books @ cc.

by Marjane Satrapi (2001)

An autobiographical comic/graphic novel/bande dessinée, Persepolis tells the story of Marjane Satrapi as a girl growing up in Iran around the revolution & wartime, then abroad by herself. Chronologically told, with each chapter focusing loosely on specific events, the memoir tells us more about everyday occurrences in the life of a daughter of a (relatively) priviliged, “liberal” Iranian family than about general Iranian life (the family lives comfortably even during troubled times, and Satrapi spent a good deal of her youth abroad in Vienna) or history. The illustrations are simple, basic figures, and Satrapi effectively and stylistically uses stark black and white with no greytones.

A Biography of the Prophet
by Karen Armstrong (1991)

Initially written in the height of Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses crisis in 1990 (with a new introduction for the post-9/11), the book was written not as an an all-inclusive biography, but rather as a readable introductory account of Muhammad’s (frequently misunderstood) life and teachings. There is, as such, much to find in the current context of the common (mis)conceptions of Islam, particularly in regard to the Rushdie affair, the question of jihad, polygamy, and female role in Islamic societies.

by Mark Cousins (2004)

Taking his cue from H.R. Gombrich’s The Story of Art, Mark Cousins paints a broad sweep of film history, chronologically arranged from its conception in late 19th century, “silent” to “sound” and then “digital” in 21st century, focusing on those whose originality — “schema with variations” instead of Gombrich’s “schema with corrections” — he considered has altered the landmarks of film-making.

A Political History
by Hamid Reza Sadr (2006)

From the infamous introduction of cinema to Iran through the Iranian monarchy in the early twentieth century to the worldwide acclaimed post-revolutionary era, Sadr presents us with a highly readable history of Iranian cinema with its embedded and reflected social, political, cultural and economic contexts, lucidly written in a comprehensive book.

Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain
by Antonio Damasio (2003)

Having been familiar with the prominence of (both Hanna and Antonio) Damasio’s names in neuroscience, I picked this book expecting a popular science book that provides insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of memory and emotions, something like Damasio’s colleague’s work, Joseph LeDoux’ Synaptic Self (maybe with some accounts of Spinoza). I was wrong — the book instead focuses on some basic points which are somehow, in an almost Whiggish manner, related to Spinoza’s ideas.

by Robert O. Paxton (2004)

In this book, Paxton claims that the way to understand fascism is to observe it in action. Dividing the book in chronological sections, Paxton observes the evolution of fascism from its invention and creation, the “common thread”, the social and political space and conditions, the seeds and the full blooms in different countries, and the potential of fascist re-emergence in modern world.

Kolonialisme, Budaya Cetak, dan Kesastraan Sunda Abad ke-19
by Mikihiro Moriyama (2003)

Originally published in English as A New Spirit: Sundanese Publishing and the Changing Configuration of Writing in Nineteenth Century West Java, the book reseraches the development of Sundanese language and literature. Moriyama emphasises organic, dynamic nature of language and its geography, paying particular attention the Javanese-Sundanese dynamics & “rivalry” and the constraining power of colonial administration in defining the local language & literature.

Aspek Sosial & Simbolik Teater Rakyat Indonesia
by James L. Peacock (1968)

Originally published in English as Rites of Modernization: Symbolic and Social Aspects of Indonesian Proletarian Drama by the University of Chicago in 1968, Ritus Modernisasi studies the (pre-’65 gestapu) historical, social and artistic importance of this “proletarian drama”, ludruk.

A Cultural History of Russia
by Orlando Figes (2002)

Thematically organized, the book encompasses the cultural history of Russia from around 17th to 20th century, with heavy emphasis on the earlier period, especially the 18th and 19th century. Central to all these themes are the questions of quintessential “Russian culture” and national identities: the European and Asian identities, the bourgeois and peasant differences occur as pervasive leitmotif throughout (sometimes to the point where its dichotomization begs a question of validity).

How the secrests of the brain were uncovered in seventeenth-century England
by Carl Zimmer (2004)

An account of how people “first” became aware of the secrets of human brain in the seventeenth century, with particular focus on major players, i.e. Thomas Willis and his contemporaries such as Wren, Descartes, Harvey, Boyle and Hooke.