cashewwentnuts

hello! it's been a while since you've posted any essay collection 👀 would you be willing to share your favourites of this year with us?

yes! here you go —

There are definitely more I'm forgetting and which I will try to excavate!

Books you would recommend on this topic? Colonial, post colonial, and Cold War Asia are topics that really interest me. (Essentially all of the 1900s)

Hello! An entire century is huge and I don't quite know what exactly you're looking for, but here we are, with a few books I like. I've tried organising them, but so many of these things bleed into each other so it's a bit of a jumble

Cold War

1971 by Srinath Raghavan: about the Bangladesh Liberation War within the context of the Cold War, US-Soviet rivalry, and the US-China axis in South Asia

Cold War in South Asia by Paul McGarr: largely focuses on India and Pakistan, and how the Cold War aggravated this rivalry; also how the existing tension added to the Cold War; also the transition from British dominance to US-Soviet contest

Kennedy, Johnson, and the Nonaligned World by Robert B. Rakove: on the US' ties with the Nonaligned countries during decolonisation and in the early years of the Cold War; how US policy dealt with containment, other strategic choices etc

South Asia's Cold War by Rajesh Basrur: specifically about nuclear buildup, armament and the Indo-Pak rivalry within the larger context of the Cold War, arms race, and disarmament movements

Colonialism

India's War by Srinath Raghavan: about India's involvement in World War II and generally what the war meant for South Asia politically, economically and in terms of defense strategies

The Coolie's Great War by Radhika Singha: about coolie labour (non-combatant forces) in the first World War that was transported from India to battlefronts in Europe, Asia and Africa

Unruly Waters by Sunil Amrith: an environmental history of South Asia through British colonial attempts of organising the flow of rivers and the region's coastlines

Underground Revolutionaries by Tim Harper: about revolutionary freedom fighters in Asia and how they met, encountered and borrowed from each other

Imperial Connections by Thomas R. Metcalf: about how the British Empire in the Indian Ocean was mapped out and governed from the Indian peninsula

Decolonisation/Postcolonial Asia

Army and Nation by Steven Wilkinson: a comparative look at civilian-army relations in post-Independence India and Pakistan; it tries to excavate why Pakistan went the way it did with an overwhelmingly powerful Army and a coup-prone democracy while India didn't, even though they inherited basically the same military structure

Muslim Zion by Faisal Devji: a history of the idea of Pakistan and its bearing on the nation-building project in the country

The South Asian Century by Joya Chatterji: it's a huge book on 20th century South Asia; looks at how the subcontinental landmass became three/four separate countries, and what means for history and culture and the people on the landmass

India Against Itself by Sanjib Baruah: about insurgency and statebuilding in Assam and the erstwhile NEFA in India's Northeast. Also see his In the Name of the Nation.

I hope this helps!

Hello.

Can you give recommendations on the topic of global populism (I mean how at certain times in history the world becomes increasingly populist obviously driven by factors such as economy or disaster)... books, articles, film... anything would do. Grazie.

Hello, here are a few:

I hope that helps!

Hello.

Any books/article/paper/ recs on the topic of ghettos/slums in urban areas? (I think you recommended something like this once but I can't seem to find that answer 🥹)

Basically what I need is why these settlements exist around urban areas, their history, "permanence" despite attempts to remove them and their socio-economic impact. It could be comparative as well, like say Favela in Brazil compared with Dharavi in Mumbai. Or anything related to the topic that you can recommend is welcome.

Thanks for your help. Really appreciate it, have a great day. 💚🍏🌿🦚

Hello! I'm sorry, I sent this to my drafts half-answered and then promptly forgot to finish it. I hope these help:

I hope this helps!

Hey, Do you have any foreign policy reading recommendations?

Here are a few. Since I don't know what exactly you're looking for and foreign policy is huge, I've tried to go with a diverse bunch

I'd also just recommend reading magazines and news and reporting about international politics; it's always more timely and easier to get the hang of. You can check out Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Politico, Carnegie Endowment, Lowy Institute to start with; most of them also have podcasts

Hi C,

I am visiting Delhi soon. I so want your recommendations on some things please. Any bookstores(i know Fakir Chand), places to shop for jewellery or stationery shops. I would love to know anything particular you'd think is wonderful to check out in Delhi.

Thank you🌻

Hello! That's so exciting, is this your first time?

I'm going to leave the monuments-y stuff out, because I'm sure you've heard that enough and you'll figure that out just fine on your own. Outside of that, here's all I love doing (with map locations):

I don't actually care for Fakir Chand all that much, it's not the best store browsing-wise. I do love The Bookshop, Midland, May Day and Bahrisons (I've linked their oldest store, but they have multiple locations). You should also find stationery in Khan Market or Connaught Place -- I didn't have specific stores I went to, honestly. Please get your jewellery from the Janpath market

Also, a bunch of food places/cafes: Rude Chef for Northeast Indian/Southeast Asian food, Devan's for coffee, the restaurant at New Sikkim House, The Piano Man Jazz Club, Ama, Triveni, Cafe Lota.

If you have the time and if you like ceramics, you should go to the Hauz Rani market in Malviya Nagar which sells ceramic crockery and stuff, and it's fairly cheap. And Dilli Haat for general handicrafts stuff.

While you're there, you can also check what plays are running at all the theatres at Mandi House! They'd all be on Bookmyshow, or on the theatre's social media.

Have the nicest time!