The finger pointed at colonialism always has 4 pointing back to the cultures into which the colonials stepped. Few examine these cultures with the tenacity and ill will with which the colonising culture is pursued.
I am a Canadian of Mr. Biggar’s age and I was brought up with the pioneer experience story, that of ploughing the land, building the log cabin, creating a new life in a sometimes cold and inhospitable environment. I recommend Suzanna Moodie’s autobiographical account of this experience, “Roughing It In the Bush.” The settlers arrived with little and, given a plot of land, had to feed and support themselves. They were helped, at times, by the indigenous people. It’s so sad for me to see this story obliterated from our history.
That's a nice piece, and I find it quite heartening. It's a story of the triumph, or at least the rise, of scholarship and doggedness and decency over hyperbole and vitriol and bad faith. I was refreshing too to note that Prof Biggar was the first of his family to go to university. I've become rather jaded over the last 10 or so years, observing how many young PhD students appear to be simply following in the footsteps of family members.
The finger pointed at colonialism always has 4 pointing back to the cultures into which the colonials stepped. Few examine these cultures with the tenacity and ill will with which the colonising culture is pursued.
I am a Canadian of Mr. Biggar’s age and I was brought up with the pioneer experience story, that of ploughing the land, building the log cabin, creating a new life in a sometimes cold and inhospitable environment. I recommend Suzanna Moodie’s autobiographical account of this experience, “Roughing It In the Bush.” The settlers arrived with little and, given a plot of land, had to feed and support themselves. They were helped, at times, by the indigenous people. It’s so sad for me to see this story obliterated from our history.
That's a nice piece, and I find it quite heartening. It's a story of the triumph, or at least the rise, of scholarship and doggedness and decency over hyperbole and vitriol and bad faith. I was refreshing too to note that Prof Biggar was the first of his family to go to university. I've become rather jaded over the last 10 or so years, observing how many young PhD students appear to be simply following in the footsteps of family members.