Two Argumentative Indians

Namit Arora Avatar

I came across an interesting, if also long and meandering, e-debate from early 2004 between two Indians in the US: Rajiv Malhotra and Vijay Prashad. The debate spans several topics in the history, culture, and politics of South Asia and their representation on Western campuses.

RajivMalhotra
Rajiv Malhotra is a public intellectual and philanthropist with a strong pro-India Hindu perspective (but non-Hindutva). He has used his financial success in the hi-tech industry to fund academic research and conferences led by Indian scholars, and seeks to restore balance to the study of Indian culture and Hinduism in the West. He runs The Infinity Foundation and is the author of Invading the Sacred: An Analysis of Hinduism Studies in America.

VijayPrashad
Vijay Prashad is George and Martha Kellner Chair in South Asian History and Professor of International Studies at Trinity College, CT. According to his faculty profile, he is committed to intellectual
extremism: nothing is forbidden to think about, everything is open to
investigation. Known for his outspoken leftist writing and activism, he is the author of eleven books, including The Darker Nations: A People’s History Of The Third World.

Here is the debate (spread across multiple pages: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9).

Category:

Reader Comments


Leave a Reply

Contact us:

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Discover more from Shunya's Notes

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading