Demands for a caste census are shaking up politics and prompting a fresh reckoning with historical injustices in India. Everywhere that caste is endemic, overdue caste counts have the power to do the same.
Prisons in contemporary Myanmar carry the clear imprint of colonial practice – and after the 2021 military coup, the facade of reform pushed during the transitional, semi-democratic period has peeled away
The conditions that created Pakistanis’ unique relationship with the Bollywood star no longer exist, and they are so mired in political and economic turmoil that even his cinematic offerings provide no respite
A new collection presents the harsh, even brutal lyricism of Lakdhas Wikkramasinha, forged amid the violence of the 1971 JVP insurrection and still unlike anything else in Sri Lankan letters
Retracing the journey that first brought them to the country 200 years ago, Malaiyaha Tamils reflect on their history and struggle as one of Sri Lanka’s most marginalised communities
Daniel Majchrowicz’s The World in Words traces the rise of Urdu travel writing, including by women, to unearth a new view on modernisation and globalisation in Southasia
Bhutan celebrated the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 2021 but LGBTIQ+ activists are pushing for the legal recognition of all gender identities and marriage equality
The NITI Aayog, an Indian government think tank, is spearheading “development” projects that would strip indigenous people of their land and rights, and destroy precious forests and sea turtle breeding grounds
‘Dust on the Throne’ focusses on grossly overlooked aspects of Buddhism in Southasia and beyond, highlighting casteless and anti-caste legacies connecting ancient and modern Buddhists
With Pashtuns suffering massive violence from the Taliban, Islamist militants and the Pakistan state, Pashto poetry today reflects the community’s new blood-soaked reality
