There’s some fascinating stuff written on the Mumbai attacks by scholars of religion and global politics at The Immanent Frame – much better analysis from a blog with a specialist interest but also the ability to contextualise broadly than I’ve seen in most of the MSM coverage.
Arjun Appadurai writes about the twin globalisations of Islam and Hindutva, and Mumbai as a flashpoint for a range of global currents, and asks whether its resilience is infinitely renewable. Sumit Ganguly believes the death of secular India to be exaggerated, while Dipesh Chakrabarty reflects on the future of Indian democracy. Vijay Prashad examines the historical legacy of Mumbai’s diversity. Nicole Greenfield links to some noteable commentary, and Laura Duane looks at the targetting of Jews in India.
None of these pieces is easily reducible to talking points and all resist inscription into a grand narrative of “the West versus the rest” or “global terror”. All are worthy of a read by anyone seriously interested in what occurred in Mumbai and what it portends for the future.
