The irony in your comment kept with the spirit of Donovan’s act, so I have some great AA referrals if you shoot me an email. Purely non-ironical.

Splurgos-

You are master of nothing!

You think you can just waltz into this blog, show off your big fancy Playa-Hatin-Degree and…..and……and……wow. That’s a pretty big degree. How does it fit in your….

if you “hate” Donovan, then there are much more profound issues at work here beyond the scope of this blog. And I think your hatred of Donovan may have played a role in re AFFIRMING post-colonial relationships.

Andrew-

my only response is that Said’s “Orientalism” revisionism overlooks the obvious capitalist argument that the shifting of geopolitical realities, ie, the concentration of capital in the east, still depends upon Western consumption of oil. As long as western “consumers” continue to “purchase” from the middle east, this process will continue. But has this changed either culture? And what happens when consumer preferences change or the oil dries up? Or both?

I prefer to refer to Cahill and Donovan’s “understanding” as its own creole-esque language spoken and shared from the same bonds of a cruel colonial master. This language was developed in Australia and the US due to both geographic factors but also as a means of subverting the tyrant. And of course, in the 21st century, it has the risk of being com-modified and spit out for global consumption. That’s what makes Donovan’s “act” so impressive.

Also, this post is best read after either one Shiner or two Widmers.

Couldn’t a further interpretation be that his goal was simply a way of letting the subaltern speak? That Donovan was offering a dramatic new argument drawing off Said’s Orientalism to suggest that it is not just a hegemonic West subverting the East, but an epistemic shift from old world to new? I guess I’m suggesting that there may be an archaeology of (tactical) knowledge that has allowed the subjectivity of Donovan and Cahill to move beyond crypto-normativity. Which you may be missing. Or maybe it’s just the beer.