Politics

New Non-Fiction Books
New Book Announcement: “Waves of Upheaval in Myanmar: Gendered Transformations and Political Transitions”, edited by Jenny Hedström and Elisabeth Olivius
23 January 2023
This is the first comprehensive account of the multifaceted processes of gendered transformation that took place in Myanmar between 2011 and 2021, and which continues to shape events today. The period began with the end of direct military rule and the transition to a hybrid, semi-democratic regime, precipitating far-reaching political, economic and social changes across…
Read More New Book Announcement: “Waves of Upheaval in Myanmar: Gendered Transformations and Political Transitions”, edited by Jenny Hedström and Elisabeth Olivius
Non-Fiction Reviews
“Jokowi and the New Indonesia” by Darmawan Prasodjo
25 February 2022
This political biography of the current Indonesian President Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, explains why his style is so successful and what his major undertakings as president have been. The stated aim of Jokowi and the New Indonesia by Darmawan Prasodjo with assistance from Tim Hannigan, is to give a full picture of the man…
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New Non-Fiction Books
New Book Announcement: “Thai Politics in Translation: Monarchy, Democracy and the Supra-constitution”, edited by Michael Connors and Ukrist Pathmanand
9 November 2021
Since Thailand’s political crisis began with royalist mobilization against prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2005, observers have been treated to easy clichés about reactionary Thai elites. The chapters in this book invite readers to refrain from quick judgement and engage with the conservative norms of sections of the middle class, military, intellectuals and state ideologues.
Read More New Book Announcement: “Thai Politics in Translation: Monarchy, Democracy and the Supra-constitution”, edited by Michael Connors and Ukrist Pathmanand
Non-Fiction Reviews
“The Struggle for India’s Soul: Nationalism and the Fate of Democracy” by Shashi Tharoor
6 November 20216 November 2021
Since the 2014 election of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Hindu nationalists have dominated India’s political arena. What does this mean for those, like Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who have a different idea of India? Tharoor’s vision of India as a pluralistic, secular society contrasts vividly with the ethno-religious nationalist state promulgated by the BJP….
Read More “The Struggle for India’s Soul: Nationalism and the Fate of Democracy” by Shashi Tharoor
New Non-Fiction Books | Sponsored content
New Book Announcement: “Strategies of Authoritarian Survival and Dissensus in Southeast Asia” by Sokphea Young
2 October 2021
This book analyses how authoritarian rulers of Southeast Asian countries maintain their durability in office, and, in this context, explains why some movements of civil society organizations succeed while others fail to achieve their demands.
Read More New Book Announcement: “Strategies of Authoritarian Survival and Dissensus in Southeast Asia” by Sokphea Young
Podcast
Podcast with Jeevan Vasagar, author of “Lion City: Singapore and the Invention of Modern Asia”
30 September 2021
Everyone looks to Singapore as a role model for what they want their country to be. Several countries from China to Rwanda hope to emulate its high administrative competence, standard of living, and “social harmony”. Post-Brexit Britain wants to copy the city-state’s assertive and independent position in the world economy and its aggressive support for…
Read More Podcast with Jeevan Vasagar, author of “Lion City: Singapore and the Invention of Modern Asia”
Non-Fiction Reviews
“Lion City: Singapore and the Invention of Modern Asia” by Jeevan Vasagar
4 August 20214 August 2021
Viewed from a perch in Hong Kong, one of the most striking things about Lion City, Jeevan Vasagar’s new book on Singapore, Hong Kong’s best frenemy, is that it includes nary a mention of Asia’s World City.
Read More “Lion City: Singapore and the Invention of Modern Asia” by Jeevan Vasagar
Non-Fiction Reviews
“Hisila: From Revolutionary to First Lady” by Hisila Yami
27 June 202127 June 2021
While in the mid 1990s, with China rapidly embracing capitalism, a Maoist insurgency may have seemed an incongruous throwback to the numerous proxy conflicts that had raged throughout the Cold War. Yet in Nepal, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) had never been more relevant.
Read More “Hisila: From Revolutionary to First Lady” by Hisila Yami
Non-Fiction Reviews
“Central Asia: A New History from the Imperial Conquests to the Present” by Adeeb Khalid
2 June 20217 June 2021
The cover of Central Asia: A New History from the Imperial Conquests to the Present, with its photo of the massive walls of the Ark Fortress in Bukhara, is something of a bait and switch. The book flies through that period implied by picture: the “imperial conquests” of the subtitle are not those of Genghis…
Read More “Central Asia: A New History from the Imperial Conquests to the Present” by Adeeb Khalid
Podcast
Podcast with Jenny White, author of “Turkish Kaleidoscope”
13 May 2021
The scene is Turkey in the mid-to-late 70s. A young male college student hops onto a bus. He sits next to a cute female student from his class, but before they can strike up a conversation, they see a right-wing passenger, walk up to another passenger and hit him on the head with a hammer….
Read More Podcast with Jenny White, author of “Turkish Kaleidoscope”
Non-Fiction Reviews
“Rebel City: Hong Kong’s Year of Water and Fire”, edited by Zuraidah Ibrahim and Jeffie Lam
7 August 20207 August 2020
There will, one imagines, be quite a few books written about Hong Kong’s year of protests, from journalistic retellings from the front-lines, memoirs from influential figures, and attempts to tie the protests to a broader “New Cold War” narrative. There have already been a few.
Read More “Rebel City: Hong Kong’s Year of Water and Fire”, edited by Zuraidah Ibrahim and Jeffie Lam
Non-Fiction Reviews
“Revolution Goes East: Imperial Japan and Soviet Communism” by Tatiana Linkhoeva
24 July 202029 July 2020
There can be a fun-house mirror quality to the history of Japan’s relations with Russia: the events are recognizable, but come with unexpected bulges and pinches.
Read More “Revolution Goes East: Imperial Japan and Soviet Communism” by Tatiana Linkhoeva
Non-Fiction Reviews | Reviews
“Hinduism Before Reform” by Brian A Hatcher
5 June 202016 June 2020
Liberal intellectuals, whether in India or writing about India, may not take kindly to Brian A Hatcher’s latest book Hinduism Before Reform. But it is a book that they must read to examine the roots of their attitude towards everything perceived as right-wing Hinduism in India and the Indian diaspora.
Read More “Hinduism Before Reform” by Brian A Hatcher
Non-Fiction Reviews | Reviews
“City on Fire: the fight for Hong Kong” by Antony Dapiran
29 April 202030 April 2020
China’s National Day is a carefully orchestrated occasion. Each year on October 1st, rigorously rehearsed celebrations take place nationwide, with those on Tiananmen Square broadcast live across China. On the decadal anniversary years, the display of pageantry is ramped up further, though these commemorations of Mao Zedong’s announcement on October 1st 1949 that the Chinese…
Read More “City on Fire: the fight for Hong Kong” by Antony Dapiran
Non-Fiction Reviews | Reviews
“Vietnam’s Strategic Thinking During the Third Indochina War” by Kosal Path
5 March 2020
What Kosal Path calls the “Third Indochina War” resulted from Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia in December 1978 and China’s subsequent invasion of Vietnam in February 1979. For Vietnam, it was a “protracted two-front war”, that drained the country’s economic resources and imperiled the ruling Communist Party. Path contends that throughout the war, the decision-making of…
Read More “Vietnam’s Strategic Thinking During the Third Indochina War” by Kosal Path

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