I believe that the history of any place belongs to us all, and the lessons inherent in it are for everyone. We must learn the lessons. We mustn’t be blind to what has happened or is happening in other places or to other peoples, regardless of the distance in time, geography, or language. Social problems go beyond borders. The sores of the human race, these running sores that cover the globe, don’t stop at red or blue lines drawn on the map. —Victor Hugo, about Les Misérables, in a letter to his editor
