Brown History Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

If you ask someone what ancient India gave to the world, most people will probably say “yoga.” But for over a thousand years, India was an intellectual, cultural, and spiritual centre of the world. From astronomy and art to literature, language, religion, and philosophy, India was a powerhouse of ideas that traveled far beyond its borders. So why don’t more people today know about this part of India’s history?

On today's episode, we sit with the great historian William Dalrymple, author of his new book, The Golden Road, and discuss how ancient India shaped the world as we know it today.

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When we hear the phrase 'homeland security,' we usually think of the United States. But long before 9/11, Israel was already building a model —one based on occupation, surveillance, and control.

After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, India promised it would never be caught off guard again. But instead of rebuilding from within, it became one of Israel’s biggest customers. Not just for weapons, but for surveillance technology, police training, and an entire mindset shaped by Israel’s experience of occupation.

In today’s episode, we sit with Rhys Machold, author of Fabricating Homeland Security, and unpack how homeland security became a global brand, how fear became a marketplace, and how Israel became India’s go-to model for policing, surveillance, and counterterrorism.

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In October, the government of Pakistan announced that it would expel all undocumented foreigners, including 1.7 million Afghans—one of the country’s largest immigrant communities. This includes those who were born in, brought up, married, had children, and then they raised their families, all within in Pakistan. Many of them had fled from the Taliban and are terrified of heading back to the Taliban government. In the past month, we've seen heartbreaking scenes where Afghan students bid farewell to their Pakistani classmates with heartfelt hugs, and at the border, long lines of trucks were laden with the possessions of Afghan families. The United Nations agencies and human rights organizations have widely criticized Pakistan's practice of forcefully returning refugees. This is cruelty on a massive scale. In today's episode we sit with Sanaa Alimia, author of "Refugee Cities: How Afghans Changed Urban Pakistan," and delve into a thought-provoking discussion on the intricate dynamics surrounding Afghan refugees in Pakistan. We look at their history, their current situation, and most importantly, we shed light on their humanity.

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We sit with Indian-American musician, music producer, and songwriter Sid Sriram, who is currently one of the most popular playback singers in India and has recently released his English-language studio album, 'Sidharth'.

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In India, Christians account for about 2% to 3% of the population. However, in the state of Kerala, Christians make up a remarkable 18% to 19% of the total population. And among them, Syrian Christians play a significant role, representing almost half of Kerala's Christian population. Although the Syrian Christians of Kerala are a minority, they are also a caste-, race-, and class-privileged minority that have historically benefited from their privileged position within society. And if the Syrian Christians are the dominant community, then it is also necessary to look at the subordinated communities, as they represent the minority within the minority. Our guest today is Sonja Thomas, author of, 'Privileged Minorities: Syrian Christianity, Gender, and Minority Rights in Postcolonial India' and together we will discuss the Christians of Kerala, specifically the Syrian Christians, and navigate the intricacies of caste, gender, class, race, religion, and language.

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The Rohingya are widely recognized as one of the most persecuted and vulnerable communities in the world. They are a people that much of the world keeps forgetting. For centuries, they called Burma/Myanmar their home, but being victims of persecution as a result of ethnic cleansing and genocide, they were forced to flee to neighbouring countries. and now, over a million Rohingyas endure life in cramped refugee camps in Bangladesh. Excluded as illegal migrants by both Myanmar and Bangladesh, they face unimaginable hardships, including unemployment, mental and sexual abuse, and the denial of basic human necessities. We sit with journalist Kaamil Ahmed, author of ‘I Feel No Peace: Rohingya Fleeing Over Seas and Rivers,’ and explore the haunting question: has the world failed the Rohingya?

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Books covered on the podcast so far: https://amzn.to/42TH768

Photo by Kevin Frayer

Asha Puthli is a living legend. A musical pioneer, fashion icon, Studio 54 star, feminist, actor, environmentalist, and friends with everyone from Andy Warhol to Mikhail Gorbachev. She is cited by the New York Times as having been an inspiration to Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder. As an actor she's worked with greats that include Merchant Ivory, Louise Malle, and the Italian Director Bruno Corbucci. And she continues to stay as relevant as ever. A remix of her immensely influential 1975 track Space Talk was recently released on the music label @naya.beat and she is about to record her 11th studio album this summer. A Hollywood documentary about her life is also in the works. On today's episode, writer-director-producer @deeptidatt who has been documenting @ashaputhli in her expansive, multimedia, installation project #interstellarIconoclasts, sits down with the legendary artist to conduct a rare and incredibly far-ranging interview exploring Asha's music, life, career and inspirations.

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When we think of Goa, we usually think of beach parties, vacation, or that movie Dil Chahta Hai, but Goa was once the headquarters of the Portuguese empire in the East for 450 years. They were the first colonial powers in the subcontinent and the last ones to leave. The Portuguese brought a different face of Christianity and they used it to impose their rule over Goa. They planned for Goa to be the "Rome" of the East, and that involved violence, torture, and erasure. We sit with Ângela Barreto Xavier, author of 'Religion and Empire in Portuguese India' and discuss the transformation of Goa during the first couple of centuries of Portuguese colonial rule.

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In 2006, just after Hurrincan Katrina, hundreds of Indian workers were lured to the United States with false promises of a green card and forced to work under grueling working conditions at a shipyard in Mississippi. It would become one of the largest human trafficking schemes in U.S. history. When one of those workers called labor organizer Saket Soni for help, it set off an epic chain of events that led him to engineering their escape from the work camp and set them off on a path to citizenship. We sit with Saket Soni, author of 'The Great Escape: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America' as he recounts their heroic journey for justice. 

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Books covered on the podcast so far: https://amzn.to/42TH768

We sit with award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee, known for his roles in films like Satya, Gangs of Wasseypur, Aligarh, and the most recent, Gulmohar, as well as leading the running hit series, The Family Man.

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Books covered on the podcast so far: https://amzn.to/42TH768