Don Messerschmidt
Don Messerschmidt is an anthropologist and writer who has spent several decades studying local cultures, including pilgrimage, in the Nepal Himalaya.
High Himalayan hype
Infatuation with Everest has inspired Everest-sized absurdities.
May 11, 2012
A Himalayan mystery – solved?
The Ascent of Rum Doodle is a widely appreciated mountaineering satire — but of what, exactly?
Dec 01, 2011
Latest Articles
Pandemics have always revealed the weakness of the Indian state
In 'Pandemic India', David Arnold offers a reflective study of Covid, cholera, plague, the Spanish flu and other historical mass contagions, from the time of the British Raj to the Modi government
Bangladesh’s BNP fights to make a political comeback
With massive anti-government rallies by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and their repression by the ruling Awami League-led government, battle lines are being drawn for the next general election
How a unique language survives in Kashmir’s tiny Burusho community
Despite being a small population, the Burusho community has been able to preserve their language through intergenerational communication and by prioritising their mother tongue over other languages in Kashmir
Pakistan needs to go beyond the 18th amendment to end the military’s role in politics
Reviving the 2010 reform process can be key to resolving Pakistan’s continued crises, but the reforms need to also target the military's massive business empire
