Anthropologist and author, Alpa Shah, is set to give a talk on the state of democracy in the world’s most populous country, India, at an event hosted by Jesuit Missions.

‘The Search for Democracy in India’ will explore Professor Shah’s latest book, The Incarcerations, which details the cases of several figures jailed in India, including the late Jesuit priest, Fr Stan Swamy.

It will be held at the Aula Magna in the London Jesuit Centre in Mayfair on Monday 8th July, starting at 6.45pm. Entry is free and light refreshments will be provided.

The talk will be followed by a Q&A session, and there will be copies of The Incarcerations available to purchase.

Fr Swamy was arrested and jailed in October 2020 after being falsely accused of ‘unlawful activities’ against the Indian state. He died less than a year later after contracting Covid-19. Jesuit Missions has been involved in an ongoing campaign to have his name cleared.

The timing of this event is particularly poignant, given it comes almost exactly three years since Fr Swamy’s death and follows a recent General Election in India, which saw Narendra Modi secure a third term as Prime Minister.

Professor Shah is an expert on politics and economics in India and has written extensively on subjects such as the rights of Adivasi and Dalit communities in the country.

The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India was a finalist for the 2024 Orwell Prize for Political Writing and was included on the Financial Times’s ‘What to Read in 2024’ list.

Visit www.eventbrite.com/e/the-search-for-democracy-in-india-tickets-927736182897 to reserve a space for the talk.

About Jesuit Missions

Jesuit Missions is the international mission and development organisation of the Jesuits in Britain. For more than 60 years, it has supported vulnerable communities in the Global South. It engages in projects in more than 20 countries and regularly works with schools and parishes in the UK.

Alpa Shah

Alpa Shah is currently Professor of Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics and will be the next Professor of Anthropology at Oxford, with a Fellowship at All Souls College. She is the author of several books on Indian and Nepalese politics. She has written and presented for BBC Radio 4 Crossing Continents and From Our Own Correspondent.

For more information, contact Adam Shaw, Media and Communications Officer at Jesuit Missions, at adam@jesuitmissions.org.uk