It was with regret that I logged on to social media last Monday to learn that Professor Zygmunt Bauman had passed away at the age of 91. A compelling writer, he his legacy is, on one hand, a vast repertoire of books. For me, he work on Liquid Modernity (or "Liquid Times, Living in the Age of Uncertainty") and Identity were formative readings that continue to influence my own approaches to social sciences.
Obituaries have been published at the websites of Polity Press and the Bauman Institute, University of Leeds.
2 comments:
He was trained by the NKVD in the Soviet Union 1939-41, saw active service in the military against the Germans. When he was being recommended for promotion to Major in a unit run by the NKVD in Poland post war, explicit mention was made that Bauman run a unit that liquidated many "bandits". Think about that one - the KGB killing bandits in Poland post war. The same recommendation said that he should now pursue a career in university lecturing - which he then did. Continuing the repression. He never felt any remorse for his actions that helped impose misery and slavery on millions for decades.
Dear Dave,
Thank you for that. Indeed, that is a dark past, and honestly, I didn't know.
Just curious: What about Heidegger? Should one read him?
C.
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