by Brian Bergen-Aurand To censor comes from the Sanskrit śamsati, with its references to “recites, praises,” and śasa “song of praise.” To censor something is to praise it, to recite its praises as a thing worthy for its affect and effect. To censor is to give credence to the idea that things, ideas, books, and … Continue reading
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Censorship as a Dynamic Activity
by Brian Bergen-Aurand Thus, censorship emerges as a dynamic activity. Taking my cues from Foucault and Kuhn, I seek to show that power is a relation and not a possession by placing censorship in dialogue with film production and reception. ~Monika Mehta From the start, Monika Mehta’s Censorship and Sexuality in Bombay Cinema (University of … Continue reading
Democracy, Borrowing, Lending, and Sharing (part 1)
by Brian Bergen-Aurand If God had wanted it, he would have made you a single community, but he wanted, the Koran tells us [5:48], to test you through the gift of difference. ~Mustapha Chérif, Islam and the West I believe that what distinguishes the idea of democracy from all other ideas of political regimes—monarchy, aristocracy, … Continue reading
The Laramie Project in Singapore–Location, Location, Location
By Brian Bergen-Aurand Wayne “Matt” Shepard was born 1 December 1976 and died 12 October 1998. In 1998, Matthew Shepard–a white middle-class twenty-one year old university student–was robbed, beaten, and left tied to a fence outside Laramie, Wyoming in the United States. His head and face injuries were so severe doctors reported they could not … Continue reading
Essaying Film
by Brian Bergen-Aurand Essay noun: essay; plural noun: essays ˈɛseɪ/ 1. a short piece of writing on a particular subject. 2. formal an attempt or effort. verb (formal) : essay; 3rd person present: essays; past tense: essayed; past participle: essayed; gerund or present participle: essaying ɛˈseɪ/ 1. attempt or try. Essay Films are notoriously difficult … Continue reading
You Wanted Utopia. . .
by Félix Guattari (1930-1992) Utopia Today [I hate this kind of survey, so I am addressing this answer to you alone; do with it what you like.] Utopia, today, is to believe that current societies will be able to continue along on their merry little way without major upheavals. Social modes of organization that prevail … Continue reading
AWARE launches Sexual Assault Care Centre–Singapore’s First!
Five Films for a May Day Weekend
by Brian Bergen-Aurand Here are five films in honor of International Workers Day weekend, in no particular order. Salt of the Earth. 1954. Director, Herbert J. Biberman. Writer, Michael Wilson. Stars, Juan Chacón, Rosaura Revueltas, Will Geer. Born in Flames. 1983. Director, Lizzie Borden. Writers, Lizzie Borden and Ed Bowes. Stars, Honey, Adele Bertei, … Continue reading
Tendencies in Boo Junfeng and Eve Sedgwick
by Roy Lee Anyone who takes a first look at Boo Junfeng’s Keluar Baris (2007) would immediately assume that this Singaporean short film is merely about a boy’s anxiety over his pending National Service enlistment. However, anyone who has read and absorbed the work of the prominent queer theorist Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick would probably have … Continue reading
Porn Studies in North American and Europe (for now)
by Brian Bergen-Aurand Earlier this week a friend let me know that the first volume of Porn Studies (a new journal from Routledge Open Access) had made its debut. This is an exciting moment for porn scholars, among whom I count myself in my never-ending quest to reconsider the relations among film, ethics, and embodiment. … Continue reading
Foreign Influence 