Rahul Rao
disaffected glass-half-empty type; starting to think belatedly about more than humans
📚 'The Psychic Lives of Statues: Reckoning with the Rubble of Empire' (Pluto Press, 2025) | plutobooks.com/9780745350769/the-p…
- one of the most devastating things I have read about AI
- "There will be an accounting one day, and though Pretti and Good will not live to see it, many of us will – many of the ICE agents now terrorizing America will, too... These killers, deep down, must know that they will not be forgiven." hum dekhenge
- yes to the imperial boomerang thesis; but yes also to the idea that there is place for all at the rendezvous of victory – both from Césaire
- all the comparisons of Iran’s internet shutdown have forgotten to mention India’s internet shutdown in Kashmir in 2019 which, at 500+ days, is the longest in any ‘democratic’ country
- really interesting, especially for the discussion at the end of the continuities and discontinuities between Maduro and Chavez
- the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study call for fellowship applications is now open
- it is a measure of the utter cruelty of the British state and this Labour government that Heba Muraisi is on day 71 of her hunger strike
- Reposted by Rahul RaoThis is stunning. Listen to this in Philadelphia. Thousands singing “Hey-Oh, we won’t be silent while our friends are gunned down.” Really listen to it.
- woke up and it was 2003 again
- “Mamdani walks in an older Jewish tradition. Not that of ritzy Upper East Side synagogues, but of so many of our great-grandparents: the socialist sweatshop workers who fought for a better and more beautiful world.”
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- more in awe of Nikhil Krishnan than Wittgenstein by the end of this
- read an early version via one of the prospective publishers and was blown away by this extraordinary memoir, which seamlessly intertwines personal and collective struggle
- enjoyed this podcast with @lalehkhalili.bsky.social not least for the snatches of autobiography, swearing and always trenchant analysis ✨
- some of the hunger strikers are on day 51; Bobby Sands died on day 66. How heartless is this government determined to be?
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- honoured to be part of what Kashmir read in 2025: 'This compilation isn’t just about the “best” books; it’s about the books that travelled from hand to hand, WhatsApp group to WhatsApp group, and encounter to encounter in a place where literature remains when everything else being on survival mode.'
- most despairing sentence: “Many women tell me that if they stop preparing the calorie-dense, oil-laden dishes their husbands prefer, it leads to anger and conflict,” he said. “This shows how difficult it is to change dietary patterns in Indian households – even when families know the health risks.”
- and the Chilean election, a reminder of why it’s so important never to forget
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- absolutely riveting, not least for the present continuous tense in which it is written making the reader feel like they are part of the action. when the regime falls you wonder how it could have lasted so long given that it was so brittle.
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- love how Paul Preciado converts this book talk into a kind of workshop! can’t wait to read dysphoria mundi podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/l...
- Reposted by Rahul Raothe gulf between the swift brutality with which places like harvard treated students protesting genocide and the endless, endless latitude those same institutions have given people like larry summers tells you everything you need to know
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- I reviewed some new books on queer Southasia for @himalmag.bsky.social www.himalmag.com/politics/que...
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- my household occupies the Venn diagram intersection between IR and marine biology, so this was especially distressing news www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- interesting on how the law on outer space, deep sea and sea bed are connected (also how to explain something harrowing beautifully) thebulletin.org/2025/03/mars...
- Reposted by Rahul RaoHistory of the Human Sciences announces its 2025-26 ECR Prize. All details (including previous winners) on our para-site histhum.com. Deadline: 30 January 2026. Also! Follow the journal on Bluesky at @histhum.bsky.social www.histhum.com/early-career...
- one of my favourite IR articles, one that I keep returning to in 35 second bursts (see fn. 3); thanks @debbielisle.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10....
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- UK universities claim to be reckoning with their imperial and colonial pasts, but refuse to see their implication in the genocidal settler colonialism of the present – so how serious are these exercises? wrote about this for @versobooks.bsky.social blog www.versobooks.com/en-gb/blogs/...
