As the title to this piece may suggest, India’s political climate has me worried. In order to explore these worries, I am going to focus on two organizations: a volunteer organization known as the Rasthriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and, by extension, India’s current ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Read More$$ The Dollar Sign $$
The symbol of the US dollar looks like this: $. But you don’t need me to tell you that. The dollar sign is so widely recognized that it often surpasses its literal meaning as the symbol for US currency and comes to symbolize money and wealth in general. The dollar sign, in short, has become part of a language of symbols.
Read MoreWho are the people?: Why Pegida is as much about Germany’s self-image as about Muslim immigration.
In recent weeks, Germany has been rattled by a grass-roots, anti-immigration social movement called Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the Occident (Pegida). For months, this movement has organized street marches every Monday evening in cities throughout Germany, most successfully so in the East German city of Dresden
Read MoreThe Powerful Language of Migration
What is this 'language of immigration'? Is there a way to talk about migration whilst avoiding any kind of direct or indirect discrimination? While it is easy to recognise the stereotypical inventory of metaphors, such as references to 'invasions', 'flows' or 'waves', commonly used to describe migration, in this article I argue that so-called politically-correct terminology can have significant negative consequences on the lives of migrants’.
Read MoreThe Great Flag Debate
On a cold and historic day in February 1964 the iconic red and white maple leaf flag was raised for the first time ending what would later be referred to as the “The Great Canadian Flag Debate”. Chances are you have never heard of the great flag debate, even though it was once the subject of a controversial and heated international dispute.
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IndyRef 2014
In what follows, the best and the brightest of IANS editors, staff writers and contributors discuss why they intend to vote the way they do. We then finish off our discussion with a short consideration of the alternative: devo plus.
Read MoreKýprioi Aganaktisménoi: Marking Three Years Since A Movement Nobody Heard About
It was a period of general upheaval and anger around the shores of the Mediterranean. The “Arab Spring” was taking hold on the southern bank, while on the northern bank, from Spain and Catalonia to Greece, mass demonstrations rocked capital cities for months.
Read MoreThe Yes Movement & Political Engagement
Something is happening in Scotland which few predicted. The possibility of a yes vote in the independence referendum has proved the catalyst for serious and wide-ranging political engagement. It shouldn’t be disregarded as mere nationalism – this is far bigger than the official Yes Scotland campaign.
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