We do live in interesting times. Even as the glitterati party endlessly, faithfully followed by electronic eyes, those in the penumbra lead turbulent, conflict-ridden and uncertain lives. As the earth is pillaged and its bounties harvested by a few, others eke out their existence – roofless, naked and hungry.
Yet, the quest for a better world continues in myriad ways, along manifold paths of knowledge and experience. Multiversity - our special focus this month - is a tribute to the struggle of scholars and activists across the globe not merely to re-define the frontiers of academia and curricula in the social sciences but to demolish deeply-entrenched Western/Eurocentic notions of the world.
Yearly, scores of students prepare for the mad race to obtain a ‘higher education’, obtaining degrees in subjects like sociology, economics, anthropology, politics or psychology, mutely imbibing theories that are far removed from their lives and that only serve to distance them further.
In our special focus on Multiversity, Vinay Lal defines a framework of knowledge through multiversity and decolonisation. Vinay Lal, has also guest-edited our spotlight on Multiversity. Fred Chiu takes a look at people-centered anthropology; Jorge Ishizawa discusses the efforts to devise community-based curricula to strengthen Andean peasant agriculture; Syed Farid Alatas examines Eurocentrism in Sociology curricula and Roby Rajan decries the hold of pin-striped economists and global governance raj. We also have a book excerpt from ‘White Studies’, Ward Churchill’s seminal essay, and a Dissenter’s Library put together by Vinay Lal.
There is no doubt about it. Multiversity is an exciting idea whose time has come.
Humanscape also takes a look at other issues of the day. Slum demolitions shook the underbelly of Mumbai throughout February and March, as politicians and industrialists joined hands in their project to turn ‘Urbs Prima in Indes’ into a clone of Shanghai. Thousands were rendered homeless, schoolbooks of bewildered school children were in disarray, the meagre belongings of their families strewn on the ground they could not call their own.
In neighbouring Nepal, the emergency put at peril all democratic institutions, giving sweeping powers to the army and the king. Has India’s stance in the past exacerbated the situation? What is the way out for this land-locked country, systematically denuded of its resources, ridden by poverty, poor public health and education, unemployment and deprivation? Only a united popular front that reflect people’s real aspirations, writes Bela Malik. In such a situation, telling the truth is fraught with danger. The media was muzzled, but as this report by Laxmi Murthy revealed, the press in Nepal, including its vibrant community radio network, was innovative and spirited and myriad courageous methods were instantaneously adopted to beat censorship.
For some years now, the Indian film industry has been knocking at Hollywood’s doors for the coveted ‘Oscars. The attempts by mainstream Hindi and lately, Marathi film-makers, to make a pitch for the international awards, have been well-documented, but can one battle Western biases, asks Frederick Noronha, examining theethics involved in the making of the Oscar-award-winning documentary ‘Born into Brothels’.
And finally, a stirring account of the success of the people of Sundarnagari in Delhi against a corrupt public distribution system. For the last few years, citizens have been mute witness to the depletion of essential commodities in ration shops all over the country. One doesn’t see those lines outside ration shops simply because there isn’t anything in the shops to distribute. No wheat, no sugar, no rice, no grain. Nothing but kerosene to burn empty chulahs. But the people of Sundarnagari refused to accept the status quo and therein lay the difference, reported Deepti Priya Mehrotra.
This issue also bids farewell to Rukmini Datta, who edited Humanscape for four years from March 2001 with inspiration, diligence and verve. Now, that’s a hard act to follow but we are happy to report that she joins Humanscape’s editorial council and will continue to help Humanscape further its vision.

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