CAPIRE cosa succede a GAZA - Alessandro Barbero (Parma, 2024)

Summary

The speaker reflects on how historians study the past while being influenced by the present. They note that predicting the future is impossible, as events like the COVID-19 pandemic show. The notion that every era is perceived as difficult is a universal human experience. Despite changes, certain global conflicts persist, as seen in the Middle East and Ukraine. The speaker emphasizes that understanding these current conflicts requires knowledge of their historical context, highlighting that people in those regions live with an awareness of their past, unlike many in Western Europe who tend to disconnect from history.

Takeaways

• 📚 Historians study the past by viewing it through the lens of the present, but they are not fortune-tellers and cannot predict the future.
• 🌐 The past is full of complex times, and every era has been perceived as a 'bad time' by those living through it.
• 📉 Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the speaker used to say that history teaches us that bad things will happen, but not necessarily the ones we expect.
• 🌟 The speaker emphasizes that we live in a world that is perceived as precarious and unstable, with rapid changes.
• 📰 By looking at newspapers from 1969, the speaker illustrates that the world has always been in flux, with its own set of crises and conflicts.
• 🔗 The speaker points out that certain aspects of our world today are prisoners of the past, and understanding current events requires historical context.
• 🌍 To understand what's happening in places like Gaza or Ukraine, it's crucial to know what happened there in the past 50 to 100 years.
• 👥 People living in conflict zones have a direct connection to their history, unlike some Western Europeans who might not perceive the link between their present and past.
• 🏛️ The past is very much alive in certain regions, influencing the lives and perceptions of people there.
• 💡 Each nation has its own history and memory, focusing on the wrongs they have suffered rather than those they have committed, which can contribute to seemingly intractable situations.

Q & A

What is the main point the speaker makes about historians and the future?

The speaker emphasizes that historians do not have any special insight into the future, contrary to what some might expect. They assure that historians cannot predict what the future will be like.

Why did the speaker stop repeating a certain statement after the COVID-19 pandemic?

The speaker stopped saying that 'bad things will happen but not the ones we expect' because it seemed to be in poor taste to continue with that statement after the pandemic hit.

What does the speaker suggest about human nature when discussing the perception of living in complicated times?

The speaker suggests that it is a common human trait to feel like we are living in complicated times, and that there has never been a time when people did not think they were living in a 'bad era.'

What did the speaker read in newspapers from 1969 that made them reflect on the perception of change?

The speaker read articles from 1969 about terrorist acts, bombings, and missile strikes in the Middle East, which made them realize that while the world changes rapidly, some things remain prisoners of the past.

What is the speaker's contract about, as mentioned in the script?

The speaker's contract was to talk about the Crusades, but they digress to discuss the importance of understanding history to make sense of current events.

What does the speaker believe is indispensable for understanding current events in Gaza and Ukraine?

The speaker believes that to understand what is happening in Gaza and Ukraine, it is indispensable to know what happened there in the past 50 to 100 years.

How does the speaker describe the relationship between the people living in Gaza, Ukraine, and their past?

The speaker describes the people living in Gaza and Ukraine as being directly connected to their history, feeling it as if it were yesterday, and that their past is alive and present in their lives.

What does the speaker imply about the European perception of history?

The speaker implies that Europeans often live as if the past does not exist, except for maybe remembering certain historical dates or events, and they do not perceive the connection between their present and the past as strongly as people in conflict zones do.

What does the speaker mean when they say that 'every people has its yesterday'?

The speaker means that every nation has its own history and memory, particularly remembering the wrongs they have suffered rather than those they have committed.

Why does the speaker believe that some situations seem to have no way out?

The speaker believes that some situations seem to have no way out because they are deeply rooted in history and collective memory, which can make conflicts and issues appear intractable.