Vijay Prashad
Encyclopedia
Vijay Prashad is the George and Martha Kellner Chair in South Asian History and Professor of International Studies at Trinity College
in Hartford, Connecticut
, USA. He is the author of eleven books, most recently The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World (2007). Two of his books, Karma of Brown Folk (2000) and Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting (2002), were chosen by the Village Voice as books of the year. The Darker Nations was chosen as the Best Nonfiction book by the Asian American Writers' Workshop in 2008 and it won the Muzaffar Ahmed Book Award in 2009.
His pieces of journalism frequently appear in South Asian periodicals (his monthly column "Letter from America" in Frontline magazine
, his book reviews in the Kathmandu based Himal, for which he is a contributing editor), in North American periodicals (Z Magazine, ColorLines Magazine
, The Indian American) or else on the web (monthly at ZNET and at CounterPunch
). He is a contributing editor at the online magazine Naked Punch and a member of the editorial boards of the scholarly journals Amerasia Journal and Left History.
, received a B.A. from Pomona College
in 1989, and earned a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago
in 1994.
or FOIL. His views on capitalism are most clearly summarized in his book Fat Cats and Running Dogs.
:
In a subsequent essay, he asserted that the Arab Revolt is part of a long process, the Arab Revolution. He argued that the Revolt of 2011 continues to raise the two "unanswered questions" of the Arab Revolution: that of politics (freedom from monarchies and dictatorships) and of economics (to make an independent economy). In addition, he considers the Revolt part of a historical process that he characterizes as a "revolt against the market" (as opposed to revolts in Eastern Europe which he sees as a "revolt for the market").
In two essays, he lays out the failures of U. S. policy in the Middle East. The two pillars of US cynicism are its need for autocracy as an ally in its "war on terror," and its need to support Israel in any way possible. The test for this conservative US policy came in Obama's choice of Frank Wisner
, who he calls the "empire's bagman," as the U. S. envoy to Mubarak.
In an further essay he offered an analysis of the collapse of the national liberation dynamic which is evident from his book, The Darker Nations. This essay goes over the recent history of Libya and proposes of the recent upsurge there, "Old rivalries and new grievances are united. Some of them are for reactionary tribal purposes, and others seek liberation from “reforms.” Some cavil that a country of 6 million with such oil wealth does not look like the Emirates, and others simply want to have some more control of their lives. But most want release from the hidden corridors of the Libyan labyrinth." Prashad debated historian Juan Cole on the US-French-NATO military intervention. Cole was for it. Prashad against. Prashad offered evidence that the genuine Libyan rising had been "usurped" by various unsavory characters, including someone with CIA connections.
's missionary work in Calcutta, designating her as a representative of the collective 'bourgeois guilt' of western nations. He argued how people like Mother Teresa obscure the tragedies of capitalism. For instance, "During the night of December 2–3, 1984, methyl isocyanate left the environs of a Union Carbide factory and poisoned thousands of people
. The Bhopal massacre by Union Carbide was but the most flagrant example of a transnational corporation's disregard for human life at the expense of its own profit. In 1983, Union Carbide's sales came to $9 billion and its assets totalled $10 billion. Part of this profit came from a tendency to shirk any responsibility towards safety standards, not just in India, but also in their Virginia plant. After the disaster, Mother Teresa flew into Bhopal and, escorted in two government cars, she offered Bhopal's victims small aluminum medals of St. Mary. "This could have been an accident," she told the survivors, "it's like a fire (that) could break out anywhere. That is why it is important to forgive. Forgiveness offers us a clean heart and people will be a hundred times better after it." Pope John Paul II
joined Mother Teresa with his analysis that Bhopal was a "sad event" which resulted from "man's efforts to make progress."
In the same article he also commented on Mother Teresa's alleged links with Charles Keating
and Michele Duvalier (wife of Baby Doc Duvalier). Denouncing the 'cruel rule of capital' he also offered the view that the communists of Calcutta were the "real nameless Mother
Teresas who conduct the necessary work towards socialism, for the elimination of poverty forever".
, is also an outspoken critic of the resurgence of Hindu cultural nationalism, known as 'Hindutva
'. He has also critiqued what he described as the 'epidermic determinism' of V.T. Rajshekar, an advocate for Dalit
rights, and others, and suggested that a 'polycultural' approach is needed instead. He also identifies himself as an anti-Zionist and has advocated for the end of US aid to Israel.
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
in Hartford, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, USA. He is the author of eleven books, most recently The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World (2007). Two of his books, Karma of Brown Folk (2000) and Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting (2002), were chosen by the Village Voice as books of the year. The Darker Nations was chosen as the Best Nonfiction book by the Asian American Writers' Workshop in 2008 and it won the Muzaffar Ahmed Book Award in 2009.
