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The captivating story of the West’s love affair with Indian spirituality—from the orientalism of the British Empire to modern counterculture.In 1897, an Indian yogi exhibited himself at London’s Westminster Aquarium, demonstrating yoga positions to a bemused audience. Four years earlier, Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda spoke at the first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where Annie Besant extolled the ‘exquisite beauty’ of his spiritual message. The Victorians were fascinated by, yet suspicious of, Indian religious beliefs and practices. But within two generations, legions of young Westerners were following the ‘hippie trail’ to the subcontinent, the Beatles meditating at the feet of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Journalist Mick Brown’s vivid account charts this eccentric history of Western obsessions with Indian faith, through a curious cast of scholars, seekers, charlatans and saints.From bestselling epic poems on the Buddha to murder plots, magic and the occult, The Nirvana Express is an exhilarating, sometimes troubling journey through the West’s search for enlightenment.

In 1995, the UN vowed to advance 'equality, development and peace for all women, everywhere.' Instead, in the Beijing Declaration's thirtieth anniversary year, the world is lurching dangerously away from such democratic and progressive ideals--reinventing nationalist identities based on toxic-masculine values, and embracing economic policies against women's interests. This reality exists in every type of country. Why does oppression, rather than feminism, still dominate our world? This book reveals patriarchy's many faces in the age of globalisation, exploring the political systems and cultures of eight very different societies. It takes readers from the extraordinary anti-capitalist women's revolution in Kurdistan to the theocracies of Islamic State and Saudi Arabia; from China's one-party state to Iceland's democracy; and to South Africa, Russia and El Salvador--all radically changed since the fall of apartheid, communism and military dictatorship respectively. Despite patriarchy's remarkable shapeshifting powers to undermine feminist solidarity, Planet Patriarchy is equally a story of sisterhood and resistance, interviewing defenders of women's rights about their cause and their country. Gender inequality endures, everywhere--but so does feminism. Campbell and Gupta's fascinating discoveries show us how this timeless showdown is taking shape in, and being shaped by, the systems we live under today.

Central Asia is at the forefront of China''s efforts to assert itself as a major world power. Since 1991, Beijing has emerged as the region''s main investor, creditor and trade partner, as well as an increasingly important security provider. But its growing influence has met opposition: in recent years, anti-China protests have erupted across Central Asia, threatening Beijing''s shaky regional hegemony.Bradley Jardine and Edward Lemon examine how Central Asians are pushing back against China''s global ambitions, and trace Beijing''s attempts to manage its image and secure its interests in response. Drawing on over a decade of fieldwork, Backlash reveals the uncertainties of China''s rise. Far from being the omnipotent strategist often depicted in international media, Beijing is making significant missteps, alienating local people and becoming entangled in costly interventions to protect its citizens and investments. Russia''s fullscale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 undermined Moscow''s regional position, creating opportunities for China to expand its role. But to do so, it must contend with the agency of Central Asians themselves: their interests, policies and priorities.This incisive book exposes the unravelling of China''s alternative to the American-led global order, highlighting both elite and grassroots actors forcing Beijing to adapt its approach.

The Dravidian Pathway is a timely contribution to public and scholarly understanding of South Indian politics, examining a pivotal period in the rise to power of the Tamil Nadu party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (the Dravidian Progressive Federation, or DMK).The scholarly canon on social movements and/or electoral politics has largely neglected the interplay between the two, focusing only on outcomes. Vignesh Rajahmani''s innovative, detailed study of the Dravidian movement explores the strategic leadership of DMK and non-DMK figures like Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, C.N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi and K. Kamaraj. It illustrates their synthesis of anti-caste ideology, socioeconomic and educational mobility, and inclusive Dravidian-Tamil identity, and considers why that vision resonated with marginalised communities.Tracing the early DMK years, from the party''s social justice campaigns to its landmark electoral victory in 1967, Rajahmani highlights the challenges of navigating ideological commitments within the constraints of political pragmatism, while also making politics accessible to the common person. He explains how iterations on the initial ideology and political offering can reinvigorate such movements, keeping their politics agile and incentivising inclusive policymaking. He also shows how the DMK shaped Tamil Nadu''s counter-hegemonic political identity, which has proven electorally resilient in spite of majoritarian onslaughts.

