In Perspective

In this episode historian Dr. Shailaja Paik discusses the factors that have impacted Dalit women's access to and quality of education in India over time. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:00:40:00- Why do mainstream feminists and dalit men believe that dalit women are more ‘liberated’ th...

In this episode,  historian, writer and filmmaker Lata Mani discusses colonial debates on sati, feminist discourse online, and why we need to engage with spiritual thought critically. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:00:40:00- Can progressive aspects of religious faith and practices be...

In this episode, historian Dr. Anshu Malhotra discusses reformist bazaar literature, the attack against the native 'dai' and the writings of the Sufi poetess Piro, in colonial Punjab. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:00:40:00- How did the rise of print media lead to new forms of ‘bazaar...

In this episode, digital anthropologist, Dr. Payal Arora discusses why mobile leisure like online romance and entertainment is necessary, data policies across South Asia and why data privacy is a big concern. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture. Notes:  00:00:40:00- Has there been a Western bias in the...

In this episode, historian Dr. Seema Bawa talks about the common misconceptions about South Asian art, whether it is possible to read gender roles in early Indian art, and how artists view feminism differently today. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:00:48:07- What common stereotypes abo...

In this episode, Urdu and Postcolonial Studies reader Dr. Amina Yaqin talks about Pakistani TV shows, female readership  of  Urdu novels in the 19th century, and understanding women's life narratives through autobiographies. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:01:16:22- Why is Urdu perceiv...

In this episode, gender and sexuality studies scholar Dr. Inderpal Grewal discusses the first modern Indian travelogs, Pandita Ramabai's advocacy for Indian widows, and media portrayals of honor killing. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:01:01:10- What is transnational feminism? Why is t...

In this episode, Dr. Jinee Lokaneeta discusses the absence of public debate on state torture in India, the murder of Thangjam Manorama, and the use of police violence at peaceful protests. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:00:52:12- How has physical and mental torture been used as a tool...

In this episode, public health specialist Dr. Sapna Desai discusses why adolescent girls avoid seeking care for sexual health issues, the curious case of early hysterectomies in India, and why we need to broaden our understanding of women's reproductive health. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Not...

In this episode, scholar and activist Professor Rosemary Dzuvichu discusses the absence of public debate on state torture in India, the murder of Thangjam Manorama, and the use of police violence at peaceful protests. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:01:00:13- What are some of the major...

In this episode, environment researchers Kanchi Kohli and Manju Menon discuss environmental impact assessments in India, and the impact of environmental degradation on local communities. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:01:01:03- As we navigate through an economic crisis, how important...

In this episode, sociologist Dr. Chaitanya Lakkimsetti discusses how the AIDS epidemic changed the Indian state's relationship with sex workers, and the problems with the moral panic around bar dancing in Maharashtra. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00;01;01;02- How does sexual labor  act...

In this episode, sociologist Prof. Radhika Chopra discusses South Asian masculinity, and what it means for heterosexual men to be feminists. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:00:58:07- How is ‘veiling’ experienced in dual gendered ways, and how does it impact men in particular? 00:10:08:...

In this episode, historian Dr. Priya Satia talks about the evolution of the discipline of history, how Indian nationalists shaped British intellectual movements, and why historians need to speak truth to power. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:00:58:04- Why do you say that the disciplin...

In this episode, researcher Dr. Usha Raman talks about cyberfeminism, algorithm biases, and reimagining the internet. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:00:55:17- What is cyberfeminism? Why is it important to take a feminist approach to understanding digital media and the internet at larg...

In this episode, historical and political anthropologist Dr. Atreyee Majumder talks about how colonialism shaped Indian environmentalism, and the ways in which capitalism impacts space and time. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:00:52:07- How did colonial rule shape India’s attitude towa...

In this episode, political scientist Dr. Pavithra Suryanarayan talks to us about understanding how the Brahmin elite 'hollowed out' state capacity in colonial India, and why Indians vote to protect status interests. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:00:53:03- What is ‘state capacity?’ Wh...

In this episode, legal activist Prita Jha talks to us about the problems with implementation of  laws pertaining to violence against women and child sexual abuse. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:00:56:12- You’re written about how the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act is a...

In this episode, historian Dr. Jessica Hinchy talks to us about the colonial ‘panic’ surrounding the hijra community in the 19th century, the circumstances leading to their criminalisation, and the ways in which family became the focus of surveillance under the 1871 Criminal Tribes Act. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history,...

In this episode, cultural studies scholar Dr. Swati Moitra talks to us about reading cultures, women's travel in the 19th century, and the subversive potential of femslash fanfiction. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:01:03:11- In 19th century Bengal, what were the anxieties around ‘mode...

In this episode, anthropologist Dr. Aarti Sethi talks to us about understanding debt, distress and social relations in agrarian societies in India. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:01:05:03- How has agriculture been central to the emergence of modern industrial capitalism around the wor...

In this episode, historian Dr. Janaki Nair discusses why religious scriptures formed the basis for colonial law in India, how women fought against child marriage in the 20th century, and why Indu Malhotra's dissenting judgement in the Sabarimala verdict is significant. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and cultu...

In this episode, sociologist Dr. Niharika Banerjea speaks with us about transnational feminisms, the queer critique of happiness, and the revolutionary possibilities of friendship. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:01:09:07- In sexuality studies, is there an invisibilization of certain s...

In this episode, feminist historian and social critic Dr. Jayakumari Devika speaks with us  about the Channar rebellion in the 19th century, women's writing, and changing gender relations in Kerala. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:00:56:06- What led to Malayali women gaining access to...

In this episode, historian Dr. Ishita Pande speaks with us about the Phulmoni Dasi case and the problems with gender justice debates around child marriage in India. ‘In Perspective’ is The Swaddle’s podcast series where academics reveal little-known facts about Indian history, society and culture.  Notes:  00:01:03:15- How did legal norms around age for regulating sexuality come into existence in...