Spain

I'm getting so excited for summer. I get to go to Spain this summer. For 6 weeks! My Dad is coming too. And I'll be dancing the entire time we are gone!



I've heard so much about Spain. I'm really happy that I get to go. It was an honor to get asked to go. I've spent the last year studying hard, practicing, and earning money. It's going to be so fun!



I really can't wait to learn how to dance from all the amazing teachers. That's the real reason I'm going. This is going to be so exciting! Now I just need to finish up school. :) C

Corruption in the Higher Education System in Spain

A professor in Murcia is claiming that he is persecuted for writing a book about how corrupt the system of higher education is in Spain:

A Spanish university has denied that disciplinary proceedings against one of its professors are a response to a book he wrote alleging corruption at the institution. José Penalva, professor of education at the University of Murcia, has been accused of absenteeism and could face dismissal. He told Times Higher Education that he believed the real reason for the action was a book, published last month, in which he claimed that political influence and nepotism were rife in Spanish universities. Corrupción en la Universidad (Corruption in the University) describes what Professor Penalva sees as the incestuous relationship between Spanish universities and local politics, which he believes is a major factor in the "mediocrity" of the country's higher education institutions. "The rector always is a person who has a lot of power in the local community, and is always supported by a bunch of deans and politicians who scratch each other's backs," Professor Penalva told THE. "This explains why Spanish universities are at the bottom of the international rankings: there is no accountability, so the quality of research is very low," he said. . . Professor Penalva said Spanish universities were legally obliged to advertise academic positions, but that the majority of the members of the selection panels were appointed by the university's rector and the dean of the department in question. "This explains why 98 per cent of lecturers and professors in Spanish universities are 'local candidates' who have already worked in the department and have a 'godfather' there," he said.

I have no idea whether Dr. Penalva is, in fact, guilty of absenteeism, but I do know that he is absolutely right in his charges against the higher education system in Spain. I love Spain and have dedicated my life to the study, teaching and promotion of its culture. However, I have to agree that Spanish higher education is for shit.

When I first started out as a student in Hispanic Studies, my dream was to do my PhD in Spain. Then, gradually, I began noticing certain things that made me reconsider this plan. All of the brightest Hispanists I knew were doing all they could to leave Spain. When I asked them why they didn't want to look for a professorial position or a grad school program in their country, they would tell me that they didn't have the kind of connections it took to be successful in Spanish academia. The quality of courses in the Humanities is, more often than not, abysmal. Sexual harassment, nepotism and exploitation of graduate students are rife. As a result, scholars who want to do actual research and advance on their merits and not on the number of anuses they have been able to wipe clean with their tongues abandon the country.

It is not humanly possible to dedicate enough energy and time to research while simultaneously trying to cultivate connections with everybody who might be remotely "useful." Of course, I have seen academics here in the US who choose ass-licking (and I don't mean in a good, sexually fulfilling kind of way) over doing scholarship. Eventually, however, brown-nosers realize that this is a losing strategy and nobody in the academic community respects them. In Spain, it is just the opposite. As a result, students end up receiving sub-standard education and the prestige of Spanish college diplomas evaporates.   

P. S. If anybody knows where I can get the book in question, I will be very grateful. This is a book I would love to read and review. (Ordering online from Spanish bookstores is a humongous waste of time, as anybody who has ever tried it will know.)

Dreaming of Barcelona

What sense does it make that I've never been to Barcelona? All of my favorite writers are from there. I read so much about it, it sometimes feels like I could take guided tours around the city. Why haven't I been, I wonder.


People who have visited Barcelona say it's the most beautiful city in the world.

Two Trends in Islam

The Great Mosque of Cordoba is an architectural
marvel that will leave you speechless

Between 929 and 1031, the Caliphate of Cordoba that existed on the Iberian Peninsula was the wonder of the world. It was extremely successful economically. The sciences and the arts flourished. People of all religions were welcome to contribute in any way they could. In terms of culture and civilization, the Caliphate of Cordoba was miles ahead any other place in Europe. (Who do you think brought us the toothpaste and the deodorant?) Ancient Greek texts that had been lost for the Western Civilization were translated by the Arabic and Jewish scholars who worked together in a happy collaboration. 

Then, of course, it all ended. The Caliphate was sacked and destroyed. One of its greatest architectural achievements, the beautiful palace of Madinat al-Zahra, was turned to rubble by invading hordes. This gem of a palace that left ecstatic everybody who saw it was of no value to the barbarians who came to destroy the happy, progressive, tolerant Caliphate of Cordoba. 

The ruins of
Madinat al-Zahra

I'm sure that by now you are really eager to know who invaded the Caliphate of Cordoba and destroyed Madinat al-Zahra. This was done by North African Berbers who represented a different, extremely fanatical trend in Islam. The Berbers were recent converts to Islam and, as we know, a Johnny-come-lately always tried to prove his credentials by being the most fanatical representative of the group he was late to join. The Berbers were unhappy we the progressive values and tolerant lifestyles of the Cordobans. They believed that their own, fanatical version of Islam was the true one. Since at that point they were not really ready to create anything of their own (at least, not anything that would match the achievements of the Caliphate), they decided to leave their mark through violence, looting, and destruction.

You might be wondering why I decided to share with you this little review of the history of the Muslim Spain. The reason is that the struggle between the progressive and the barbaric trends in Islam continues today:

An imam of an east London mosque has been subject to death threats and intimidation for expressing his views on evolution and women's right to refuse the veil. Dr Usama Hasan, vice-chairman at Leyton mosque and a senior lecturer in engineering at Middlesex University, ceased delivering Friday prayers after 25 years of service when 50 Muslim protesters disrupted his lecture by handing out leaflets against him and shouting in the mosque for his execution. A statement from the secretary of the mosque, Mohammad Sethi, that was leaked to extremist websites, said Hasan had been suspended after his lecture resulted in "considerable antagonism" from the community and for his "belief that Muslim women are allowed to uncover their hair in public".

I just hope that this time Madinat al-Zahra does not get destroyed and the fanatics finally lose their power.