Audrey Truschke

@audreytruschke.bsky.social

309

Posts

Professor of South Asian history Rutgers-Newark | Tweets academic + educational + critical | Anti-fascist + pro-education

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I’m thrilled to be speaking about pluralism in Indian history, Hindu nationalism, the South Asian American diaspora, receiving hate mail, and much more next week at the Chautauqua Instituton in upstate New York! www.chq.org/event/audrey...

Audrey Truschke - Chautauqua Institutionwww.chq.org Welcome to Chautauqua Institution! We are a community of artists, educators, thinkers, faith leaders and friends dedicated to exploring the best in humanity.

I’m celebrating this July 4 hard… like it might be our last… with baseball, grilling, a double rainbow, and lots of (legal) fireworks. #July4 #July4th2024

Fun article on a deposition of the leader of a far-right Hindu nationalist group, parts of which were recently unsealed. Sitting through that 8-hour deposition was, well, really interesting for me. americankahani.com/perspectives... #Hindutva

Unsealed: Suhag Shukla’s Deposition in Hindu American Foundation’s Failed Defamation Case Against Us - American Kahaniamericankahani.com Unsealed: Suhag Shukla’s Deposition in Hindu American Foundation’s Failed Defamation Case Against Us

The discovery in the Hindu American Foundation lawsuit has been unsealed. I'll do a mega thread later (it's summer... maybe in a few weeks). In the meantime, reporters can reach out to me for a pdf of the documents, including parts of the deposition transcript of HAF’s head. #Hindutva #HAF

Grim, if fitting, recognition of Israel’s genocidal war and targeting of children. Shame on them and shame on us for giving them weapons and support for such atrocities. #Israel #Gaza_Genocide‌ www.theguardian.com/world/articl...

UN adds Israel to list of states committing violations against childrenwww.theguardian.com Inclusion comes after eight months of the country’s bombing of Gaza which has killed 13,000 children and a day after Israel bombed a UN school

NEWS -- Judge Amit Mehta has unsealed all Hindu American Foundation (HAF) discovery documents in their dismissed lawsuit against me and 4 others! These include financial information, donor gifts (anonymized), HAF's expulsion from groups, cancelled events, denied grants, and more

On that Columbia law review article — Just saying that when I have had things censored or otherwise faced attacks, I put them on my CV. Section: Other Honors. #academia #AcademicChatter

While many look to India's future, I'm drawn to its past. How will we write the history of the decade of #Hindutva dominance (2014–24) that unleashed hate, violence, and ignorance? I don't fully know, yet. But I share this recent documentary in which I feature. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQOf...

Offenders: Artists' Struggle Against Censorship in India's Polarized Landscape Amidst Hindu Hegemonywww.youtube.com "Offenders" delves into the complex landscape navigated by artists, writers, comedians, and filmmakers in contemporary India as they boldly challenge the boundaries of free expression. Set against a backdrop of a state asserting Hindu hegemony, curbing press freedom, and suppressing dissent, a hostile environment emerges in the world's largest democracy. The documentary portrays the struggles artists endure, compelling us to stand up for their right to contribute to India’s diverse and dynamic artistic landscape. Quoting Salman Rushdie’s words, “Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself,” "Offenders" calls on us to support the rights of artists driving change and challenging the status quo. In a climate of pervasive censorship, "Offenders" serves as a call to action, urging us to defend the essential space for creativity and dissent in our society. Audrey Truschke | Wendy Doniger | Perumal Murugan | Aatish Taseer | Chinnaiah Jangam | Tavleen Singh | Dheepa Sundaram | Siddhartha Deb | Leslie Edwin | Sanjay Rajoura | Manjeet Sarkar | Abhinandan Sekhri | Sunil Mehra | Manisha Pande | Vir Das | Rohit Khanna | Directed by Sunil Kalia | Produced by Karan Kalia

The Modi Mandir falls flat with voters. #faizabad #AyodhyaTemple #Hindutva

India’s Hindu nationalists have engaged in robust voter suppression. This might hand them the power. But it’s also a grim reminder that free and democratic India is now part of history. www.aljazeera.com/features/202... #India #BJP #Hindutva

‘Minority exclusion’: Are Indian Muslims facing voter suppression?www.aljazeera.com Claims of voter suppression are rising – from names missing from electoral rolls to physical violence.

Reactions thus far— Patriotic Americans: 🍸 Trump: [incoherent rant] Alito’s wife: Where is my goddamn flag collection?! Alito: It’s her fault.

Current status — Am tracking the many Ayodhyas that have been imagined or named, mythical and physical cities, over the past 2,000 years or so. Short version — It’s a lot. Not all of them are associated with Rama, and Rama sometimes has an alternative home city.

My latest, from my modern research interests in Hindu nationalism -- #Hindutva #Modi #BJP #Kashmir #Delhi #violence #ethnonationalism www.academia.edu/120217030/Di...

Displacing and Disciplining Muslims in India's Burgeoning Hindu Rashtrawww.academia.edu In the past several years, Hindu nationalists have accelerated their agenda to transform the constitutionally secular nation of India into an ethnonationalist state intolerant of religious minorities....

My latest — Not everybody at the Mughal court supported translating Sanskrit texts, like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, into Persian... hopscotchtranslation.com/2024/05/26/e...

