logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
13m 46s

Kunal Purohit's book examines Hindutva p...

NPR
About this episode
Pop culture can be a powerful tool for social and political activism – but what happens when it's used to incite discrimination, or even violence? That's the question at the heart of journalist Kunal Purohit's book, H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars. In today's episode, Purohit speaks with NPR's Diaa Hadid about how influencers, pop songs and poems are promoting Hindu nationalist values in India, and how political propaganda on social media can legitimize hate towards minority groups.

To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Apr 17
Brandy Norwood and Arsenio Hall's memoirs look back on careers that defined the '90s
Two figures who defined ‘90s culture are out with new memoirs. First, Brandy Norwood is a Grammy-winning singer and made history as the first Black actress to play a Disney princess on screen. In today’s episode, she speaks with NPR’s A Martínez about her memoir Phases, her belov ... Show More
15m 56s
Apr 16
For her new novel about boy bands, Emma Straub took a page from New Kids on the Block
A few years ago, author Emma Straub saw a story about New Kids on the Block hosting a tropical cruise for their fans. That planted the seed for Straub, whose new novel, American Fantasy, is about a fictional, aging boy band called Boy Talk that sets sail for five days of nostalgi ... Show More
4m 28s
Apr 15
'Labor' is a memoir by a doctor who traveled the country with a mobile OB-GYN clinic
Twenty years into her medical career, Dr. Mary Fariba Afsari, a board-certified OBGYN, had grown increasingly frustrated with the medical profession. She felt that medicine had become more about business and less about caring for patients. Her new memoir, Labor: One Woman’s Work, ... Show More
9m 52s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
Pinky Hota, "The Violence of Recognition: Adivasi Indigeneity and Anti-Dalitness in India" (U Pennsylvania Press, 2023)
The Violence of Recognition: Adivasi Indigeneity and Anti-Dalitness in India (U Pennsylvania Press, 2023) offers an unprecedented firsthand account of the operations of Hindu nationalists and their role in sparking the largest incident of anti-Christian violence in India’s histor ... Show More
51m 49s
Feb 2020
K-pop: shaped by fans and shaken by scandals
K-Pop has never been more popular. However, a recent string of high profile controversies including a rape conviction and two suicides have sullied the image of the Korean cultural export. Edward White talks to Patricia Nilsson about what makes a K-Pop star, why the singers are u ... Show More
14m 10s
May 2024
K-Pop to K-Colleges: India’s Korea Craze Continues
<p>From BTS to Bibimbap, K-culture is taking over India's Gen Z! But it's not just K-Pop and K-Dramas anymore. Studying abroad in South Korea is becoming super popular. But why the sudden surge? Host Prachi Verma dives into the reasons behind the "K-College" craze!  South Korea o ... Show More
24m 2s
Nov 2020
November 13th - Cardi B Apologizes for Appropriating Hindu Culture: 'Maybe I Should Have Done My Research'
Cardi B was met with criticism this week after the release of her Footwear News November cover, in which the rapper is seen holding a red sneaker and depicted as the Hindu goddess Durga. Critics called out the star for cultural appropriation, deeming the cover inappropriate and a ... Show More
3m 26s
Dec 2023
Violent Majorities, Indian and Israeli Ethnonationalism. Episode 1
"The Slippery Slope to a Multiculturalism of Caste" Professor Balmurli Natrajan has long studied questions of caste, nationalism and fascism in the Indian context: his many works include a 2011 book, The Culturalization of Caste in India. He joins anthropologists Lori Allen and A ... Show More
51m 35s
Jan 2022
Twist of faith: religious hatred in India
<p>As the country celebrates its secular constitution, we examine the <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/01/15/hindu-bigots-are-openly-urging-indians-to-murder-muslims?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.cont ... Show More
22m 45s