At 9:53 on the morning of July 18; 1994; a suicide bomber drove a Renault Trafic van loaded with explosives into the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina; a Jewish community center in the bustling commercial neighborhood of Once; Buenos Aires. The explosion left eighty-five people dead and over three hundred wounded. Originally published in Spanish amid widespread controversy; Once@9:53am: Terror in Buenos Aires imagines the two hours before the attack through the popular format of the fotonovela. Part documentary; part fiction; this vivid retelling of Argentina’s deadliest bombing depicts a vibrant; complex urban community in the hours before its identity was forever changed. This expanded English edition includes a new essay by Ilan Stavans detailing the aftermath of the attack and the faulty investigations that have yet to yield any arrests or reach resolution. A unique and powerful visual experience; Once@9:53am is both a commemoration of an atrocity that shifted Latin American Jewish identity in innumerable ways and an ingenious use of a popular format to explore the dangerous intersection of politics and religion in Latin America.
#1088800 in Books 2004-07-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.22 x 6.00l; 1.28 #File Name: 0271025352440 pages
Review
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Public policy virtually sanctions racial discriminationBy Robin OrlowskiUsing the later 20th/early 21st century as her canvas; Linda Faye Williams paints a disturbing and all too true portrait of American social policy's inherently racialized construct. Our formal declarations of `equal opportunity' are undercut by the cultural reality of racist social policy. Like Dorothy Roberts; she argues that gender and racial hierarchies intersect to specifically disadvantage black women.Unlike Robert's earlier work; this book goes all the way back to the emancipation era and covers many more issue areas beyond reproduction. When the federal government has intervened for racial equality; it has only done so in periods which are relatively fleetingly in comparison to the magnitude of the problem.Williams has her most provocative research in a chapter on the black community's consistent support for President Bill Clinton (1993-2001). Blacks had consistently supported the Clinton administration at levels which easily overshadowed the total support simultaneously received from white voters. Although she does not provide a detailed analysis of intra- African American socioeconomic issues; Williams does ask us to consider how goals and stereotypes subtly but pervasively co-exist in public policy programs.Those ultimately racialized voter patterns were established and then further solidified even as Clinton signed `welfare reform' which specifically built off the specter of the `welfare queen'; a presumably African American woman who lived off of the government instead of having a `job' and then raising her kids `right'. Ironically; before the federal welfare program became racially integrated in the 1960's; the white welfare recipients were intentionally supposed to stay at home with their children and not work outside of the home specifically so that their children would grow up `right'.Williams correctly recognizes that any `universal' public policy does fact take on racial connotations because of our society's fundamentally racialized nature. People who prefer the status quo (and the ensuing racial constructs) are not going to be happy with a program which then attempts to equalize the playing field for all Americans. Talking about democracy is one thing; but sharing it with somebody who looks different from the self still makes many Americans and our public officials uncomfortable in spite of their `tolerant' public demeanor.This book is an essential read for people studying race/ethnicity; but I also think it needs to be at the top of public administration reading lists. Conceeding that public policy is not value neutral is the first step in making a society which truly is equal.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Excellent ReadBy -B.JonesThe late Dr. Williams was an amazing writer. The text; "The Constraints of Race" provides all the missing components to the question; "What exactly happened after slavery?" I wish I would have had the pleasure of meeting her. Thank God her legacy still lives on.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Outstanding Reference Book on Class; Race GenderBy L. FieldsI would highly recommend this book as a great reference when studying race and gender. Dr. Williams' book is an outstanding publication that should be required reading for political science students.
