Colonialism

This Daily Mail Article Celebrating the British Empire is Pure Garbage

August 7, 2017

The British Empire–the loving, moralistic parents no one asked for. In a recent Daily Mail UK article, the post-colonial-yet-still-horribly-colonial relationship between a countess and her Indian houseman was lauded as an “enchanting” harkening back to romantic times. There is nothing romantic about this–it’s a relationship of exploitation and white supremacy. Countess June Badeni and Muthukanna … Read More

Saraswathi Jones, a New Nostalgia

January 26, 2017

Post-colonial punk and space for us all There’s been a recent surge in Indian musicians entering in musical spaces they haven’t always been welcome to. Saraswathi Jones, a.k.a. Tanya Palit Husain, is one of the first. The Boston-based musician says her musical talent was influenced by “older Bengali music my parents would listen to and, yes, … Read More

What Made South Asians Lose Their Sexuality?

February 28, 2016

In a recent panel discussion at SOAS discussing the word ‘Paki’ and the changing nature of racism towards South Asians a question came up about Indian sexuality. There is an image of South Asia and of India as being quite sexually repressed and stunted in the imagination of the Western World. Common-sense racist and neo-colonial … Read More

Funambulism

January 8, 2016

At the turn of the 20th century, a huge influx of South Asians had immigrated to Eastern Africa, increasing the population of their presence almost tenfold. Sometime in that time period, a Gujurati man with the last name Ladha, and one with the last name Lalji, were sent to East Africa on ships — perhaps the same one. … Read More