India is the world’s largest democracy and the most populous country on earth. But recently its political system has been tending towards authoritarianism. Come hear a discussion about India by Dr. Saiba Varma, an Associate Professor of Anthropology at UCSD as she describes India’s challenges as the world’s largest democracy on Tuesday, April 15. Her talk begins at 5:30 PM at the Solana Beach Library, located at 157 Stevens Avenue, Solana Beach.

Dr. Varma is an Associate Professor of the Psychological/Medial Anthropology subfield and the Vice Chair of Undergraduate Studies. She is a medical and cultural anthropologist working on questions of violence, medicine, psychiatry, and politics as they pertain to Indian-controlled Kashmir and South Asia more generally. She has a BA in Anthropology and Government from Franklin and Marshall College along with a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Cornell University.

Professor Varma will explore the cultural underpinnings of rising Hindu nationalism and offer some examples from Kashmir – a region claimed by India, Pakistan and China – to examine erosions of India’s democratic foundations. What shared challenges might we anticipate as both the US and India shift towards authoritarianism, and the US positions India as counterweight to China?

This FREE event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Solana Beach Library and Solana Beach Community Connections (SBCC).  

Photo: Saiba Varma
Photographer: Lorena Gomez Mostajo