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- seeing the recognition of Palestinian statehood dismissed as 'performative' (US State Dept) makes me wonder how the meaning of the word 'performative' has gone from words that do things (Austin, Butler) to words that do nothing
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- landmark special issue on caste and Indian diplomacy! brill.com/view/journal...
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Please consider donating and help Adam and Ahmed survive chuffed.org/project/1400...
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul RaoI am one of the 14 authors who chose to leave the Polari Prize, and I find myself frustrated and saddened at the way this entire story has been represented. 1/
- thrilling to talk to @radicalbooks.bsky.social about 'The Psychic Lives of Statues': Rhodes, Mandela, Gandhi, Patel, Ambedkar, Fanon and more against the backdrop of the dystopian present + reflections on imperial settler colonial 🇮🇳, apposite on Aug 15 www.radicalbookscollective.com/p/10-on-the-...
- happy birthday Umar Khalid! watched Lalit Vachani's film 'Prisoner No 626710 is Present' and remembered why Umar is an absolute hero for many of us. Free Umar Khalid and all the political prisoners! vimeo.com/1017354554 (pw: ramU_2025913), free to watch this week
- St Andrews staff & students, please sign this open letter calling on the university to sever links with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and all other Israeli universities and if you're not connected to St Andrews, please publicise this anyway. thank you! www.ucustandrews.org/end-links-wi...
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- was a real thrill to interview @reproutopia.bsky.social about their new book 'Enemy Feminisms', along with Victoria Browne and @hhnnccnnll.bsky.social, in the new issue of @radical-philosophy.bsky.social www.radicalphilosophy.com/interview/sm...
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- please consider donating and read this on how crowdfunding appeals from Gaza like this one are cruelly and erroneously being blocked by @bsky.app anti-spam filters www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- replugging this in the week of Fanon's 100th birthday, because the way he is misinterpreted keeps me up at night www.radicalphilosophy.com/commentary/h...
- i'm impressed
- Tareq Baconi: 'The discourse around aid allows politicians to avert their gaze from the political crisis, as if Palestinians had suffered a natural disaster.' Short Cuts www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- ONLINE event today on 'The Psychic Lives of Statues' @ 18.00 (UK) hosted by @rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk all welcome! events.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholars-lib...
- Reposted by Rahul RaoIf you’ve never seen one before, this is a strawberry finch.
- 🥰
- it was great to speak to @slr-nlsiu.bsky.social in depth about 'The Psychic Lives of Statues' – a huge pleasure to respond to such thoughtful and engaging questions. also, read the journal!
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Oxford friends: I'm giving 2 book talks in the-town-where-Rhodes-has-not-fallen on Monday, June 9, 2–4 pm, St Antony's College (in person) www.africanstudies.ox.ac.uk/event/the-ps... and later in the month, courtesy Rhodes House, on June 24 (online) www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/programmes-e...
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Kashmiris protested en masse against the Pahalgam terror attacks, but were still collectively punished for them.
- glad to have signed this letter as a political theorist but also as an immigrant
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul RaoThis is the Groove-billed Ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris), and it's just straight up a dinosaur. Like, I know *all* birds are technically avian dinosaurs, but my first thought looking at this guy is: dinosaur. (📷: Suzie McCann, eBird)
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- enjoyed talking to @pollypw.bsky.social on the @europeanisa.bsky.social podcast Voices about 'The Psychic Lives of Statues' you can buy the book at a 20% discount using code RAO20 when you order directly from @plutopress.bsky.social voices-the-eisa-podcast.podigee.io/33-why-is-ra...
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- any recommendations for good biographies (books or articles) of Elon Musk? thanks!
- use discount code RAO20 for 20% off the hardback and ebook price when you order directly from www.plutobooks.com/978074535076...
- one of the most moving essays I've read recently (and not only because I saw some of this unfold IRL)
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Edinburgh today! in conversation with Mohamed Tonsy at the amazing @lighthousebks.bsky.social
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Rahul Rao[Not loaded yet]
