tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post5166765832256893723..comments2024-01-19T00:52:12.231-05:00Comments on I Me My: "Genghis Khan and the Makings of the Modern World" by Jack WeatherfordId it ishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-8365324652514748642008-06-12T16:57:00.000-04:002008-06-12T16:57:00.000-04:00moazzam,"every new book of history is, to some ext...moazzam,<BR/>"every new book of history is, to some extent, a work of revision. as methodology, technology and approaches improve, it is only logical that some historical grand narratives will reveal their cracks."<BR/>...beautifully put! <BR/><BR/>I hope to watch the movie "The Mongol" soon as I'm keen to see what the movie makers did with their depiction; yet another revisionist piece in a Id it ishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-11424726969868048992008-06-12T02:37:00.000-04:002008-06-12T02:37:00.000-04:00great discussion, folks. a thing or two about revi...great discussion, folks. a thing or two about revisionist history. every new book of history is, to some extent, a work of revision. as methodology, technology and approaches improve, it is only logical that some historical grand narratives will reveal their cracks. for example, as israel declassified its archives, israeli historian had an opportunity to look at those documents and despite Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-50920435853288804912007-11-23T17:52:00.000-05:002007-11-23T17:52:00.000-05:00and you finally touch on Mongolia! Been waiting fo...and you finally touch on Mongolia! Been waiting for this. Never traveled to Mongolia, but covered the region for years and it's a big, big mystery. Is the revised Genghis related to current Mongolian culture? Genghis was a brute no doubt, he killed mercilessly and as rumor has it, had no heart. But that's what Mongolians today love him for -- a sort of old-day Indiana Jones who created the Khakrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09559997953141681575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-23224393966908496512007-11-14T17:38:00.000-05:002007-11-14T17:38:00.000-05:00sanjay,Not much errata to report but then I'm an o...sanjay,<BR/>Not much errata to report but then I'm an outsider in the field, and so I'm not aware that there is any counter research being done on Weatherford's book; however, I asked a colleague of mine the question you raised, and he said that you have to remember that Weatherford is currently a chaired Prof at Macalester; yet, the book has made it only to the supplementary reading category, Id it ishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-35758741744994915322007-11-14T13:00:00.000-05:002007-11-14T13:00:00.000-05:00Sanjay said... Hey Id, Thank you for your response...Sanjay said... <BR/>Hey Id, Thank you for your response.I agree that those inaccuracies take away from what might be a decent book. <BR/><BR/>From what I read after your response, apparently Weatherford may have gone by Timur's claim. Timur claimed he descended from Genghis Khan. <BR/><BR/>I do have a question though, if the issue of gunpowder and tribes is glaring is there a record of an errata karmichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10973922761187532706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-28265258353050799532007-11-14T08:43:00.000-05:002007-11-14T08:43:00.000-05:00hey there...hi!would you still have the same point...hey there...<BR/><BR/>hi!<BR/><BR/>would you still have the same point of view if he was a pioneering legend that accomplished all of these amazing feats while he was still a rapist, a plunderer and a barbarian?<BR/><BR/>i don't know anything about him but just wanted to bring the other side also if it is true...<BR/><BR/>i admire che guevara for what he did but i also acknowledge that he might AVIANAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01577018292710494274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-24564191924081579352007-11-13T18:29:00.000-05:002007-11-13T18:29:00.000-05:00jedi,"revisionism is welcome as long as the mutant...jedi,<BR/>"revisionism is welcome as long as the mutant doesnt feed on the original" ...<BR/>why couldn't I have said that! How succintly put!<BR/><BR/>sivananth,<BR/>Good to see you back, and thanks for the heads up on 'Ramasetu'Id it ishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-4987247301053578852007-11-13T18:25:00.000-05:002007-11-13T18:25:00.000-05:00readnryte,Sometimes its the cultural biases that m...readnryte,<BR/>Sometimes its the cultural biases that make for oversights and misdocumentation in history. Not that it is to be condoned, but that is simply how it is and thus makes us want to work toward a tolerant and an all-encompassing society.<BR/><BR/>I am now piqued by Shershah Suri, thanks to your comment.Id it ishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-21488235423109710542007-11-13T18:19:00.000-05:002007-11-13T18:19:00.000-05:00Sanjay,Thanks for those great links.There are a co...Sanjay,<BR/>Thanks for those great links.<BR/>There are a couple of inaccuracies in the book, some of the obvious ones being: <BR/>-the use of gunpowder by the Mongols in the invasion of Baghdad in 1258 (which won them the battle) cannot be proven as none of the vernacular texts (Arabic, Pharsi etc) refer to it either<BR/><BR/>- Weatherford cites Timur as a successor to Genghis Khan<BR/><BR/>- Id it ishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-39227145517671353702007-11-13T12:39:00.000-05:002007-11-13T12:39:00.000-05:00didnt have much to write..but it feels great to kn...didnt have much to write..but it feels great to know people remember you..thanks.sivananthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02635984159898723392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-81946358740475357712007-11-13T12:21:00.000-05:002007-11-13T12:21:00.000-05:00the archaeological survey of india, a government b...the archaeological survey of india, a government body in response to a PIL filed by a lawyer for stopping the project, said there is no scientific evidence that the characters exist, let alone build a bridge. The govt let it file a public document, sidestepping the religious sentiments of millions.<BR/><BR/>The Ramayana is about a hero who can do no wrong. Mahabharata is about characters (sivananthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02635984159898723392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-1201724642403372592007-11-13T10:32:00.000-05:002007-11-13T10:32:00.000-05:00Sorry back again, and since this post desl with th...Sorry back again, and since this post desl with the Mongolian folks thought you might like to know that the inaugural Man Asian Booker prize went to "Wolf Totem" <A HREF="http://books.guardian.co.uk/interviews/story/0,,2209435,00.html" REL="nofollow"> link </A>.