The South Asia Summer Reading Group (SARG) is an informal organization of individuals with an interest in the politics of South Asia. Over the course of this summer, we will be reading new books on South Asian politics. Each week, one member of the group will review a book, with the review to be posted on the Center for Contemporary India website.
We encourage you to read along with us, and to post your comments on the books on Twitter with SARG Twitter handle (@readsouthasia ) and with the hashtag #SARG25.
We have ten books and the reviews/discussions will run from the week of June 16 through the week of August 25. The schedule is posted below. Reviews will be posted directly underneath the respective book’s title. Clicking on the book title will direct you to Amazon or another resource where you can find the book.
We look forward to another summer of great reading on the politics of South Asia!
- Roluah Puia | Nationalism in the Vernacular: State, Tribes, and Politics of Peace in Northeast India REVIEWER: Rumela Sen
DISCUSSANT: Basil Bastaki
REVIEW PUBLISHED: June 24, 2025
ONLINE DISCUSSION: June 26, 2025
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DISCUSSANT: Tanya Vaidya
REVIEW PUBLISHED: July 1, 2025
ONLINE DISCUSSION: July 3, 2025
- Louise Tillin | Making India Work: The Development of Welfare in a Multi-Level Democracy
REVIEWER: Akshay Dixit
DISCUSSANT: Tanvi Ravel Mehta
REVIEW PUBLISHED: July 8, 2025
ONLINE DISCUSSION: July 10, 2025
- Lisa Björkman | Drama of Democracy: Political Representation in Mumbai
REVIEWER: Thibaud Marcesse
DISCUSSANT: Sharik Laliwala
REVIEW PUBLISHED: July 15, 2025
ONLINE DISCUSSION: July 17, 2025
- Naila Kabeer | Renegotiating Patriarchy: Gender, Agency and the Bangladesh Paradox
REVIEWER: Natalya Adam-Rahman
DISCUSSANT: Shreya Singh
REVIEW PUBLISHED: July 22, 2025
ONLINE DISCUSSION: July 24, 2025
- Alexander Lee | Democracy and Impunity: The Politics of Policing in Modern India
REVIEWER: Sarah Thompson
DISCUSSANT: Vignesh Rajahmani
REVIEW PUBLISHED: July 29, 2025
ONLINE DISCUSSION: July 31, 2025
- Adnan Naseemullah and Pradeep Chhibber | Righteous Demagogues: Populist Politics in South Asia and Beyond
REVIEWER: Rajeshwari Majumdar
DISCUSSANT: Anurag Jain
REVIEW PUBLISHED: August 5, 2025
ONLINE DISCUSSION: August 7, 2025
- Jennifer Bussell | Shocks and Politics: Understanding Disaster Preparedness
REVIEWER: Syeda ShahBano Ijaz
DISCUSSANT: Meghna Yadav
REVIEW PUBLISHED: August 12, 2025
ONLINE DISCUSSION: August 14, 2025
- Atul Pokharel | Beyond Collective Action Problems: Perceived Fairness and Sustained Cooperation in Farmer Managed Irrigation Systems in Nepal
REVIEWER: Jason Jackson
DISCUSSANT: Manasi Rao
REVIEW PUBLISHED: August 19, 2025
ONLINE DISCUSSION: August 21, 2025
- Tanu Kumar | Building Social Mobility: How Subsidized Homeownership Creates Wealth, Dignity, and Voice in India
REVIEWER: Priyadarshi Amar
DISCUSSANT: Parushya
REVIEW PUBLISHED: August 26, 2025
ONLINE DISCUSSION: August 28, 2025
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