Shuddhshar always strives to find new ways to satiate the intellectual appetite of its readers. Towards that end, we have added an Essay section—the latest addition to Shuddhashar’s repository of intellectual tools. We aim to build a constellation of columnists from diverse backgrounds who would, from their unique perspectives, produce commentaries on contemporary sociopolitical issues and events that demand rigorous scrutiny, constructive criticism, and sober reflections. We also encourage our readers, especially those who live under the yoke of a repressive state apparatus, to use this platform to speak truth to power by penning columns and engaging in lively discussions in the comments section.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s electoral victory in May 2023 bears witness to several features about contemporary strongman leaders in the non-western world – among others, Narendra Modi in India, Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil. First, they are popular. Second, their popularity, at least in large part, builds on the successful manipulation …
Pakistan has plunged into unprecedented and deadly political chaos following the dramatic arrest of the former Prime Minister and Chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) party. Imran Khan, for now, is free, but what future awaits him? Given Pakistan’s volatile situation, it is pertinent to offer some likely scenarios that might unfold in the coming …
Regardless of how we judge the variety of political actors in India and Pakistan, it should not pass under the radar that the governments in two of the most populous states in Asia are currently in differing ways trying to imprison and/or disqualify the most important opposition leaders ahead of the forthcoming elections in 2023 …
They have turned even policy failures such as the infamous demonetisation into political capital, while policy moves such as the aberration of Kashmir’s special status are popular way beyond the usual suspects of BJP supporters. Despite everything, BJP is still India’s largest political party, a juggernaut that will take the joint strength of all its …
Unpacking the Karnataka election: Key takeaways and the road ahead Read More »
As a nationalist doctrine and movement, Hindu nationalism — or Hindutva — grew in parallel with the portrayal and solidification of Hinduism as a single, coherent, organised religious system. The former informed the construction of the latter, and a selective interpretation of the latter undergirded the former.1 In contrast with Nehruvian secularism, which is grounded …
Contested Constitution? As we celebrate ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ marking the 75th year of Indian independence, serious questions regarding constitutional order and morality underline the observances. At one level, these questions have been provoked by debates on democracy backsliding and rising majoritarianism in India. Global publications like Economist Intelligence Unit and Varieties of Democracy …
Do we need to protect the constitution? Constitution and Democracy in India Read More »
Introduction by Latika Gupta and Chaise LaDousa: For Shuddhashar FreeVoice’s Education issue, published May 2022, Latika Gupta and Chaise LaDousa described their conversation in which they identified and discussed some of the issues that have been confronting educators in India since the onset of the pandemic. One of its consequences for teachers was a complete …
এক. ভাষা নিয়ে আমাদের অধিকাংশের ধারণাই বেশ ভাসা ভাসা। আমরা যতটা সরল মনে করি ভাষা ততটা সরল নয়। সাধারণভাবে মনে করা হয় ভাষার নিজেস্ব কোনো অর্থ নেই, সে সংগঠিত ঘটনা বা বিষয়বস্তুকে উপস্থাপন করে। কিন্তু যৌক্তিক প্রত্যক্ষবাদী দার্শনিকরা বলতে চান,ভাষার বহুল ব্যবহারে যে সব বিশেষণ বা অব্যয়ের জন্ম তারাই অধিবিদ্যা সৃষ্টির জন্য দায়ী। অধিবিদ্যায় যে …
The ongoing, full-fledged revolution in Iran – that’s right, we need to stop referring to the revolution as mere “protests” – is one where women are at the forefront. The people of Iran and especially its womenfolk, have had enough of the theocratic regime that has put not just figurative but also literal shackles on …
The Leaderless, Woman-led Iranian Revolution: A Response to Centuries of Oppression Read More »
বাংলাদেশের উপকূলীয় অঞ্চলে উন্নয়ন প্রকল্পগুলো জলবায়ু পরিবর্তনের জনপ্রিয় ও ভ্রান্ত পাঠ দ্বারা পরিচালিত। এর প্রধান কারণ হচ্ছে বাংলাদেশের উন্নয়ন কারখানাগুলো জলবায়ু পরিবর্তন সম্পর্কে যে জ্ঞান উৎপাদন করে তা অনেকাংশে সীমাবদ্ধ। পুঁজির কতৃত্ববাদী উন্নয়নের ধারণার মধ্য থেকেই আর্ন্তজাতিক দাতাগোষ্ঠী ও রাষ্ট্রযন্ত্র জলবায়ু পরিবর্তনকে প্রতিহত করতে চায়। এগুলো অর্থনৈতিক উন্নয়ন ও প্রগতিশীলতার জ্ঞানভাষ্যের মাধ্যমে জলবায়ু পরির্তনকে ন্যায্যতা …
বাংলাদেশের জলবায়ু পরিবর্তনের জনপ্রিয় পাঠ ও তার সীমাবদ্ধতা Read More »
I want to tell a story about that old cliché of teachers: that reading opens the door to other worlds. I don’t like the saying, to tell the truth, but this story is mine. And it isn’t about other worlds, exactly. It’s about how reading Salman Rushdie’s books revealed the world itself, in its unimaginable …
