Before I begin this post, let me recommend an excellent video about Aristophanes’ historical context that focuses on Acharnians and Knights: I can’t find the name of the guy who made this video, but he knows what he’s talking about and has a great intuitive sense of where Aristophanes came from and what he wasContinue reading “On my dad, “MC Hammer”, and Dikaiopolis”
Tag Archives: ecology
On the manliness of mathematics, the death of AndrewAndrew, and (not) performing Aristophanes in the woods
Recently I wrote about the way my interests in nature and in ancient Greek and Latin developed and became linked as an evolving complex I call my “ecoclassicism”. In this post I want to reflect on how my involvement with one particular ancient Greek author, Aristophanes, has been linked to my struggle to reconcile myContinue reading “On the manliness of mathematics, the death of AndrewAndrew, and (not) performing Aristophanes in the woods”
On the manliness of fishing
I’ve written before about how my childhood experiences of gardening, camping, and fishing with my family, especially my dad (Michael) and granddad (Pawpaw), planted in me the seeds of my current love, worry, and (highly imperfect) care for the planet and all its critters. In this post I want to reflect on how those experiencesContinue reading “On the manliness of fishing”
On “ecoclassicism”; or, how I started caring about nature and ancient Greece
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how we humans come to care about the things we care about, whatever those may be: ancient monuments, endangered species, books, languages, family members, gender norms…. I was already thinking about that before I moved to Cairo last August, but living in a place where people care aboutContinue reading “On “ecoclassicism”; or, how I started caring about nature and ancient Greece”
Gender toxicity’s dirty secrets
When I was waiting to get my first dose of the Sinopharm (Chinese) Covid-19 vaccine at the clinic in Maadi tasked with hosting vaccine distribution by the Egyptian Ministry of Health (a task the clinic must have regarded, judging from its neglected appearance and the unhappy crowd packed into its outdoor waiting area, as unwelcome–thoughContinue reading “Gender toxicity’s dirty secrets”
On my parents’ marriage
Today my parents, Michael and Beth, celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary. In honor of the occasion, I’d like to say something about them and their marriage, from my perspective. Here is a photo of them from before they were married: The joy you see here proved enduring. You can see it a decade later, afterContinue reading “On my parents’ marriage”
On my grandfather, the ancient Greeks, and Nature
I have been thinking and writing for the past year about how memory shapes our experience of environments. I’ve been focusing mainly on cultural memory, in particular the modern, mainly Euro-American memory of ancient Greece as the site of a uniquely beautiful relationship between humans and the more-than-human world of birds, grapevines, Nemean lions, forests,Continue reading “On my grandfather, the ancient Greeks, and Nature”
On packing
How does a guy from Alabama pack to move to Egypt? I’ve been pondering this question for more than a month, but I’ve yet to do any actual packing. The time has come, it would seem, to do something. But what? The legion of unknowns here feels paralyzing. I’ve never moved to another country before,Continue reading “On packing”
On starting to blog
Hi there! I’ve decided to start a blog. It will be a personal blog, so I should begin by introducing myself. My name is Samuel Durham Cooper. I have a PhD, so people sometimes call me Dr. Samuel or Dr. Cooper. Or Dr. Scooper. Or just Samuel, or Sam. My job title is Assistant ProfessorContinue reading “On starting to blog”
Cairo Cooper: Dr. Sam's Blog 