NL Interview: Salvatore Babones on the failings of Indian intellectuals

Salvatore Babones is a sociologist, writer and associate professor at the University of Sydney. He was recently in the news for his comments at an event in November, where he said “India’s intellectual class is anti-India”.

In this interview with Abhinandan Sekhri, Salvatore explains why he thinks Indian intellectuals are “important contributors” to India’s poor image in the west. He also believes American democracy is “very robust, and Donald Trump would make it more robust than it would otherwise be”.

On criminal proceedings in connection with the January 2021 attack on the US Capitol building, Salvatore says, “I do not endorse the attacks on the Capitol but I also don’t see them as an attack or disruption to American democracy. I think the people who were involved in it should have been fined $500 for trespassing and let go.”

Watch.

Text by Aanchal Poddar.

Listen to the conversation here.

References

Babones | Demonising A Democracy? | India Today Conclave 2022

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