NIGHTMARCH REVIEWS CONTINUED…
‘A thoughtful and balanced account.’ Marco Aime, La Stampa
‘By far the best book I’ve come across on the Naxalite rebels and the Adivasi communities where they operate.’ – Kong Tsung-gan, The Hong Kong Free Press.
‘One of the most extraordinary works of research and reportage to be published in India last year.’ Supriya Nair, The Voice of Fashion
‘Nightmarch is masterful in its reach for readership, appealing to both scholars and non-scholars alike…While a work of non-fiction, the book can also be read simply as an adventure story, containing elements of risk, dramatic events, even heroes, antagonists and protagonists.’ Christian Stalberg, Znet
‘Insightful and interesting journalism about a place and people few in the West know much about…descriptions of the hazards created by nature and the enemy, discussions centering around the question of self-discipline and temptation faced by the revolution’s soldiers, heartfelt stories of reunions and murders, and a sense of the drudgery and boredom that makes up a fair amount of the revolutionaries’ lives..’ Ron Jacobs, Counter Punch
‘Can an academic study also double up as a riveting thriller? … Alpa Shah has managed this seemingly impossible amalgam.’ Ajith Pillai, The Asian Age
‘Shah dismisses theories that peasants join insurgencies for economic benefits or for protection, emphasizing instead the emotional bonds the guerillas form with young Adivasis… builds her analysis around a dramatic narrative of a seven-night, 155-mile march she took with a platoon of guerillas.’ Andrew Nathan, Foreign Affairs
‘A riveting and complex view of Naxalism…it is a privilege to have Shah as the investigator.’ Partha Chakrabartty, The Wire
‘Critical, analytic and compassionate, Nightmarch is also an extraordinary feat of social science research ... Shah introduces us to people who are often branded as terrorists by the state, and tells us their individual stories with texture and nuance, to show us their reasons for picking up arms against the state, while never romanticising these narratives or the movement.’ Simantini Dey, News18.com
‘Nightmarch isn’t just a journey into India’s Naxal heartlands, it’s a journey into your minds and hearts … and for this and this above all, it must be read … lucid prose sensitively straddles the world of Naxals to tell stories of conflict, hierarchies, inequality and inherent contradictions in the movement with compelling takeaways for everyone—and that’s what takes this book right to the top of political writing in narrative non-fiction.’ Pallavi Singh, The News Laundry
‘Like a tapestry she beautifully knits the lives of a set of characters with contrasting qualities giving the sensation of a novel.’ Harsh Thakor, Counter Currents.
‘With great empathy and superb narrative ability, …[Shah] analyses, documents, reflects.’ Marina Forti, alphabeta2
‘The level of commitment that Shah has shown towards her research is commendable. She emanates the true spirit of ethnographers and anthropologists such as Verrier Elwin. Her experience of the conflict is therefore more nuanced and complex than generally portrayed in the media.’ Sonia K. Kurup, Sakal Times
‘As [Alpa Shah] describes how she walked, sometimes sleepwalked, with the Naxalites, we, the readers march along with her, alert and in awe as we turn each page.’ Souradeep Roy, Business Standard
‘Draws urgent attention to a zone whose continued neglect reflects the collective pathologies of society.’ Ashutosh Bhardwaj, Financial Express
‘This social scientist has done something that many of her peers and contemporaries never even dared to consider’ The Assam Tribune
‘An insightful book ... focuses primarily on the lives of Naxalites and Adivasis in Jharkhand and Shah’s knowledge of this place and her people shows in her writing. This book exposes the contradictions within the Naxalite movement and tries to decide if the movement is good or bad for the Adivasis.’ Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, ‘Favourite Reads of 2018’, Scroll
‘A gritty and revelatory journey.’ Sri Lanka Guardian
Rafique Wassan reviews Nightmarch for Times News, a Sindhi newspaper.
