Alpa Shah, a professor at the London School of Economics, spoke about her new book, “The Incarcerations,” Tuesday in Harris Hall. Graduate student group The Subcontinent Project hosted the event.
Fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in comparative literature Raina Bhagat organized the event. Bhagat said she was contacted by colleagues about Shah — who is currently visiting several U.S. universities — and pulled the event together quickly.
“It was kind of a squeeze because she was at (the University of) Notre Dame yesterday and (the) University of Chicago this afternoon,” Bhagat said.
Shah’s book examines the violence committed on Jan. 1, 2018, in the village of Bhima Koregaon in western India. The book also investigates the violence’s aftermath, during which 16 human rights defenders, poets, journalists and scholars were arrested without credible evidence or the possibility of trial. A large portion of her book focuses on the human rights work of the 16 individuals, Shah said.
According to Shah, democracy in India is decaying, as indicated by the use of cyberwarfare, the capture of state institutions and media, groups moral policing, police protecting the regime supporters and international complacency with human rights infringements.
Shamini Kothari, a first-year Ph.D. candidate in comparative literature and member of The Subcontinent Project, said they were excited about the talk because they believe these conversations are important.
“It’s important to know how these conversations are being circulated in the U.S.,” Kothari said. “It’s good to know what scholars are working on abroad and get a comparative sense of that.”
Shah’s book will be available in the U.S. in June.
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