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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 5d

My friend in Thekkady, too, is worried about the state of humanity.

Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 5d

My morning walk in Kerala passed through 4 churches, a mosque with a madrasa, a hammer and sickle, an invitation to "Che's Martyrdom Day" celebrated by the Communist Party's youth wing, and a massage parlor presenting Jesus, the Ka'abah, and the locally revered Ayyappan together.

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 7d

As an Eastern Europeanist, this is a day of celebration: now I get to hear reporters around the world try to figure out how to pronounce László Krasznahorkai -- and, sometimes, mistakenly assuming this "sz" to make an sh sound like in Polish...
🗃️

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 9d

My very niche advantage as a historian of education traveling in India: I quickly realized 'pass out [of college] meant 'graduate,' and not 'became unconscious.' Many former British armies still refer to their cadets' graduation as Passing Out, I believe.

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 13d

Started my first morning in Delhi with a guided tour, perhaps a pilgrimage, to see the hotel's peacock. A staff member took me there after I expressed my excitement over the squirrels climbing over tables at the outdoor café...

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 13d

I met a Chinese teacher at the hotel bar today. He was telling me about his first day, when students pick their Chinese name -- and he suggested I adopt the name 欧乐 Ōulè, which sounds like Orel and can mean "European joy" or "to enjoy Europe." Beyond perfect, really. 🗃️

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 13d

בכיתה ח׳ (ואילך) הייתי מור נורא לחוק וסדר, אז החלטתי בקיץ ללכת לשמוע דיונים בבית המשפט השלום בהרצליה ואז במחוזי בתל אביב. היה באחד הימים דיון די קשה בתיק של בן (מבוגר) שהתעלל באימא שלו, והשופטת התעקשה להתקשר לאימא שלי לשאול אותה אם זה בסדר שאני אשב פה לשמוע לפני שהיא אפשרה לדיון להתכנס בנוכחות בן 14

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 15d

Revisiting Lévi-Strauss on Indian cities. If one accepts his characterization of Calcutta and the underlying difference in European vs Indian urbanity, it must testify to the transformation of European urban life--his description would've rung familiar to many Europeans a century+ beforehand.

Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 15d

Oh, right! I don't know how I missed it -- that's how I once got to Esztergom before realizing you can take the train directly there (and that finding a taxi to cross the bridge can be quite a hassle)...

Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 15d

From the Tamil-speaking mosque in Singapore's Chinatown, I learned that there is a Qur'an museum in a city called Bhatkal, named after a medieval grammarian named Bhattakalanka Deva. I can't think of any others -- but who knows what's behind the names of Grammatikovo in Bulgaria and Greece? 🗃️

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 16d

My time in Singapore was instructive, if not fun. I am very excited for the next leg of my journey: three weeks in India, going Delhi to Kochi!

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 18d

Deepavali/Diwali season began at Singapore's Indian Heritage Centre. The museum is free on weekends, featuring festive activities such as free henna, tea/snacks, and dress-up opportunities. A wonderful place (best paired with Ar-Rahman's roti prata at Tekka Centre nearby).

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 19d

The cool thing about Malaysia's National Service Training Program is that every word in its Malay name was borrowed from a different language:
Program: English
Latihan: Austronesian, not borrowed (training)
Khidmat: Arabic (service)
Negara: Sanskrit (city [-> nation in Malay]) 🗃️

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 20d

Today is the European Day of Languages and, incidentally, my birthday. I think it was very prescient of the European Council to declare it as such toward my sixth birthday. It more than makes up for the fact that I share my birthday with Heidegger.

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 20d

I am dismayed by Singapore National Library's $1.58 reservation fee PER ITEM when requesting a book from the warehouse. Books stored in-house are free, but as a historian whose work consists of many "less-read books," my fees add up quickly. 🗃️

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 21d

The Straits Times, in Singapore, weighing in on Yugoslavia's fate, July 1991:

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 21d

One of my favorite university archives!

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 21d

The best triangle of Singapore: the National Archives, the Children's Museum, and the Armenian Church/Street. Those who genuinely wish to be world historians -- in the sense of historians of everywhere -- should learn Armenian... 🗃️

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Reposted by Orel Beilinson

Carla Vilhena @cifccv.bsky.social · 22d

II International Seminar for Emerging Historians of Education - Call for papers

International Standing Conference for the History of Education @ische-news.bsky.social · Sep 12

#CfP: The II International Seminar for Emerging Historians of Education, organised by HISTEDUP, invites submissions.

Date: 24 November 2025 at the Institute of Education, University of Lisbon.

Submission deadline: 15 October 2025

Learn more: www.ische.org/g0wd

#HistEd #ECRchat

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 22d

Alas, another ancient craft has fallen prey to mechanization. At least it accepts Apple Pay.

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 23d

The museum does not really tell of the university's many troubles: the unfavorable reviews it received from outside evaluators and the difficulty of maintaining a consistent enrollment in Chinese. Indeed, its linguistic history is fascinating -- and can form the basis for a wonderful monograph.

Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 23d

One should say that entering the museum is quite a hassle: you have to buy a ticket online (12 SGD) and bring 50 SGD in cash (and you really don't need to carry around cash in Singapore, though payment with int'l cards is another issue) as a refundable deposit(!) for the key.

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 23d

The building behind me used to be Singapore's only private and Chinese-language university. The institution eventually merged into the National University of Singapore, whereas the building is in the territory of Nanyang Technological University. There's a small museum inside that's worth visiting.🗃️

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 23d

I am in Singapore now, where it seems like they got the message and are determined to make America's talent loss their gain...

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Orel Beilinson @orelb.bsky.social · 24d

Today was a significant day in my mother's developing understanding of the academic career, as she was genuinely surprised that I still need to visit the archives now that I have a job. "Young people usually go to Bucharest to do things much more hanky-panky," grandpa added. 🗃️

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