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Statement from LeftWord Books and Vaam Prakashan on the Maligning of Teesta Setalvad, 25 June 2022

This statement was issued on the morning of 25 June 2022, several hours before Teesta Setalvad was arrested. Teesta Setalvad is one of India’s most important human rights defenders, a person of great integrity and with an open record. We are proud of having published her memoirs, titled Foot Soldier of the Constitution, in 2017. Ever since the fires began to smoulder in Gujarat in 2002, Zakia Jafri has waged a heroic battle for justice, not only for her slain husband (former Member[...]

IULP statement on The Peoples Forum and 1804 Books

The International Union of Left Publishers (IULP) condemns the attack on The Peoples Forum and 1804 Books in New York City. They were attacked by far-right groups. The New York police department allegedly colluded with these groups. The Peoples Forum released a statement today that said ‘we will continue to uplift our socialist values and be a welcoming space for working people and all those who want to transform society for the better’. We cannot hope for a better attitude against the tox[...]

मॉब लिंचिंग: फ़रीद ख़ाँ की किताब का एक अंश

अपनों के बीच अजनबी से: पहले दंगे वहां होते थे जहां कल-कारख़ाने होते थे। मज़दूर यूनियन होते थे। जहां कुछ दिनों से माहौल ख़राब हो रहे होते थे। चूंकि उसका मकसद मज़दूरों की एकता तोड़ना होता था इसलिए कुछ[...]

I’ll be Your Mirror: The Politics of Pakistan’s Populism by Madiha R. Tahir

This extract from Dispatches from Pakistan (LeftWord, 2012) edited by Vijay Prashad, Madiha R. Tahir, and Qalandar Bux Memon, traces the emergence of Imran Khan in Pakistan and the politics of Pakistan’s populism. A must-read primer on the social history of transformation underway in Pakistan. The iconic image of Imran Khan – the one everyone still remembers – is the photograph of him wearing a lime-green uniform and holding the 1992 World Cup trophy aloft, arms above his head and [...]

Of Hope and Melancholy: Aijaz Ahmad (1941–2022) by Sudhanva Deshpande

Aijaz Ahmad's most celebrated book is In Theory: Classes, Nations, Literatures. It is, somewhat surprisingly, the only book he wrote. He published four other books which are all collections of essays (one of which, Lineages of the Present, appeared in two editions with somewhat differing tables of contents), three books where he is credited as editor or co-editor, and one book of edited conversations. For an intellectual with a wide international appeal and influence, this is paltry output. Aij[...]