Friday, September 09, 2005

Posthegemonic musings

There has always been a particular rivalry between solidity and liquidity. Liquids level, either slowly, through erosion, or tumultously and violently, as the dams break and the tidal wave comes through. They dissolve, make immanent, everything that the elite hold dear. The fable of Canute tells us that sovereignty can control everything but rising water. And the downfall of a capitalist enterprise is its liquidation.
No wonder that revolutions are often figured as floods. "Après nous, le déluge," as Madame Pompadour said.
And no wonder then that the flooding of New Orleans should have incited such panic about the threat of an unleashed African American underclass.
This is from Posthegemonic Musings. Some mighty good stuff there. Friday, when I get round to it, I'll be adding Posthegemonic Musings to the growing list of links on the right.

1 comment:

Jon said...

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Glad you like the blog.