Essay

Mari Selvaraj, ‘Maamannan’, and the cinema of caste in Tamil Nadu
A new generation of Tamil filmmakers are confronting the caste-glorification films of the past – but controversy is often quick to follow, and Tamil cinema’s history with caste is more complex than many recognise
Karthick Ram Manoharan | Aug 10, 2023

Who gets to write about Ambedkar?
Six new reappraisals show the gulf between Dalit-Bahujan and anglophone writing on B R Ambedkar
Harish S Wankhede | Jul 28, 2023

Sri Lankan speculative fiction lifts off
An extraordinary burst of anglophone SF writing from Sri Lanka looks afresh at home and the universe(s)
Gautam Bhatia | Jul 10, 2023

Southasia’s place in contemporary climate fiction
Western cli-fi seems almost addicted to Southasia as a theatre for exploring its greatest concerns, yet often falls prey to uninformed perspectives. But there is also a growing tide of climate fiction by Southasians themselves.
Evan Tims | Jun 28, 2023

“Yes, our son is gay”: A Nepali father’s awakening
A path-breaking personal essay calling for social acceptance and full rights for Nepal’s LGBTIQ+ community
Bhojraj Pokharel (translated by Niranjan Kunwar) | May 10, 2023

What really makes a Sikkimese?
India’s Supreme Court set off a storm by describing Sikkimese-Nepalis as people of “foreign origin.” As “Indian” Old Settlers fight for new rights, Sikkim’s Bhutia-Lepcha and Nepali communities face a reckoning over belonging and identity.
Mona Chettri | May 01, 2023

How agrarian utopianism shapes Sri Lanka
The idealised "village" was at the core of the people’s struggle last year. As a fundamental of Sri Lankan nationalist thought, agrarian utopianism helps to explain the country’s past and imagine a different future.
Dhanuka Bandara | Apr 17, 2023

Why the movement against Rampal plant in Bangladesh failed
Five years after a people’s movement to stop a power plant near the Sundarban, Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government has pushed the project through. Why did this movement fail where others in Bangladesh have succeeded?
Anupam Debashis Roy | Feb 24, 2023

The Muslim-left legacy of an Urdu library in Mumbai
The Awami Idara, rooted in a working-class Muslim neighbourhood, connects the long history of Southasian Muslim labour activism to political movements and events across Mumbai, Southasia and beyond.
Amanda Lanzillo | Jan 09, 2023

Finding food in Chandrapur
An up-close account of hunger, food insecurity and ineffective state policies from a district in central India.
Paromita Goswami | Dec 23, 2022
