Nationalism

How patriotism on screen continued in 2021, with period films like Sardar Udham and sports movies like 83

There is a certain narrative arc a sports movie or a period drama can adhere to. And yet, their limitations of late have been compensated for with their capacity to generate a feeling of nationalism.

As North Korea denunciates skinny jeans, a look at the garment's symbolic importance, political journey over the years

Whether banning Western fashion in the Soviet Union or the burqa in France, political control over what we wear has always been controversial. But what is it about skinny jeans that apparently inspires a ban by North Korea today?

Endless funerals, people pleading for oxygen; India must etch horrors of COVID-19 in its memory, writes TM Krishna

We are facing our worst moment in modern history, struggling to stay afloat. If we do not show courage and honesty to speak for justice now, we may never be able to recover compassion.

Why we hunt witches: India’s illiberal impulses may not prove as durable as some fear

That angry Indian debates involve young people pitted against the values of their parents’ generation suggests an upheaval in values lies ahead

In David Attenborough's warning about the Earth's future, a lesson for liberals who have failed to unite for the planet's cause

The ability of some types of stories, such as those rooted in religion and nationalism to unite large numbers of people, has outstripped the ability of other stories, which are rooted in ideas of equality and emancipation, to bring people together.

On 74th Independence Day, examining the idea of India and the Indian through five essays from our archives

As we observe India's 74th Independence Day, amid a pandemic that is swiftly reshaping the world and all that was familiar, we're revisiting five essays from 'India and the Indian', a series analysing the renewed idea of nationalism that is in vogue.

Constructive opposition and inquiry are never more vital in a democracy like India than during times of crisis such as COVID-19

Often, dispensations perpetuate the convenient myth that the opposition plays the spoiler (or is even ‘anti-national’), but there cannot be a more important time, role or patriotic thing to do, other than question and oppose constructively, in a crisis | Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh writes

As coronavirus pandemic fades in China, country sees rise of equally infectious nationalism and xenophobia

As China tames the coronavirus epidemic now ravaging other countries, its success is giving rise to an increasingly strident blend of patriotism, nationalism and xenophobia, at a pitch many say has not been seen in decades

Gwyneth Paltrow describes Shallow Hal as 'disaster': Five times when stars admitted to their films' questionable stance

Gwyneth Paltrow or Saif Ali Khan are not the only celebs who have candidly questioned the messaging of their films or characters.

How the rise of right-wing populism urged Rajorshi Chakraborti to write Shakti, a surreal tale of three women

Rajorshi Chakraborti's newest novel, Shakti (2019) thrusts its readers into a familiar, yet surreal space, where its female leads traverse a socio-politically turbulent modern-day India, with superpowers to boot. In a conversation with Firspost, the New Zealand-based writer reflects on what inspired his book — from the prevailing socio-political milieu in India, to Black Mirror on Netflix, and everything in between.