‘[A] vibrant piece of anthropological work… written in a way that provides food for thought and, at the same time, moves hearts, this book is an example of the unique contribution anthropologists can bring to understanding the world we live in.’ Public Anthropologist Blog
‘Shah’s powerful, reflective and deeply engaged scholarship recognises the innumerable social, economic, political and personal forces that drive the most marginalised into the Naxalite struggle while also acknowledging the movement’s many contradictions … a perfect illustration of the unique contribution that anthropologists can bring in comprehending the world we live in.’ Anwesha Dutta, LSE Review of Books
‘Alpa’s discussions and analysis of the movement and its role amongst a rural community is fascinating… Nightmarch is a fascinating insight into a war going on in one of the world’s largest democracies.’ Lipstick Socialist
‘Simultaneously a major contribution to scholarship and at the same time written to entice a wider readership to care about the poor and their insurgent politics.’ Gavin Smith, Journal of Peasant Studies
‘With Nightmarch, Shah has fully met her obligations to the people (both the Adivasis and the Maoists) she has studied; to social anthropology and her colleagues in that branch of social science; and most importantly, to her students and the intelligent public at large.’ Bernard D' Mello, Journal of Agrarian Change
‘Beautifully crafted and highly engaging.’ Kaya Uzel, Journal of Legal Anthropology
‘Although each of these four books takes a very different methodological and conceptual approach to the question of security, they are all grounded in ethnographic engagement with the people and contexts they analyze, and each offers some kind of theoretical and political critique of our world’s inundation with security. The most successful across all these facets is Alpa Shah’s Nightmarch …Shah’s book stands out in important ways...’ Lori Allen, Political and Legal Anthropology Review
‘A timely and major contribution to our knowledge of contemporary India’s popular political praxis and people’s resistances to predatory, state-sponsored capitalism…’ Nicolas Jaoul, Current Anthropology
‘..it may be the most impressive theoretical synthesis on the dynamics and contradictions of Naxalism of the last twenty years.’ Richard Bownas, Journal of Asian Studies
‘It is my hope that Alpa Shah’s Nightmarch… is translated into many languages, thereby expanding its reach, especially among the “chattering-middle classes” in India, laying down the seeds for imaginative sympathies to understand the different complexities of the Naxalite movement.’ Sahib Singh Tulsi, South Asianist.
‘An epitaph… to a flawed revolutionary dream…lucid and compelling … a compassionate but honest assessment of the Naxalite or Maoist movement, and of the relationships between the revolutionaries and the Adivasis.’ John Harriss, Review of Agrarian Studies
‘A unique document, a story from below of the Naxalite movement and the adivasi culture, which the author gives voice to in an intimate and brilliant text’. Maria Tavernini, QCode and Altreconomia
‘Recognising the emancipatory potential of the Naxalite movement, the book explores its limits and contradictions.’ Matilde Adduci, L’Indice
‘The story is as thrilling as a good novel, and it makes us discover this major rebellion through experience. The book also reveals the hunt for ultimate mineral wealth led by Indian leaders, while showing the human and moral difficulties encountered by a radical opposition movement, as well as the strategic questions it raises. Useful reflections for those who struggle’ Reporterre, Quotidien de l’ecologie
‘Compassionate, courageous and uncommonly observant. This is an extraordinary work of rigorous, reflective and deeply engaged scholarship, full of unexpected insights. At the same time, it manages to be haunting, lyrical, occasionally harrowing—more compelling than some of the best fiction writing.’ Harsh Mander, human rights worker and author of Fatal Accidents of Birth, Looking Away and Ash in the Belly
‘Riveting, finely textured, and acutely perceptive, Nightmarch is a model of what ethnography can offer. Shah captures both the Naxalite insurgency’s contradictions and its human promise against the background of the crippling indignities and exclusions of Indian society.’ James C. Scott, author of Against the Grain, the Art of Not Being Governed, Weapons of the Weak