Epic Translation in Early Modern Indiahopscotchtranslation.com In this second installment of the Translation History in Global Perspective series, Audrey Truschke discusses the Mughal Empire's project of translating Sanskrit texts into Persian.

On those brave enough to oppose the hate of Hindutva— www.nytimes.com/2024/05/28/w...

Leaflet by Leaflet, a Few Aging Activists Fight India’s Tide of Bigotrywww.nytimes.com As politicians stoke religious hatred online, these veterans of social causes deliver their messages in person: “Talk to each other. Don’t let anyone divide you.”

That warm fuzzy happy feeling when you move into production with a book manuscript. 😎

Reposted by

Audrey Truschke

“I ask a question and they say, ‘Brother, turn off the camera.’ And then they tell me everything.’l www.vox.com/world-politi...

“Everyone is absolutely terrified”: Inside a US ally’s secret war on its American criticswww.vox.com A foreign government is trying to silence US critics of its authoritarian turn — and it's succeeding.

Threatening family members to assassination plots. Read every word to see how far Modi's India is going to repress its critics and how the Biden administration is allowing the targeting of US citizens and residents. www.vox.com/world-politi... #India #BJP #Modi #India

Inside India’s secret campaign to threaten and harass Americanswww.vox.com Narendra Modi’s government is trying to silence US critics of its authoritarian turn — and it's succeeding.

“Rampant” antisemitism at Rutgers? In a word, no. A clear, direct op-ed — by a Jewish faculty member at #Rutgers — about recent activism on campus against the war in Gaza and why we must protect free speech, even if you dislike that speech. www.nj.com/opinion/2024...

“Rampant” antisemitism at Rutgers? In a word, no | Opinionwww.nj.com Conflating anti-Israel sentiment with anti-Jewish sentiment is, in itself, antisemitic.

Strangers in Their Own Land: Being Muslim in Modi’s India This is hard reading, but don’t look away from the increasing bleakness of Hindu-first India. www.nytimes.com/2024/05/18/w...

Strangers in Their Own Land: Being Muslim in Modi’s Indiawww.nytimes.com Families grapple with anguish and isolation as they try to raise their children in a country that increasingly questions their very identity.

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Audrey Truschke

Legislation on Hinduphobia ™ is being introduced in local councils and other bodies all over the US, particularly Chicago suburbs, Florida and NJ. Hinduphobia is weaponized Hindu supremacist politics of victimhood. It is dangerous. Fight it. www.southasiacollective.org/statements/a...

Against Legislation on 'Hinduphobia'www.southasiacollective.org Denouncing U.S. Legislation that Endorses the Far-Right Notion of 'Hinduphobia' May 14, 2024 By the South Asia Scholar Activist Collection (SASAC) The South Asia Scholar Activist Collective (SASAC) –...

The South Asia Scholar Activist Collective (SASAC) issues warnings against legislative efforts at local, state, and federal levels in the U.S. to introduce the discredited, far-right concept of "Hinduphobia." Short 🧵 www.southasiacollective.org/statements/a...

A Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies explains why politicizing the definition of anti-Semitism in the U.S.— (1) is itself anti-Semitic (2) makes Jews less safe (3) is largely used to target Arabs and Muslims time.com/6977457/weap...

How Weaponizing Antisemitism Puts Jews at Risktime.com The blanket assertion by pro-Israel advocates of rampant antisemitism at demonstrations shields Israel from legitimate criticism, writes Raz Segal.

Jewish Professors: We Support Rutgers' Handling Of Gaza Protest patch.com/new-jersey/n... #Rutgers #Gaza

Jewish Professors: We Support Rutgers' Handling Of Gaza Protestpatch.com Separately, on Sunday about 60 graduating seniors walked out during the Rutgers commencement ceremony in a pro-Palestine protest.

I’m going to frame this and put it in my office on campus, to remember this challenge to higher education, the many leaders who failed us, the few leaders who rose to the occasion, and the students and faculty who showed the path forward. #highered

When it’s not the answer you wanted, but it works— On a final exam question, I asked students to name the political party currently in power in India. A student answered the RSS. #academiclife #professor #highered #India

Letter from Jewish faculty opposed to adopting the viewpoint-discriminatory IHRA definition of “antisemitism.” Still collecting signatures— bit.ly/ConcernedJew...

Statement from Concerned Jewish Facultybit.ly

USCIRF recommends—for a fifth year in a row—that India be labeled a country of particular concern due to infringing on religious freedom. The Biden administration should act on this. The situation in India continues to worsen. Religious freedom matters.

USCIRF Releases 2024 Annual Report with New Recommendations for U.S. Policywww.uscirf.gov

The playbook for university administrators who care, even a little, about students is getting simplified by the minute. Current state— Watch what Columbia’s administration does. Don’t do that. #HigherEducation #HigherEd #Columbia

A damning look at India’s emerging security state. Lowlights— -Assassinations are a regular tool of control. -RAW Chief Goel approved the assassination attempt in the U.S. -Modi regime is sharing disinformation internationally to cover tracks #BJP #India

An assassination plot on American soil reveals a darker side of Modi’s Indiawww.washingtonpost.com India’s intelligence service has aggressively targeted Indian diaspora populations in Asia, Europe and North America, officials said.