Book Launch - Spies and Other Pigeons

Book Launch - Spies and Other Pigeons

Join us to celebrate the launch of Spies and Other Pigeons, a captivating 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.

About the Author

Dr Muhammad Kavesh is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the South Asia Research Institute (SARI) at the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. He also serves as editor of the Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA) South Asia Book Series.

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