L'ASIA SIAMO NOI

With Mohsin Hamid and professor Torri.

"How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia" by Mohsin Hamid

Lahore:

- curve poor-rich-poor

- development social position

- how to became a star

WOMAN:

Italy:

1) Scandal: girl killed by his father beacuse she wanted to be "western"

2) Less scandal: hundreds of women killed by their lover

Pakistan:

1) it is normal to kill a girl because she wants to go to school

2) there has been twice a woma first minister

Mohsin experience

He was born in Pakistan, when he was three years old his family moved to America. When he was little he was seen as if he had somehting wrong, just beacuse he did not know American. For this reason he did not speak for one month, after it he started to speak English. When he was six years old his family moved back to Pakistan. Mohsin forgot how to speak Urdu: he looked as a Pakistani, but he felt American. He feels like a chamaleon: for example he is green in Pakistan and blue in America. In conclusion he integrates in a new culture, but at the same time he feels dettached.

ASIA:

Asia is a generic word for all nations which are not Europe. Indeed there are many cultural and historical differences, as a consequence it is difficult to discuss about a unique image of Asia.

Protagonists:

- DECLINE:

1) USA: the most powrful country of the world, but it is going down in the global ranking: in 1993 it produced 53% of all industrial products, in 2008 it produced 20% of all industrail products.

2) RUSSIA: demographic crisis: in 2050 it is going to have as much population as Turkey.

3) JAPAN: in the last twenty years its production is blocked.

­- GROWTH:

1) CHINA: fast growth of economy and military resorces

2) INDIA: similar growth of China

There is a close economical relation between Usa and China, it is based on:

- containment

- engagment

The main features of Pakistan are:

- delicate political position (example: where Osama Bin Laden was killed)

- atomic bomb

- violent terrorism

But also :

- Alcohol illegal, but there many high alcohol levl parties

- Sexual freedom

In the end we can not analyse a contry as something homogeneus, there is not only one country but every person identifies another Pakistan.