Audrey Truschke
@audreytruschke.bsky.social
Professor of South Asian history Rutgers-Newark | Anti-fascist | pro-education | https://www.audreytruschke.com/ | https://princeton.press/8r8idcye
Pinned
It's publication day! 🙌
U.S. link: amazon.com/India-000-Ye...
UK link: amazon.co.uk/India-000-Ye...
India link: amazon.in/India-000-Ye... (*releases June 17)
U.S. link: amazon.com/India-000-Ye...
UK link: amazon.co.uk/India-000-Ye...
India link: amazon.in/India-000-Ye... (*releases June 17)
What a delight to have the South Asia launch of my recent book in Lahore, one of the subcontinent’s cultural centers.
My friends, South Asian history is amazing. Taking pride in that long, diverse past means being honest about it, even and especially when it challenges us today.
My friends, South Asian history is amazing. Taking pride in that long, diverse past means being honest about it, even and especially when it challenges us today.
February 8, 2026 at 4:53 PM
What a delight to have the South Asia launch of my recent book in Lahore, one of the subcontinent’s cultural centers.
My friends, South Asian history is amazing. Taking pride in that long, diverse past means being honest about it, even and especially when it challenges us today.
My friends, South Asian history is amazing. Taking pride in that long, diverse past means being honest about it, even and especially when it challenges us today.
Lahore pilgrimage to the grave of Alfred Woolner, a Sanskritist who contributed richly to the city’s intellectual life.
February 7, 2026 at 4:23 AM
Lahore pilgrimage to the grave of Alfred Woolner, a Sanskritist who contributed richly to the city’s intellectual life.
Shut. It. Down.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that demands made by Democrats for new restrictions on federal immigration officers are “unrealistic” and warned that the Department of Homeland Security will shut down next week if they do not work with Republicans and the White House.
Homeland Security shutdown grows more likely as Republicans rebuff Democratic demands for ICE
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that demands made by Democrats for new restrictions on federal immigration officers are “unrealistic” and warned that the Department of Homeland Secu…
trib.al
February 6, 2026 at 4:55 AM
Shut. It. Down.
It was a true pleasure to spend a few hours this afternoon with my colleague, Shahid Rasheed, and his Sanskrit students in Lahore.
Lahore has a long history with Sanskrit; it's so wonderful to see this next chapter being opened.
thewire.in/south-asia/l...
Lahore has a long history with Sanskrit; it's so wonderful to see this next chapter being opened.
thewire.in/south-asia/l...
Lahore’s Only Sanskrit Teacher Defies the Erasure of the Language
In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a forbidden language awakens after decades of silence.
thewire.in
February 5, 2026 at 2:55 PM
It was a true pleasure to spend a few hours this afternoon with my colleague, Shahid Rasheed, and his Sanskrit students in Lahore.
Lahore has a long history with Sanskrit; it's so wonderful to see this next chapter being opened.
thewire.in/south-asia/l...
Lahore has a long history with Sanskrit; it's so wonderful to see this next chapter being opened.
thewire.in/south-asia/l...
February 5, 2026 at 9:24 AM
Always nice to be in the newspaper (from Pakistan’s Dawn)
February 5, 2026 at 8:36 AM
Always nice to be in the newspaper (from Pakistan’s Dawn)
Pertinent advice from a Lahore-based Sanskritist:
“When your purposes are balked by the stupidity of others, though you find yourself appalled at the individual and collective folly… do not fall back in angry despair… but rather find relief in a saving sense of humour.”
“When your purposes are balked by the stupidity of others, though you find yourself appalled at the individual and collective folly… do not fall back in angry despair… but rather find relief in a saving sense of humour.”
February 4, 2026 at 12:26 AM
Pertinent advice from a Lahore-based Sanskritist:
“When your purposes are balked by the stupidity of others, though you find yourself appalled at the individual and collective folly… do not fall back in angry despair… but rather find relief in a saving sense of humour.”
