2026 Immersia: Book Launch - Spies and Other Pigeons

Join us to celebrate the launch of Spies and Other Pigeons, a captivating new book that follows pigeon flyers across Pakistan and the remarkable birds at the heart of their communities.

Across Pakistan, pigeon flyers devote enormous care and labour to birds that soar the skies, compete in races and bring together people across divisions of caste, class, language and ethnicity. But when these cherished pigeons cross the militarised India–Pakistan border, they are recast as intruders and "spies", revealing the fragile line between welcome and suspicion, hospitality and hostility.

Blending compelling storytelling with original research, Spies and Other Pigeons traces the journeys of birds and their people across Pakistan's four provinces, offering fresh insights into borders, belonging, identity and the meaning of home. Meet the author, hear the stories behind the book and discover how something as ordinary as a pigeon can illuminate extraordinary questions about culture, politics and human connection.

This Immersia flagship book launch is a collaboration between the ANU School of Culture, History & Language and the ANU South Asian Research Institute, both within the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific.

Please note: If you require accessibility accommodations or a visitor Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan please contact the event organisers. 

This event may be photographed and recorded. The recorded material may be used to promote future ANU events and programs. By attending the event you are giving us informed consent. If you DO NOT wish to be recorded, please let ANU event staff know on the day. We will be mindful and ensure not to photograph any faces of children present.