The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and one of the continent''s principal arteries of movement, migration, conquest and commerce. In this book, historian Malyn Newitt quotes rarely used Portuguese sources that throw vivid light on the culture of the river peoples and their relations with the Portuguese creole society of the prazos. Hitherto unused manuscript material illustrates Portuguese and British colonial rule over the people of the long-lived Lunda kingdoms, and the Lozi of the Barotse Floodplain. The Zambezi became a war zone during the ''Scramble for Africa'', the struggle for independence and the civil wars that followed the departure of colonial powers. Recent history has also seen the river''s wild nature tamed by the introduction of steamers and the building of bridges and dams. These developments have changed the character of the waterway, and impacted--often drastically--the ecological systems of the valley and those settled along its course. The Zambezi traces the history of the communities that have lived along this great river; their relationship with the states formed on the high veldt; and the ways they have adapted to the vagaries of the Zambezi itself, with its annual floods, turbulent rapids and dramatic gorges.

Triumph and Despair tells the dramatic story of post-revolutionary Iran''s first four decades, from its establishment in 1979 until today.The revolutionary coalition that overthrew the monarchy was at once democratic, populist and Islamic. The Islamists, and the Khomeinists in particular, were able to capitalise effectively on prevailing conditions on the ground; to frame the new republic''s constitution, capture nascent institutions, and consolidate their power by eliminating opponents through a reign of terror. Once the war with Iraq was over and after the death of the new order''s charismatic founder, Ayatollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic was consolidated: first by tweaking its institutional arrangements, and then by fostering economic development and post-war reconstruction. A reformist interlude then followed, reversed unceremoniously by a return of populism and a broader authoritarian retrenchment.Today Iran remains at odds with itself, its economy too deeply political to yield meaningful developmental results, its foreign relations too conflicted to allow it a productive place in the community of nations. As Iran''s nationalities and its women and youth carve out spaces for themselves in the broader narrative, competing identities--religious, national and otherwise--abound. After forty years, the Islamic Republic remains a country in search of itself.

This is a powerful new account of a chapter in history that is crucial to understand, yet often overlooked. For 150 years, from the reign of Louis XIV to the downfall of Napoleon, France was an aggressive imperial power in South Asia, driven by the pursuit of greatness and riches. Through their East India company and state, the French established a far-reaching empire in India, only to see their dominant position undermined by conflict with Indian rulers, competition from other European nations, and a series of fatal strategic errors.Exploding the myth of a benign French presence on the subcontinent, Robert Ivermee''s extensive research reveals how France''s Indian empire relied on war-making, conquest, opportunistic alliances, regime change and slavery to pursue its ambitions. He considers influential French figures'' reactions to the collapse of the imperial project, not least their deployment of new ideas, like freedom and the rights of man, to justify fresh ventures of domination--even as colonial authorities failed to acknowledge the equality of French India''s diverse indigenous peoples, both before and after the French Revolution.From great power rivalry to informal empire and entrenched inequalities, Glorious Failure tackles topics that remain vital and urgent in today''s world.

An essential guide to understanding war and information on today's data-saturated battlefields--from Ukraine to Gaza and beyond. Thanks to smartphones, war is everywhere, all the time. Anyone can view, analyse and comment on photos, videos or other warzone media. Where did this technology come from? And what does it mean for the future of war? This book explains why you see what you do on your phone, and how these devices shape our knowledge, conduct and representation of war in the 2020s. It shows why smartphones are indispensable in peace and wartime: every device is a potential weapon, lines blur between war and daily life, and conflict becomes a shared digital experience. Social media platforms displace state-controlled narratives, amplifying violence and shaping war's legitimacy. Apps democratise conflict, enabling anyone to identify and attack perceived enemies. As the Ukraine war has shown, this new reality involves complex, unevenly distributed infrastructures, merging civilian communication with military targeting. With war accelerating beyond our comprehension, militaries have raced to benefit from and adapt to the smartphone age. Matthew Ford explores critical questions about today's hyper-connected battlefield.

