The Offensive-Defensive

My last post talked rather a lot about nationality and how we are always trying to define ourselves by the other. This phenomenon seems to be increasing with nationalistic rhetoric growing in many countries, in spite of globalisation. The trouble is, once you have that identity, you can immediately begin identifying threats to it. Perhaps more worryingly therefore, is how rhetoric has been …

Defining without difference

Political scientists and academics seem to spend as much time explaining what something is as they spend explaining what it shows or does. To do this, they often also have to state what something is like and therefore also what it is not. The problem of defining phenomena keeps coming up in lectures, especially when it comes to the …

Take an interest in everything

Even if you know where you want to go, don't be afraid of opening up to other ideas. Sometimes, especially when studying, you're so busy and your one task seems so important that you don't have time to do anything but that. However, if you don't do anything but work and never take a peek down those other avenues, …

Golden Autumn Walk

Before leaving for Poland, I was warned about the cold. The smirks of those who have visited central and Eastern Europe during the dark months of the year when I said I'd be here in December were enough to strike more than a slight jolt of apprehension. What wasn't quite so emphasised was the stunning Autumn. …