At the height of the Napoleonic Wars, the Bacri brothers and their nephew, Naphtali Busnach, were perhaps the most notorious Jews in the Mediterranean.
Based in the strategic port of Algiers, their interconnected families traded in raw goods and luxury items, brokered diplomatic relations with the Ottomans, and lent vital capital to warring nations.
For the French, British, and Americans, who competed fiercely for access to trade and influence in the region, there was no getting around the Bacris and the Busnachs. “The Kings of Algiers” traces the rise and fall of these two trading families over four tumultuous decades in the 19th century.
In this panoramic book, Julie Kalman restores their story — and Jewish history more broadly — to the histories of trade and high-stakes diplomacy in the Mediterranean during the Napoleonic Wars and their aftermath.
“The Kings of Algiers” brings vividly to life an age of competitive imperialism and nascent nationalism.
What We Are Reading Today: Inequality and Globalization
Drawing on extensive data from fieldwork in Thailand, Paweenawat and Townsend show how consistent integrated financial accounts at the individual household and small enterprise level can be created using household and firm survey data
Updated 26 July 2024
Arab News
Authors: Archawa Paweenawat and Robert M. Townsend
Increasing inequality, the impact of globalization, and the disparate effects of financial regulation and innovation are extraordinarily important topics that fuel spirited policy debates. And yet the facts underlying these debates are of doubtful accuracy.
In reality, as Archawa Paweenawat and Robert Townsend show in Inequality and Globalization, there is a large gap between micro household surveys, which measure key outcomes such as inequality, and aggregated financial accounts, which measure macroeconomic totals and growth.
Paweenawat and Townsend propose a remedy: Integrated financial accounts, in which the flows in income statements, including saving and investment, are consistent with the changes in financial assets and liabilities in the balance sheet at micro and macro levels. None of the leading US micro household surveys or macro accounts meets this criterion.
Drawing on extensive data from fieldwork in Thailand, Paweenawat and Townsend show how consistent integrated financial accounts at the individual household and small enterprise level can be created using household and firm survey data.
What We Are Reading Today: ‘Waiting for The Barbarians’
Updated 26 July 2024
Ghadi Joudah
J. M. Coetzee’s award-winning 1980 novel “Waiting for The Barbarians” is set in a remote outpost on the frontier of an unnamed empire, where the protagonist, a magistrate, grapples with moral dilemmas as he witnesses the brutal treatment of indigenous people at the hands of imperial forces.
Through the magistrate’s inner turmoil and resistance to the violence perpetrated by his people, the novel explores themes of power, colonialism, torture, and morality.
One of the central themes is the dehumanizing nature of colonialism, and the brutality that often accompanies the exercise of power over others.
As the magistrate witnesses the harsh treatment of the barbarians at the hands of the imperial forces, he begins to question the morality of the empire’s actions and to confront his role in upholding the oppressive system.
The novel’s exploration of the nature of power and violence is both timely and timeless, as it raises questions about how individuals and societies justify and perpetuate acts of cruelty and oppression.
“Waiting for The Barbarians” won several prestigious awards, including the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction in 1980 and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize in the same year.
The novel also won the South African CNA Prize, now known as the Sunday Times Literary Award, for the best work of fiction in 1980.
Coetzee was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2003 for his notable contributions to the world of literature.
What We Are Reading Today: ‘Africa’s Struggle for Its Art’ by Benedicte Savoy
Updated 25 July 2024
Arab News
For decades, African nations have fought for the return of countless works of art stolen during the colonial era and placed in Western museums. In “Africa’s Struggle for Its Art,” Benedicte Savoy brings to light this largely unknown but deeply important history. One of the world’s foremost experts on restitution and cultural heritage, Savoy investigates extensive, previously unpublished sources to reveal that the roots of the struggle extend much further back than prominent recent debates indicate, and that these efforts were covered up by myriad opponents.
What We Are Reading Today: Thinking through Writing
Updated 24 July 2024
Arab News
Authors: John Kaag & Jonathan Van Belle
For college students learning how to write on scholarly subjects, writing and critical thinking go hand in hand. And yet most books on these topics are categorized separately: writing guides and critical thinking handbooks. This book is different, offering a manual for developing reading, writing, and thinking skills in tandem.
“Thinking through Writing” helps readers learn to think critically about themselves and the world at large, read carefully, write clearly and persuasively, stay on point, and finish their work as cleanly and compellingly as possible.
Review: ‘Elden Ring’ expansion offers more of the same excellence
Updated 24 July 2024
James Denselow
LONDON: “Shadow of Erdtree” is the highly anticipated expansion for the critically acclaimed game, “Elden Ring.” The original game, released in 2022, swept numerous awards upon release and captivated players with its intricate world, challenging gameplay, and immersive lore. Within a week of its release, the expansion has seen over 5 million players dive into its dark world, a testament to the game’s allure and the reputation of its creator, Hidetaka Miyazaki. Miyazaki, also the president of FromSoftware since 2014, cemented his and the developer’s legacy with the release of “Dark Souls” in 2011, a game that defined a genre and set a new standard for difficulty and storytelling.
Jumping into “Shadow of Erdtree” is no small feat. Even for seasoned players with over 130 hours invested, accessing the new content requires overcoming significant challenges, including defeating an optional boss to unlock the entrance to the “Land of Shadow.” This expansion continues the trend of demanding gameplay, rewarding perseverance with new content that expands the lore and challenges of “Elden Ring.”
The plot of “Shadow of Erdtree” continues the enigmatic and complex narrative established in the base game. Players find themselves amid the turmoil of demi-gods battling for fragments of the once all-powerful Elden Ring. Into this chaos steps a “tarnished,” an outcast whose journey is intertwined with the mysterious figure of Miquella the Kind. The story remains cryptic and layered, inviting players to piece together its many facets through exploration and discovery.
Fundamentally, “Shadow of Erdtree” offers more of the same elements that made “Elden Ring” a success. The expansion preserves the dark, epic, and dangerous atmosphere of The Lands Between. New areas and the addition of Scadutree fragments provide fresh content while maintaining the game’s signature aesthetic. Enemies are as unforgiving as ever, ensuring that players will face numerous deaths as they navigate the perilous landscape.
The sense of reward in “Shadow of Erdtree” is immense. The expansion enriches the game with a plethora of new items, crafting options, flasks, clothes, weapons, magic, key items, and Ashes of War. These additions enhance the depth of gameplay, offering new strategies and customization options for players to explore.
For those who love delving into the intricate lore and challenging gameplay of “Elden Ring,” “Shadow of Erdtree” is a must-play. It expands on the original game’s strengths, delivering a compelling and demanding experience that will test even the most seasoned players. Supporting wikis and community resources will undoubtedly be invaluable as players navigate the expansion’s new content and uncover its many secrets.