His pieces of journalism frequently appear in South Asian periodicals (his monthly column "Letter from America" in Frontline magazine
Frontline (magazine)
Frontline is a fortnightly English language magazine published by The Hindu Group of publications from Chennai, India. Narasimhan Ram is the editor-in-chief of the magazine. As a current affairs magazine, it covers domestic and International news. Frontline gives a prominent place to various...
, his book reviews in the Kathmandu based Himal, for which he is a contributing editor), in North American periodicals (Z Magazine, ColorLines Magazine
ColorLines Magazine
ColorLines, founded in 1998, is an American magazine that covers race and politics in society.Articles are primarily composed of essays, investigative reports, think pieces, opinion columns, cultural criticism, fiction, and humor pieces....
, The Indian American) or else on the web (monthly at ZNET and at CounterPunch
Counterpunch
Counterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
). He is a contributing editor at the online magazine Naked Punch and a member of the editorial boards of the scholarly journals Amerasia Journal and Left History.
Background
Prashad attended The Doon SchoolThe Doon School
The Doon School is an independent school located in Dehradun in the state of Uttarakhand in India. Established in 1935, it was founded by Satish Ranjan Das. Its first Headmaster was Arthur E...
, received a B.A. from Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
in 1989, and earned a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1994.
Views
Prashad is a well-known commentator on world affairs, writing in many journals on and off the web. At Counterpunch and in Frontline one can follow his writings on the United States, on India, on war and on economics. His recent writing includes pieces on the Fort Hood shooting http://www.counterpunch.org/prashad11132009.html, Mali and Africom http://www.counterpunch.org/prashad10282009.html and American policy on the Afghanistan war http://www.frontlineonnet.com/stories/20091204262404700.htm. In his article for The Nation, Prashad lays out his vision for the struggle toward socialism. He argues progressive forces typically have very good ideas, but no power. He asserts that without power, good ideas are of little consequence and claims that socialists must not simply theorize but also organize.A self-described Marxist
Prashad is a self-described Marxist and a co-founder of the Forum of Indian LeftistsForum of Indian Leftists
The Forum of Indian Leftists , is a group of over 300 left-wing activists of Indian background. The organization describes itself as 'a clearinghouse for radical Indian activists in the United States, Canada and England' ...
or FOIL. His views on capitalism are most clearly summarized in his book Fat Cats and Running Dogs.
Arab Revolt of 2011
Prashad gave a landmark interview on the Arab Revolt to Radical Notes, where he compared the fall of Mubarak to the fall of Mexico's dictator Porfirio DiazPorfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
:
The Mexican Revolution opened up in 1911, but didn't settle into the PRI regime till the writing of the 1917 constitution and the elevation of Carranza to the presidency in 1920 or perhaps Cardenas in 1934. I find many parallels between Mexico and Egypt. In both, the Left was not sufficiently developed. Perils of the Right always lingered. If the Pharonic state withers, as Porfirio Diaz's state did, the peasants and the working class might move beyond spontaneity and come forward with some more structure. Spontaneity is fine, but if power is not seized effectively, counter-revolution will rise forth effectively and securely.
In a subsequent essay, he asserted that the Arab Revolt is part of a long process, the Arab Revolution. He argued that the Revolt of 2011 continues to raise the two "unanswered questions" of the Arab Revolution: that of politics (freedom from monarchies and dictatorships) and of economics (to make an independent economy). In addition, he considers the Revolt part of a historical process that he characterizes as a "revolt against the market" (as opposed to revolts in Eastern Europe which he sees as a "revolt for the market").
In two essays, he lays out the failures of U. S. policy in the Middle East. The two pillars of US cynicism are its need for autocracy as an ally in its "war on terror," and its need to support Israel in any way possible. The test for this conservative US policy came in Obama's choice of Frank Wisner
Frank Wisner
Frank Gardiner Wisner was head of Office of Strategic Services operations in southeastern Europe at the end of World War II, and the head of the Directorate of Plans of the Central Intelligence Agency during the 1950s....
, who he calls the "empire's bagman," as the U. S. envoy to Mubarak.
In an further essay he offered an analysis of the collapse of the national liberation dynamic which is evident from his book, The Darker Nations. This essay goes over the recent history of Libya and proposes of the recent upsurge there, "Old rivalries and new grievances are united. Some of them are for reactionary tribal purposes, and others seek liberation from “reforms.” Some cavil that a country of 6 million with such oil wealth does not look like the Emirates, and others simply want to have some more control of their lives. But most want release from the hidden corridors of the Libyan labyrinth." Prashad debated historian Juan Cole on the US-French-NATO military intervention. Cole was for it. Prashad against. Prashad offered evidence that the genuine Libyan rising had been "usurped" by various unsavory characters, including someone with CIA connections.
