As I am switching to Slovenia for my next country of study, I have decided to read a non-fiction political critique by the pop philosopher Slavoj Zizek. The title of the novel is
First as Tragedy, Then as Farce, being a spin off of one of Marx's famous lines. I believe it is important to read political non-fiction from other countries because it is sometimes necessary to learn from foreign ideologies in order to counteract the typical American news biases, infestations, and presuppositions that feed us everyday. And it is only fitting that this book is an inquiry and critique on the basis of our American political, social, and economic lives: capitalism. But as I have just begun reading it, I shall postpone any commentary on the first section until the next blog entry. Below are informational points on Slovenia, and some basic biographical information on Mr. Zizek.
Slovenia
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- Capital: Ljubljana
- Official Language: Slovene
- Government: Parliamentary Republic
- President: Danilo Turk
- Prime Minister: Borut Pahor
- Approx. Population as of '09: 2,054,199
- Currency: Euro
- GDP per capita: $28,118
- Predominant Religion: Roman Catholicism
Slavoj Zizek
- "The most dangerous philosopher in the West." -New Republic
- "The Elvis of cultural theory." -Chronicle of Higher Education
- Professor at several universities; senior researcher at the Institute of Sociology, Univ of Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Subjects of study: Marxism, Hegelianism, Lacanian psychoanalysis
- Atheist
- 2 documentaries: "Zizek" and "A Pervert's Guide to Cinema"
For an interesting synopsis of a Zizek thesis, watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpAMbpQ8J7g
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