With only 1.3 million inhabitants, Estonia is one of Europe’s least populous nations -- yet it boasts one of the continent’s fastest growing economies. In the first serious English-language history of this small Baltic state, Neil Taylor charts Estonia’s long, arduous journey to its present-day prosperity, through a thousand years of occupation by Danes, Swedes, Germans and Russians. In the wake of the First World War, out of the heat of a national awakening and the collapse of the Russian and German empires, Estonia was recognised as an independent nation in 1920. This was not to last -- the country was tossed between the Soviets and Nazis during the Second World War, then fully integrated into the USSR, bringing on more than half a century of renewed occupation and misery. But hopes of true independence never dimmed and, in 1991, the Republic of Estonia was restored. This unflinching history includes charming moments of colour and levity, from ambassadorial reports on nude bathing and a presidential press conference deliberately held beside a dirty toilet, to the story of a blind pianist, the first foreigner allowed to visit the city of Tartu in the Soviet era.

A compelling history of the women who started their own police force in 1914--as war, social upheaval and gender injustice gripped the UK.Violence against women is out of control. Conviction rates for rape are so low that most survivors think it pointless to report, or later regret doing so. Ruthless trafficking gangs run the sex trade. Women have no confidence in the Metropolitan Police. The year is 1914.As the First World War began, a group of British campaigners founded the Women Police Volunteers, hoping to protect the vulnerable both from crime and from patriarchal policing and justice. The movement''s pioneers included a militant suffragette who''d spent time behind bars, a moral purity activist, a blue-blooded radical, and a court reporter born in the workhouse to a single mother. Sandra Hempel follows their astonishing journey, through all of its troubling turns.Controlling Women is a vivid snapshot of rapid national change, and a rich tapestry of ethics and emotions among its fascinating characters. Reconciling political ideals with institutional compromise, these bold, complex women made history, despite establishment opposition and destructive infighting. They show us just how far we have to go in the fight for women''s justice.

This authoritative book proposes a fresh perspective on international migration, offering decisive answers to the big questions, and dismantling the main myths surrounding one of the most salient issues of today''s global politics. Who are these migrants? Do they steal our jobs? Can we help them in their home countries? Do border controls improve security? Are open borders desirable? Leila Simona Talani and Matilde Rosina address these issues and more in their deeply researched study of migration into both Europe and the United States.Assessing globalisation''s impact on international migration, the authors find that it is virtually impossible to stop contemporary flows from the Global South to North. In this context, policies designed to control, limit or deter immigration simply transform some or all regular migrants into irregular ones--exacerbating insecurity for citizens of the receiving state, and criminalising the migrants.Through empirical research including original surveys and interviews, Talani and Rosina demonstrate conclusively that the only solution to this short-circuit world of securitisation and criminalisation is for the Global North to open its doors to the migrants already, inevitably, coming through--particularly since the evidence shows that regularising migration is a positive-sum game, in economic, social and security terms.

The dramatic true story of the betrayal of hundreds of Indian princely states by both the departing British and the new Congress government. In July 1947, India’s last Viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten, stood before New Delhi’s Chamber of Princes to deliver the most important speech of his career. He had just three weeks to convince over 550 sovereign princely states—some tiny, some the size of Britain—to become part of a free India. Once Britain’s most faithful allies, the princes could choose between joining India or Pakistan, or declaring independence.This is a saga of intrigue, brinkmanship and broken promises, wrought by Mountbatten and two of independent India’s founding fathers: the country’s most senior civil servant, V.P. Menon, and Congress strongman Vallabhbhai Patel. What India’s architects described as a ‘bloodless revolution’ was anything but, as violence engulfed Kashmir and Indian troops crushed Hyderabad’s dreams of independence.Most princes accepted the inevitable, exchanging their power for guarantees of privileges and titles in perpetuity. But these dynasties were still led to extinction—not by the sword, but by political expediency—leaving them with little more than fading memories of a glorified past.

