World as Family: A Journey of Multi-Rooted Belongings

We must "treat the world as family" in our age of global crises, and Vishakha N. Desai's book World as Family offers a new perspective on what it means to live globally and connect across borders. She shares her personal story of growing up in India and arriving in the United States as an exchange student, and how she has navigated the complexities of a life rooted in multiple places. The book is a must-read for anyone who aspires to bring about the ideal of a global family.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 25 October 2022
Publisher: Columbia University Press

In our era of global crises, such as pandemics, climate crisis, and crippling inequality, the Vedic phrase "treat the world as family" becomes increasingly vital. To address these seemingly insurmountable challenges, we require innovative approaches to thinking and acting locally, nationally, and transnationally, often simultaneously and sometimes sequentially. This mindset encompasses individuals like immigrants, exchange students, global natives, and those who have chosen or been compelled to make a life in a new place. However, we lack the profound thinking that is urgently needed.

Vishakha N. Desai, through her personal experiences, delves into the significance of living globally and its urgency in our present context. She weaves her narrative arc, beginning with her upbringing in a Gandhian household in Ahmedabad and culminating in her arrival in the United States as a seventeen-year-old exchange student, her subsequent career as a dancer, curator, institutional leader, and teacher, and the political and social changes she witnesses in both countries. By sharing her story, Desai challenges the traditional notion of what it means to be global and offers insights on how to lead a life of multiple belongings without losing local and national affinities. Through vivid imagery, World as Family paints a captivating portrait of the complexities and exhilaration of a life rooted in multiple places, making it a must-read for anyone who aspires to connect across borders and realize the vision of a global family.

Weight: 480g
Dimension: 155 x 233 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231195997