The abrupt and cruel cutting off of USAID without a timeline for its withdrawal is designed to create complete instability and chaos in recipient countries, including in Southasia, says the development economist
The Trump administration’s foreign-aid freeze, tariffs and deportations threaten the United States’ established position and popular goodwill across Southasia, and China stands ready to step further in
This week in Himal
This week, Burhan Majid writes that India’s left liberal elite have worked to obscure Kashmir’s assertion of political rights and autonomy through a focus
A conversation on documenting the cultural imaginaries of Kerala and the Gulf through migrants’ literary and visual records of their transnational lives and aspirations
Aman Hingorani’s ‘Unravelling the Kashmir Knot’ is emblematic of Indian liberals’ depoliticisation of Kashmir, mirroring the Bharatiya Janata Party’s justification for abrogating Article 370
Deadly Indian cough syrups in The Gambia and beyond point to shocking disparities in drug regulation for the world’s rich and poor, with the World Health Organisation failing to protect vulnerable countries
The Malayalam literary giant’s merits and limitations in addressing Kerala’s traditional caste, gender and social hierarchies defined frontiers that other writers must now transcend
This week in Himal
This week, Sohel Sarkar reviews three recent books unpacking the violent roots of caste-based vegetarianism. Sarkar writes that vegetarianism in India continues to be framed
Three new books unpack the violent roots of caste-based vegetarianism and India’s dairy industry as Dalits and Muslims continue to be targeted by cow-protection vigilantes
Uncovering her maternal ancestors’ past rooted in the Bhantu identity, Jafri offers a rare account of the so-called criminal tribe, the circumstances of their conversions and the continuities of caste oppression in India today
India wants to normalise ties with Afghanistan even with the Taliban in power, which threatens Pakistan’s security and fight against cross-border militancy
A conversation with the book historian on how the Daryaganj Patri Kitab Bazaar tells the story of Delhi’s urban aspirations, spatial politics and informal economies