Critique of Mother Teresa and western charity
Prashad offered his analysis of Mother TeresaMother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
's missionary work in Calcutta, designating her as a representative of the collective 'bourgeois guilt' of western nations. He argued how people like Mother Teresa obscure the tragedies of capitalism. For instance, "During the night of December 2–3, 1984, methyl isocyanate left the environs of a Union Carbide factory and poisoned thousands of people
Bhopal disaster
The Bhopal disaster also known as Bhopal Gas Tragedy was a gas leak incident in India, considered one of the world's worst industrial catastrophes. It occurred on the night of December 2–3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India...
. The Bhopal massacre by Union Carbide was but the most flagrant example of a transnational corporation's disregard for human life at the expense of its own profit. In 1983, Union Carbide's sales came to $9 billion and its assets totalled $10 billion. Part of this profit came from a tendency to shirk any responsibility towards safety standards, not just in India, but also in their Virginia plant. After the disaster, Mother Teresa flew into Bhopal and, escorted in two government cars, she offered Bhopal's victims small aluminum medals of St. Mary. "This could have been an accident," she told the survivors, "it's like a fire (that) could break out anywhere. That is why it is important to forgive. Forgiveness offers us a clean heart and people will be a hundred times better after it." Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
joined Mother Teresa with his analysis that Bhopal was a "sad event" which resulted from "man's efforts to make progress."
In the same article he also commented on Mother Teresa's alleged links with Charles Keating
Charles Keating
Charles Humphrey Keating Jr. is an American athlete, lawyer, real estate developer, banker, and financier, most known for his role in the savings and loan scandal of the late 1980s....
and Michele Duvalier (wife of Baby Doc Duvalier). Denouncing the 'cruel rule of capital' he also offered the view that the communists of Calcutta were the "real nameless Mother
Teresas who conduct the necessary work towards socialism, for the elimination of poverty forever".
Religion
Prashad, along with his FOIL compatriot Biju MathewBiju Mathew
Biju Mathew is an American Marxist intellectual and activist. He is an Indian immigrant and a professor of the Business Administration department at Rider University . He is also the co-founder of the Forum of Indian Leftists and member of the collective of Youth Solidarity Summer .Mathew is also...
, is also an outspoken critic of the resurgence of Hindu cultural nationalism, known as 'Hindutva
Hindutva
Hindutva is the term used to describe movements advocating Hindu nationalism. Members of the movement are called Hindutvavādis.In India, an umbrella organization called the Sangh Parivar champions the concept of Hindutva...
'. He has also critiqued what he described as the 'epidermic determinism' of V.T. Rajshekar, an advocate for Dalit
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
rights, and others, and suggested that a 'polycultural' approach is needed instead. He also identifies himself as an anti-Zionist and has advocated for the end of US aid to Israel.
Books
- (2007) The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World, The New PressThe New PressThe New Press is a not-for-profit, United States-based publishing house that operates in the public interest. It was established in 1990 as an alternative to large commercial publishers, and is supported financially by various foundations, groups and corporations including the Ford Foundation, the...
, ISBN 978-1565847859 - (2003), Keeping up with the Dow Joneses: Stocks, Jails, Welfare, South End PressSouth End PressSouth End Press is a non-profit book publisher run on a model of participatory economics. It was founded in 1977 by Michael Albert, Lydia Sargent, John Schall, Pat Walker, Juliet Schor, Mary Lea, Joe Bowring, and Dave Millikan, among others, in Boston's South End...
, ISBN 978-0896086890 - (2002) Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting: Afro-Asian Connections and the Myth of Cultural Purity, Beacon Press, ISBN 978-0807050118
- (2002) Fat Cats and Running Dogs: The Enron Stage of Capitalism, Zed BooksZed BooksZed Books is an independent non-fiction book publishing company based in London.Founded in 1977 under the name Zed Press, Zed publishes academic books covering areas such as politics, economics, gender studies, development studies, and the environment....
, ISBN 978-1842772614 - (2002), War against the Planet: The Fifth Afghan War, Imperialism and Other Assorted Fundamentalism, Manohar, ISBN 978-8187496199
- (2002), Untouchable Freedom: A Social History of a Dalit Community, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, ISBN 978-0195658484 - (2000), The Karma of Brown Folk, University of Minnesota Press, ISBN 978-0816634385