“When your purposes are balked by the stupidity of others, though you find yourself appalled at the individual and collective folly… do not fall back in angry despair… but rather find relief in a saving sense of humour.”
RSS's lobbying firm in the U.S. pulls the plug after public scrutiny.
A lot of questions remain here --
How did the RSS pay for this?
Why didn't the U.S. firm register under FARA?
Why is the firm still evading legal requirements?
Why did they email me?
prismreports.org/2026/01/29/r...
A lot of questions remain here --
How did the RSS pay for this?
Why didn't the U.S. firm register under FARA?
Why is the firm still evading legal requirements?
Why did they email me?
prismreports.org/2026/01/29/r...
RSS ends congressional lobbying campaign in U.S.
Squire Patton Boggs terminated the campaign weeks after a Prism investigation detailed its lobbying relationship with the RSS
prismreports.org
January 30, 2026 at 3:23 PM
RSS's lobbying firm in the U.S. pulls the plug after public scrutiny.
A lot of questions remain here --
How did the RSS pay for this?
Why didn't the U.S. firm register under FARA?
Why is the firm still evading legal requirements?
Why did they email me?
prismreports.org/2026/01/29/r...
A lot of questions remain here --
How did the RSS pay for this?
Why didn't the U.S. firm register under FARA?
Why is the firm still evading legal requirements?
Why did they email me?
prismreports.org/2026/01/29/r...
Announcing the South Asia launch of my India book.
Lahore. February. Join us.
Lahore. February. Join us.
January 29, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Announcing the South Asia launch of my India book.
Lahore. February. Join us.
Lahore. February. Join us.
Reposted by Audrey Truschke
@audreytruschke.bsky.social's India: 5,000 Years of History on the Subcontinent is a dazzling new history of the Indian subcontinent and its diverse peoples in global context—from antiquity to today.
Save 30% with code PUP30: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Save 30% with code PUP30: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
January 26, 2026 at 3:08 PM
@audreytruschke.bsky.social's India: 5,000 Years of History on the Subcontinent is a dazzling new history of the Indian subcontinent and its diverse peoples in global context—from antiquity to today.
Save 30% with code PUP30: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Save 30% with code PUP30: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Watch. The. Video.
They’d better arrest these death squad goons ASAP, or else I think a lot of us are done with the American political project.
#abolishICE
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
They’d better arrest these death squad goons ASAP, or else I think a lot of us are done with the American political project.
#abolishICE
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
Live: Man shot by federal agent in south Minneapolis this morning, witnesses say
A video appears to shows federal agents wrestling a man to the ground then shooting him.
www.startribune.com
January 24, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Watch. The. Video.
They’d better arrest these death squad goons ASAP, or else I think a lot of us are done with the American political project.
#abolishICE
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
They’d better arrest these death squad goons ASAP, or else I think a lot of us are done with the American political project.
#abolishICE
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
Professor moment -- I got to tell a class today that we're covering *exactly* 500 years of South Asian history.
Why? Because 2026 is the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Mughal Empire, which is where I begin my modern South Asia course. 😎
Why? Because 2026 is the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Mughal Empire, which is where I begin my modern South Asia course. 😎
January 22, 2026 at 11:18 PM
Professor moment -- I got to tell a class today that we're covering *exactly* 500 years of South Asian history.
Why? Because 2026 is the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Mughal Empire, which is where I begin my modern South Asia course. 😎
Why? Because 2026 is the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Mughal Empire, which is where I begin my modern South Asia course. 😎
Delicious academic hate read.
January 22, 2026 at 9:18 PM
Delicious academic hate read.
An opening thought experiment this term in a class on identity and nationalism --
Who is the patriotic American? -- Renee Good vs. ICE agent who shot her
Who is the patriotic American? -- Renee Good vs. ICE agent who shot her
January 22, 2026 at 5:20 PM
An opening thought experiment this term in a class on identity and nationalism --
Who is the patriotic American? -- Renee Good vs. ICE agent who shot her
Who is the patriotic American? -- Renee Good vs. ICE agent who shot her
Well, my comments to students open with dubbing it "artificial idiocy."
