Is activism a moral duty? Ash Sarkar is a brilliantly articulate spokesperson for the Left, but now believes that it took a wrong turn in embracing identity politics.
The writer called ‘Queen of the Woke’
Controversial: Sarkar, above, insists she is a "conflict-averse person" — despite regularly arguing with right-wing figures in the public sphere. Glossary
Communist - An economic system entailing collective ownership of all means of production in contrast with capitalism, which holds that industry and businesses are controlled and run for profit by private owners rather than by the government.
Pundits - Experts. In India, the word refers to Hindus with an extensive knowledge of Sanskrit, philosophy, religion and the law.
Bengali - The sixth most-spoken language in the world. In 1952, Bangladesh was part of Pakistan and the government tried to impose Urdu as the national language.
Trade unionist - A member of a trade union, an organisation of workers who band together to negotiate their wages and working conditions collectively, on grounds that this gives them more bargaining power.
Affluent - Wealthy.
Karl Marx - A 19th-Century German economist and philosopher who argued that capitalism was doomed to collapse.
Friedrich Engels - In 1842, his parents sent Engels to the family-owned mill in Manchester. They hoped he would abandon his radical politics. Instead, he wrote The Condition of the Working Class in England, describing the poverty of northern towns.
Imperialism - The practice of growing a country's power through colonisation or force.
Colonialism - This refers not only to the material realities of colonial rule, but also to the mindset of the colonising powers and their ways of justifying empire. Most Europeans believed that empire was a moral good, because it imparted 'civilisation' to 'primitive' cultures and so helped them to develop.
Transgender - Someone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology).
Fascist - Following fascism, a set of ideologies that advocates dictatorial power, political violence, suppression of opposition, traditional gender roles, and official racism.
Asylum seekers - People who have left their countries due to danger and are seeking refuge elsewhere.
Gaza - The smaller of two Palestinian territories, home to two million people. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, bordered by Israel and Egypt.
Jeremy Corbyn - A British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020.
Deprivation - When people go without many of the things they need to live comfortably.