<BR/><BR/><I>The novel is based on the author's experiences as an intellectual in the inner-Mongolian grasslands during the 1966-76 karmichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10973922761187532706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-70743459039188929212007-11-13T10:19:00.000-05:002007-11-13T10:19:00.000-05:00Id, thank you for a most interesting post! I think...Id, thank you for a most interesting post! I think you may have stayed away from revisionism or books dealing with that because like a lot of us we are more familiar with the word used in it’s negative connotation. <BR/><BR/>Revisionism in its legitimate form is where historians look at facts again in order to update the narrative with newly discovered facts and information which may alter the karmichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10973922761187532706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-7925598418249637592007-11-13T09:34:00.000-05:002007-11-13T09:34:00.000-05:00there are friends of mine who take it upon themsel...there are friends of mine who take it upon themselves to prove to the world that the holocaust didnt exist.. some hoot n some cheer, call it haute or call it faux pas, the argument remains tht though history is singular, perspectives can, do and should tell tales. revisionism is welcome as long as the mutant doesnt feed on the original. delightful readjedihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05398715357622137266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-41168074122537660592007-11-13T01:06:00.000-05:002007-11-13T01:06:00.000-05:00Pretty neat review and I do want to get hold of th...Pretty neat review and I do want to get hold of this book now.<BR/><BR/>I had heard only good things about William Shirer's 'Rise and Fall of third Reich' and when I finally got to read it, I was so very disappointed by the strong American/European bias...but none of the reviews I heard about it mentioned it. The problem with History is that, it is always biased and in a world that is ReadnRytehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-54823760864534790422007-11-12T22:34:00.000-05:002007-11-12T22:34:00.000-05:00I wonder where the line is between rediscovering t...I wonder where the line is between rediscovering the history of a people that has only ever been told from a Euro-centric <BR/>(and probably racist) point of view and revising history. The book does sounding interesting.Coffee-Drinking Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11029304444311098520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-39564326267476972382007-11-12T10:13:00.000-05:002007-11-12T10:13:00.000-05:00Id,thank you so much for such an enlightening revi...Id,thank you so much for such an enlightening review. I can't say I paid much attention to revisionist history before I read your review, but now I am truly curious to see how Jack Weatherford's Genghis compares with the Genghis of my history textbooks.<BR/><BR/>I like Nandi's suggestion that they present both texts alongside each other for compare and contrast.<BR/><BR/>I am going to have to Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-5879423001778082392007-11-12T09:27:00.000-05:002007-11-12T09:27:00.000-05:00exseno,That's yet another interesting question abo...exseno,<BR/>That's yet another interesting question about revisionist literature that you've brought up; can it be made available in the juvenile literature/ history sections?<BR/>I'd be wary of recommending it to someone that young unless he is well versed about the proven history of Genghis Khan. Revisionist history needs to be read with a high degree of discretion which a 15 year old may or Id it ishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-28855819878790518602007-11-12T01:41:00.000-05:002007-11-12T01:41:00.000-05:00Wow, that was a very interesting book review. My g...Wow, that was a very interesting book review. My grandson is quite a history buff. Do you think it would be something that he would find interesting.Would it be suitable for a fifteen year old.EXSENOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13439855607574342872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-61045453203546384142007-11-11T22:40:00.000-05:002007-11-11T22:40:00.000-05:00very interesting. Although I wonder if history of ...very interesting. Although I wonder if history of the ages have much impact on us today. we do live in times with very different political structures, economic structures and even social standards on morality. well, perhaps not.bharathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17373725719154449138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-51950682538850930222007-11-11T13:59:00.000-05:002007-11-11T13:59:00.000-05:00That would certainly be an ideal scenario to have ...That would certainly be an ideal scenario to have both sets of books to generate a thinking forum; questioning 'fact' does indicate a very high level of analytical thinking and would make for some profound exchanges.Id it ishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-88520358742852350272007-11-11T10:13:00.000-05:002007-11-11T10:13:00.000-05:00It would be nice to have the texts presented along...It would be nice to have the texts presented alongside the original ones so that students would be given the opportunity to debate over both sides. In a pluralistic classroom environment I am sure that the debates would be enlightening as well as interesting and would eventually benefit the student even if they are left without a definite answer as to which is historical fact but would open up Nandi23https://www.blogger.com/profile/07589419447836878294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-9524034979925825282007-11-11T09:04:00.000-05:002007-11-11T09:04:00.000-05:00nandi,You've brought up a question that is being w...nandi,<BR/>You've brought up a question that is being widely discussed/ debated at universities. Should revisionist history books be used as prescribed readings for college courses? I don't have any definite opinion, but I lean toward a no ; it cannot be a prescribed text since it presents undocumented history. We cannot leave it to the discretionary powers of our readers /students to decipher Id it ishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-47181414354346602272007-11-10T20:32:00.000-05:002007-11-10T20:32:00.000-05:00The History channel showed a documentary on him on...The History channel showed a documentary on him once, I thought he was brilliant, a bit cruel but very brilliant. Wouldn't revisionist history be a good thing to sort of removes some of the 'standards' set by the WEST to define civilization etc. there were other conquerors who were very cruel as well because with war of there there would've been murders and bloodshed, it seems however that only Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12979912.post-66569941118862689332007-11-09T16:29:00.000-05:002007-11-09T16:29:00.000-05:00Raza,Thank you.Raza,<BR/>Thank you.Id it ishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10933156607975500727noreply@blogger.com