I go through how AI gets stuff laughably wrong, hallucinates, writes in a single monotone that makes me want to scratch my eyeballs out, and is destroying the planet.
I end with -- it'll make you an idiot too and unemployable.
I go through how AI gets stuff laughably wrong, hallucinates, writes in a single monotone that makes me want to scratch my eyeballs out, and is destroying the planet.
I end with -- it'll make you an idiot too and unemployable.
Calling all the PhDs I know to make monumental annoyances of themselves (and honestly, who better)
January 21, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Well, my comments to students open with dubbing it "artificial idiocy."
I go through how AI gets stuff laughably wrong, hallucinates, writes in a single monotone that makes me want to scratch my eyeballs out, and is destroying the planet.
I end with -- it'll make you an idiot too and unemployable.
I go through how AI gets stuff laughably wrong, hallucinates, writes in a single monotone that makes me want to scratch my eyeballs out, and is destroying the planet.
I end with -- it'll make you an idiot too and unemployable.
Is “Hinduphobia” a serious accusation?
Nah, says HAF leader, “We use the term too much.”
Even Hindu nationalist leaders call b******t on their propaganda sometimes! #Hindutva
Nah, says HAF leader, “We use the term too much.”
Even Hindu nationalist leaders call b******t on their propaganda sometimes! #Hindutva
January 21, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Is “Hinduphobia” a serious accusation?
Nah, says HAF leader, “We use the term too much.”
Even Hindu nationalist leaders call b******t on their propaganda sometimes! #Hindutva
Nah, says HAF leader, “We use the term too much.”
Even Hindu nationalist leaders call b******t on their propaganda sometimes! #Hindutva
I have a lecture I give in South Asian history courses whose informal title is "Hitler to Modi."
There's robust evidence to justify analyses that compare and link these two.
But Indian students are being denied education these days. It's a shame.
www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana... #Modi #Hitler
There's robust evidence to justify analyses that compare and link these two.
But Indian students are being denied education these days. It's a shame.
www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana... #Modi #Hitler
Row erupts at Jindal varsity over ‘comparing’ Modi with Hitler - The Tribune
Rights panel seeks report from varsity, ACS Education, CP Sonepat.
www.tribuneindia.com
January 20, 2026 at 1:46 PM
I have a lecture I give in South Asian history courses whose informal title is "Hitler to Modi."
There's robust evidence to justify analyses that compare and link these two.
But Indian students are being denied education these days. It's a shame.
www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana... #Modi #Hitler
There's robust evidence to justify analyses that compare and link these two.
But Indian students are being denied education these days. It's a shame.
www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana... #Modi #Hitler
Late-stage American capitalism + nationalism.
I’d say it’s living up to expectations of crassness but letting me down regarding entertainment value.
I’d say it’s living up to expectations of crassness but letting me down regarding entertainment value.
January 19, 2026 at 3:07 PM
Late-stage American capitalism + nationalism.
I’d say it’s living up to expectations of crassness but letting me down regarding entertainment value.
I’d say it’s living up to expectations of crassness but letting me down regarding entertainment value.
Reposted by Audrey Truschke
They didn’t want a university without cancel culture. They didn’t want to be criticized for their retrograde views so they created a pretend school funding by their rich friends. The only people surprised that this failed were credulous enough to believe the fairy tales these folks told.
They Wanted a University Without Cancel Culture. Then Dissenters Were Ousted.
Inside the civil war at the anti-woke university backed by Bari Weiss.
www.politico.com
January 16, 2026 at 6:10 PM
They didn’t want a university without cancel culture. They didn’t want to be criticized for their retrograde views so they created a pretend school funding by their rich friends. The only people surprised that this failed were credulous enough to believe the fairy tales these folks told.
Trump follows some notable leaders in being re-gifted a Nobel Prize, as a sort of participation trophy.
