This essay is written in Norwegian. We have provided a translation of the first section to introduce the subject. We invite you to use the Google translate option at the bottom of the page to continue reading. Take my hand, and I will take yours: The intimacy of saving each other’s lives! Ever since I …
Ta du min hånd, så tar jeg din (Take my hand, and I will take yours) Read More »
When the human populations transitioned from a hunter-gatherer society to an agricultural society about 12,000 years ago, it dramatically changed our entire relationship to our environment, eventually creating an intimate connection to a particular place: a home. During preagricultural times, hunter-gatherers had been living in small nomadic groups and moved as they followed their food …
Climate Refugees: Seeking an Intimate Connection to a Home Read More »
Intimacy throws up word pictures and connotations of something shared between two or more people. The oxford dictionary[1] tells us that in legal parlance, ‘intimacy’ is a euphemism for sexual intercourse. We may also speak of an intimate group of friends. Thus, intimacy seems tied to shared experiences among small numbers of people. After all, …
When I was 13, I came to the porch to pray. Until recently, I couldn’t understand my porch worship as a spiritual practice because it did not resemble the way I was taught to pray at church with prayer ropes and mantras like “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.” When I came …
Meet Me on the Porch: Transitional Space and Intimacy Read More »
Activism on social media in Africa can be attributed to the expansion of the internet and the youthful population. Africa’s youth (ages 15-24) account for one-fifth of the world’s population, and the U.N projects 1.3 billion by 2030 (UN, 2017). With this large youth population, it is no surprise that movements for social, political, and …
There are lots of things I could tell you about Maja Borg’s film Passion (2021). That it is their second feature film, after Future My Love (2012). Or that it received backing from Creative Europe and the Swedish Film Institute and premiered in competition at the renowned CPH: DOX festival in Copenhagen in 2021. That, …
Intimacy is often invoked as a private manner. It is the private emotions shared between two individuals, often cemented by affection and love. But sometimes, intimacies of certain ‘sorts’ seem to take centre stage in public discussions. People seem to have a say in these intimacies wherein boundaries of privacy are overlooked and crossed. This …
In the shadow of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, there lie questions in the U.S. concerning the populist demonization of particular relationship styles, sexual orientations, and social choices, restricting types of family formation and reproduction. The impact of Roe on family formations suggests that the next few years will be critical to determining who …
To be human is to communicate. One of the most beautiful forms of communication is to be intimate, often seen in the bond between family members; sometimes, it leads to sex, and sometimes it remains hidden in the deepest layers of a person’s existence, but it is something that gives life vitality. Various parameters affect …
When I have had the pleasure of writing for Shuddhashar and similar publications in the past, my reflections have tended to veer towards analytical and academic essays. In a world as complex and structurally inequitable as the one we live in, it felt important for me to write critical pieces that built on my experiences …
The Chronicles of Lip Syncing: Tom Holland, Masculinity, and Me Read More »
Along many of the tree-lined side streets that radiate away from one of Mumbai’s main railways stations are rows of tiny, painstakingly assembled dwellings perched on the pavement, a hairs breadth away from swiftly moving vehicular traffic. Some of the dwellings are two storeys high, fabricated from bits of corrugated metal sheets typically used for …
Proximity and Intimacy in the Lives of Pavement Dwellers in Mumbai Read More »
