levels. Even the title rings an unexpected note: ‘revolt’ is usually associated with the powerless, not the powerful. Another general assumption is that the turn toward conservative politics, both at home and abroad, was associated with President Reagen, not the kindlyContinue reading “DAVID GIBBS’S REVOLT OF THE RICH”

WHAT’S YOUR CLASS?

I cannot boast of having read Marx or Engels, but enough Marxian analysis has ‘trickled down’ to me by now about class relations. It goes like this: in Antiquity society was based on masters and slaves; in the Middle-Ages you had lords and peasants (sometimes attached to the land as serfs); then, starting in England,Continue reading “WHAT’S YOUR CLASS?”

INTRODUCTION

After my professional immersion in literature, my retirement finally offered the option of catching up with non-fiction. The comments and “reviews” were, for the most part, stimulated by my active participation in a reading group. I am grateful to my fellow book club participants for introducing me to unfamiliar subjects and for putting up withContinue reading “INTRODUCTION”

Review of Dr. Vladimir Brovkin’s Book, From Vladimir Lenin to Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Brovkin’s Book, From Vladimir Lenin to Vladimir Putin, is remarkable on many levels. Although his book covers the last hundred years, his knowledge has deep roots in Russian history: its Eurasian dimensions, its ethnic diversities, its economy and finances – and last but not least, the organization of its political institutions. His knowledge ofContinue reading “Review of Dr. Vladimir Brovkin’s Book, From Vladimir Lenin to Vladimir Putin”

REVIEW OF CALEB MAUPIN’S BOOK

As Americans, we all live with the urgent question Caleb Maupin addresses in his latest book: Where Is America Going? And if we want to know where we are going – it surely follows that we need to know where we came from. Moreover, whether we like it or not, we must also acknowledge thatContinue reading “REVIEW OF CALEB MAUPIN’S BOOK”

TAKE THE TOYS AWAY FROM THE BOYS

These words still resonate with me. They were writ large on a poster a woman was carrying on the famous New York peace march of 1982. My 13 years-old daughter Muriel and I were among the marchers. And I have been on so many peace marches since then – and WILPF has been struggling withContinue reading “TAKE THE TOYS AWAY FROM THE BOYS”