Joseph Goebbels was given one by an author in 1943.
www.nobelpeaceprize.org/press/press-... #history #Trump #Goebbels #Nazis
Joseph Goebbels was given one by an author in 1943.
www.nobelpeaceprize.org/press/press-... #history #Trump #Goebbels #Nazis
The Nobel Prize and the Laureate Are Inseparable - Nobel Peace Prize
The medal and the diploma are the physical symbols confirming that an individual or organisation has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize itself – the honour and recognition – remains insepar...
www.nobelpeaceprize.org
January 16, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Trump follows some notable leaders in being re-gifted a Nobel Prize, as a sort of participation trophy.
Joseph Goebbels was given one by an author in 1943.
www.nobelpeaceprize.org/press/press-... #history #Trump #Goebbels #Nazis
Joseph Goebbels was given one by an author in 1943.
www.nobelpeaceprize.org/press/press-... #history #Trump #Goebbels #Nazis
Bring. It. On.
We will fight -- For everyone's rights, for our children, for others and their children, for the best version of our nation. 💪 ✊
We will fight -- For everyone's rights, for our children, for others and their children, for the best version of our nation. 💪 ✊
January 16, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Bring. It. On.
We will fight -- For everyone's rights, for our children, for others and their children, for the best version of our nation. 💪 ✊
We will fight -- For everyone's rights, for our children, for others and their children, for the best version of our nation. 💪 ✊
Oh look -- the "America First" party is tanking the global rankings of American universities because, actually, they hate America.
This is *exactly* what many of us predicted. And it'll hurt Americans overall, both short and long term.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/u...
This is *exactly* what many of us predicted. And it'll hurt Americans overall, both short and long term.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/u...
Chinese Universities Surge in Global Rankings as U.S. Schools Slip
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Oh look -- the "America First" party is tanking the global rankings of American universities because, actually, they hate America.
This is *exactly* what many of us predicted. And it'll hurt Americans overall, both short and long term.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/u...
This is *exactly* what many of us predicted. And it'll hurt Americans overall, both short and long term.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/u...
Pedagogy plan for Spring 2026 Term on #Rutgers-Newark campus:
*Socratic method
*In-class exams and assignments
*Notetaking by hand
*Hard copies of everything
*no electronics
*less reading but more reliance on what I assign
It's the most radical overhaul to my teaching in a decade. #highered
*Socratic method
*In-class exams and assignments
*Notetaking by hand
*Hard copies of everything
*no electronics
*less reading but more reliance on what I assign
It's the most radical overhaul to my teaching in a decade. #highered
January 15, 2026 at 12:13 AM
Pedagogy plan for Spring 2026 Term on #Rutgers-Newark campus:
*Socratic method
*In-class exams and assignments
*Notetaking by hand
*Hard copies of everything
*no electronics
*less reading but more reliance on what I assign
It's the most radical overhaul to my teaching in a decade. #highered
*Socratic method
*In-class exams and assignments
*Notetaking by hand
*Hard copies of everything
*no electronics
*less reading but more reliance on what I assign
It's the most radical overhaul to my teaching in a decade. #highered
So many weaponized anti-semitism, jumping into bed with the far right and using it in bad faith to bludgeon those of us whose politics they dislike.
Then, predictably, the far right started to follow a classic anti-semitism playbook.
We rise or fall together. www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio...
Then, predictably, the far right started to follow a classic anti-semitism playbook.
We rise or fall together. www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio...
Jewish faculty at Penn move to block feds from getting lists of Jewish campus orgs
Jewish faculty and student employees at the University of Pennsylvania have asked to intervene in a lawsuit, in which the Trump administration is seeking lists of campus Jewish organizations, their me...
www.audacy.com
January 14, 2026 at 1:06 AM
So many weaponized anti-semitism, jumping into bed with the far right and using it in bad faith to bludgeon those of us whose politics they dislike.
Then, predictably, the far right started to follow a classic anti-semitism playbook.
We rise or fall together. www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio...
Then, predictably, the far right started to follow a classic anti-semitism playbook.
We rise or fall together. www.audacy.com/kywnewsradio...