Depending on the news you read, new tools like AI will either save or destroy us. But our response to emerging technology's 'unprecedented' threats actually follows a pattern as old as civilisation. From ancient Athens to COVID-19, social media to spam, Alicia Wanless shows how humans have always consumed information, whether accurate or not. First a new technology changes how information is shared, broadening its availability and accelerating how fast it travels. Then, as more people engage with this new content, fresh ideas arise, often challenging prevailing beliefs. Some use the new tools to promote their views, win power or simply profit, adding to the mounting information pollution. Competition and conflict follow. We scramble-in vain-to control information flows and use of the new technology. With democracies worldwide lurching from crisis to crisis, knee-jerk reactions to information conflict won't suffice. What's needed is an understanding of our nature as 'information animals', in a millennia-long relationship with technology-and of how a content-saturated world impacts the political battle for hearts and minds.

In 1990 Namibia gained its independence after a decades-long struggle against South African rule - and, before that, against German colonialism. This book, the first new scholarly general history of Namibia in two decades, provides a fresh synthesis of these events, and of the much longer pre-colonial period. A History of Namibia opens with a chapter by John Kinahan covering the evidence of human activity in Namibia from the earliest times to the nineteenth century, and for the first time making a synthesis of current archaeological research widely available to non-specialists. In subsequent chapters, Marion Wallace weaves together the most up-to-date academic research (in English and German) on Namibian history, from the mid-eighteenth century to the present. She explores histories of migration, production and power in the pre-colonial period, the changes triggered by European expansion, and the dynamics of the period of formal colonialism. The coverage of German rule includes a full chapter on the genocide of 1904-8. Here, Wallace outlines the history and historiography of the wars fought in central and southern Namibia, and the subsequent mass imprisonment of defeated Africans in concentration camps. The final two chapters analyse the period of African nationalism, apartheid and war between 1946 and 1990. The book''s conclusion looks briefly at the development of Namibia in the two decades since independence. A History of Namibia provides an invaluable introduction and reference source to the past of a country that is often neglected, despite its significance in the history of the region and, indeed, for that of European colonialism and international relations. It makes accessible the latest research on the country, illuminates current controversies, puts forward new insights, and suggests future directions for research. The book''s extensive bibliography adds to its usefulness for scholar and general reader alike.

An unsettling account of the colonisation of Patagonia--and the story of the world-renowned scientist who witnessed it.In December 1832, Charles Darwin sailed into Tierra del Fuego, at the tip of South America, where he first encountered ''Indians''. ''I would not have believed how entire the difference between savage and civilised man is,'' he wrote. ''It is greater than between a wild and [a] domesticated animal.'' But he was shocked by the ''war of extermination'' he witnessed in northern Patagonia, waged by the colonising army of Buenos Aires.Matthew Carr explores how these experiences influenced Darwin''s writings, and the theories of scientific racism that others drew from his work. In a sweeping account of soldiers, missionaries, anthropologists and skull-collecting scientists, he traces the connections between colonial expansionism and the tragic ''extinction'' of South America''s conquered peoples.From Indigenous graveyards and military memorials to archaeological sites and natural history museums, this is a compelling journey through Patagonia past and present. Amid global battles for historical memory, culture wars over race and empire, and ongoing struggles for Indigenous rights, Carr chronicles the subjugation of Argentina''s First Peoples--and the ideas that made it possible.

An immersive journey through the tumultuous past and fascinating present of the south-western Pacific. Stretching from Fiji in the east to New Guinea in the west, Melanesia is astonishingly diverse. Its islands are home to some 1,200 language groups, many of them still isolated from the outside world. This complex region tends to make the news only in times of crisis: military coups in Fiji, Kanak unrest in New Caledonia, rioting in the Solomon Islands. Melanesia offers readers a deeper insight into the people and places behind these headlines, combining travelogue, history and astute political analysis.By land and sea, Hamish McDonald travels from one end of Melanesia to the other, uncovering the histories, values, aspirations and tensions that have shaped the region. He examines the impact of outsiders on local communities: the Indians recruited to work in Fiji; the white ‘blackbirders’ who kidnapped Melanesians to labour in Australian cane fields; the Americans during the Second World War; the Indonesians in New Guinea. And he considers the big changes unfolding today, as shifting demographics and the growing influence of China produce a new balance of power across the region.Vividly written, Melanesia is essential reading for anyone looking to understand this fascinating part of the world and its growing international significance.