'A story that could not be more important, told with the perfect balance of clear-eyed realism, thoughtful criticism, and abiding love. Shah brings the Indian forests to life, from the terrors and intimate details of daily existence to the visions of the future that move rebels to risk everything. Nightmarch reveals what anthropology can do in the hands of a master willing to take genuine risks in the name of human freedom.’ David Graeber, author of Bullshit Jobs and Debt: The First 5,000 Years
‘It is hard to imagine a work of social science as a page-turner that you cannot put down. But this intrepid author has produced that rare find: a gripping, incisive, and nuanced account of the nature of Maoism in central India, with an empathetic yet clear-eyed portrayal of the complexity of its individual stories. A beautifully written and absorbing book that disturbs, moves and educates the reader all at once.’ Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University
‘One of the most gripping, engaging and accessible books I’ve encountered on the Naxalites. Shah fearlessly bears witness to the upheavals caused by India’s rising inequalities, while also asking many urgent, difficult questions.’ Meena Kandasamy, author of When I Hit You
‘Brave, brilliant and beautifully written, Nightmarch is an anthropological tour de force. Shah portrays the Naxalites’ revolutionary dedication with love, respect and analytical acumen, while laying bare the tragic contradictions of their armed struggle.’ Philippe Bourgois, author of In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio and Righteous Dopefiend
‘An eloquent and compassionate account of revolutionaries whose voices are rarely heard. Shah skilfully analyses the individual motivations for the Naxalites’ radical commitment, their failures, and the deep history of exploitation and neglect that has provoked their struggle for liberation.’ David Lan, theatre producer and author of Guns and Rain
‘Intimate and insightful. Shah elucidates why Adivasis become Naxalites … brings out several contradictions in the Naxalite movement; breaks stereotypes … asks one vital question: Is the Naxalite movement doing good for the Adivasis?’ Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, author of The Adivasi Will Not Dance
‘Nightmarch is an outstanding work, combining ethnographic depth with almost cinematic vividness. From an extraordinary inside perspective, Shah reveals a complex interplay among the Naxalites of political ideals, cultural values, personal attachments, and the lure of money.’ Sherry B. Ortner, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, UCLA.
'An admirable example of doing serious social science research-writing , this book exhibits the potential of ethnographic research with a comparative angle, which is grounded, accessible, yet still theoretically rich.' Surinder S. Jodhka, Professor of Sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
'Bold and courageous, humane and sensitive, Nightmarch is an extraordinary ethnographic account of social inequality as seen through the lens of Adivasis, guerrillas and the State.Shah is at her insightful best with gripping accounts of the adivasi mind, life and ethos that beautifully captures the nuances of the Adivasi guerrillas. Brilliant in texture, style and narratives, it is excellent illustration of how to take ethnography beyond the confines of the academic world.' Virginius Xaxa, author of State, Society and Tribes: Issues in Post-Colonial India.
"Une pépite" - XXI
"Impressionnant récit" - Émilien Bernard, CQFD
"Un livre à nul autre pareil" - Christophe Jaffrelot, auteur de L'Inde de Modi (éd. Fayard, 2019)
"Le Livre de la jungle insurgée n’est pas sans rappeler l’Hommage à la Catalogne de George Orwell" - Lundi matin
"Éclairant, haletant : une splendeur de non-fiction anthropologique" Librairie Marie-Laura, Jonquière (Quebec)
"Un ouvrage captivant et nuancé, qui analyse avec passion et vigueur les soubresauts de notre système mondialisé." - Librairie La Fleur qui pousse à l'intérieur, Dijon
"L'occasion de découvrir l'histoire d'un mouvement égalitariste et anticapitaliste complètement occulté qui agite pourtant l'Inde depuis plus de cinquante ans" - Bibliothèque Fahrenheit 451
‘A sumptuous political and militant ethnography’ Jean-Thomas Martelli, La Vie des Idees
‘Participant observation… a model of its kind’ Christophe Jaffrelot, Revue Francaise De Science Politique