Shahab Ahmed, prominent Islamic scholar (1966-2015)

Beena Sarwar Prominent Islamic scholar Shahab Ahmed, originally from Pakistan, was laid to rest on Saturday morning at the historic Mt. Auburn cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, his adopted home. Born in Singapore on Dec 11, 1966, he passed away on Sept 17, 2015 in Boston. Dr. Ahmed’s former student Suheil Laher, currently a lecturer on… Read More Shahab Ahmed, prominent Islamic scholar (1966-2015)

Policing Dissent – Amit Shah’s plans risk criminalising protest

The Modi government’s insecurity is evident in its attempt to decode decades of protest as potential subversion. Those who used to accuse public protestors of using a ‘tool-kit’ now clearly want to develop a tool-kit of their own — an alternative official playbook, to deal with all future protests. Meanwhile Niti Aayog declines to furnish information about… Read More Policing Dissent – Amit Shah’s plans risk criminalising protest

The Shipwrecked Mind: On Political Reaction (2016)

NB: The reviewer (and Lilla) are too quick in their assessments of Leo Strauss. True he had right-wing followers (incidentally, card-holding Nazi’s such as Heidegger and Carl Schmitt have left-wing acolytes to this day). But Strauss took Heidegger seriously, and that is why he is the most effective and far-reaching critic of historicism, the core… Read More The Shipwrecked Mind: On Political Reaction (2016)

Mukul Kesavan: Delhi University and the purging of Ramanujan

First posted October 27, 2011 ‘The essay is a marvellous account of the hundreds of ways in which the Ramayana has been told, complete with examples of this narrative diversity. I can’t imagine that the vice-chancellor, a member of that urbane cohort, the Class of ’75, wanted the essay removed because he agreed with the Akhil Bharatiya… Read More Mukul Kesavan: Delhi University and the purging of Ramanujan

Perplexity

An untidy history of AI across four books Reviewed Here by Trevor Quirk Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks From the Stone Age to AI: Yuval Noah Harari The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI: Ray Kurzweil Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit: Henry A. Kissinger, Craig Mundie, and Eric… Read More Perplexity

The Politics of Fear

As a Presidential candidate, Donald Trump made his world view plain: there was “us” and there was “them.” Once he was in the White House, the fear factor would prevail. By David Remnick The young Donald Trump was the Nelson Muntz of Jamaica Estates. (Or was he its Draco Malfoy? Scholars will debate such questions for… Read More The Politics of Fear

Prof. Madhavan Palat on Genocide: Barbarism in Civilization in the Twentieth Century. September 14, 2025

Dear Friends and Colleagues, The Society for the Study of Archives cordially invites you to the launch of its journal ‘Reading the Archive’, a graduate journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The event will feature an inaugural lecture by Prof. Madhavan K. Palat on Genocide: Barbarism in Civilization in the Twentieth Century The lecture will be chaired by Prof. Salil Misra, Visiting Faculty, BML Munjal University,… Read More Prof. Madhavan Palat on Genocide: Barbarism in Civilization in the Twentieth Century. September 14, 2025