Current view, after giving a lecture on Hindu identity, sacred spaces, narrating Indian history, and, of course, Hindu nationalism to an audience of a few hundred people in upstate New York.
Relevant reading as I head to the Chautauqua Institution to speak later this week — among other topics — on being the target of far-right hate campaigns and violent threats.
www.chq.org/event/audrey...
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
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
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
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
It’s been a while since I’ve posted about US-based Hindu nationalists. How are they doing?
Well, they are advising their followers how to avoid jail sentences for violating FARA because of inappropriate involvement in the Indian elections. Absolutely wild.
#Hindutva
We awoke today to a fierce anti-Muslim hate crime at Rutgers.
To do this on Eid… it is like attacking a church on Easter.
May justice be swift. Solidarity with all our Muslim and Palestinian students and allies. #Rutgers
Will be using this monstrous image in an upcoming teach-in, to demonstrate how Hindutva hatred of Muslims works through demonising the Mughals.
It’s a real film.
The court also addresses whether caste-discrimination bans at all infringement on Hindu religious practices (this is an argument made by some Hindu nationalist groups).
No infringement, period.
The court also addresses whether caste-discrimination bans discriminate against any religious group or otherwise violate the Establishment Clause.
They do not.
Noteworthy here is the fact that caste and religion do, sometimes, intersect does not mean we cannot regulate casteism
Really unfortunate news regarding the Murty Library.
Make no mistake, Hindutva is an anti-intellectual ideology that embraces ignorance about premodern India. Here, we are all victims as the major translation series for premodern Indian texts worldwide is brought to a halt.
An image of Nehru not seen enough. Taken in 1956 after visiting the Bhakra Dam, where Nehru told his Chinese counterpart: “These are the new temples of India where I worship.”
Academic life, this week — ceasefire protest, Ram ke Naam screening, some kick-ass academic freedom work, fact checking references for the next book, and even a snow day.
12,300 dead children.
It is easier than ever before in my teaching career to get students to understand how people commit atrocities, justify war crimes, ethnically cleanse, and vilify the victims. It is horrible.
Have you checked out the FAQ section of the Hindu Nationalism Reporting Guide?
Is caste like race?
How do I evaluate Hindu nationalist groups’ claims?
Why is Hindutva right-wing or far right?
Full guide here: www.hindutvaharassmentfieldmanual.org/s/SASAC-Hind...
Hot off the press — The Hindu Nationalism Reporting Guide, edited by SASAC.
Read and share widely please.
P.S. — It’s useful for teaching as well as for journalists.
www.hindutvaharassmentfieldmanual.org/s/SASAC-Hind...
Hilarious, fun, and hard to see Vir Das tonight in New York. At times, what he has gone through exceeds the limits of the comedic genre, and he courageously talks about it anyways.
