The Architecture of Modern Empire: Conversations with David Barsamian

by Arundhati Roy, David Barsamian

A revelatory and wide-ranging series of interviews with award-winning writer Arundhati Roy, touching on US empire, Indian nationalism, a writer’s work, and more.As a novelist, Arundhati Roy is known for her lush language and intricate structure. As a political essayist, her prose is searching and fierce. All of these qualities shine through in the interviews collected here by David Barsamian.This newly reissued and expanded edition, featuring interviews from 2001 to 2022 and a moving foreword by Naomi Klein, explores Roy’s evolving political thought and commitments across the tumultuous twenty-first entry. The Architecture of Modern Empire  is a searing reckoning with the mechanics of power, in all its forms, and the role of imagination and creative expression in envisioning a radically different world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History, Audiobook, India, Indian Literature

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2024

About the author

Arundhati Roy is an Indian writer who is also an activist who focuses on issues related to social justice and economic inequality. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things, and has also written two screenplays and several collections of essays.

For her work as an activist she received the Cultural Freedom Prize awarded by the Lannan Foundation in 2002.

Reviews

[Apollo Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

the talks in this book span over 10 years and reading the developments in her wisdom and political knowledge is so fascinating, this book was such a banger

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

"We are being asked by the countries that invented nuclear weapons and chemical weapons and apartheid and modern slavery and racism. Countries that have perfected the gentle art of genocide, that colonized other people for centuries, to trust them when they say that they believe in a level playing field and the equitable distribution of resources and in a better world. It seems comical that we should even consider that they really mean what they say."

"Globalization means standardization. The very rich and the very poor must want the same things, but only the rich can have them."

Arundhati Roy

[Katsia Lazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have this newly established, really sacred for me shelf if_you_can_read_you_must_read_it, and a quick glance at it (there are not many books awarded being on this shelf yet) reveals what's important for me at the moment, or as Mandana Chaffa better put it "provides a generative reflection of whatever I am in the moment". This book, a collection of interviews with Arundhati Roy, has been like a conversation I had a million times in my head and finally someone matched my freak, or I matched theirs, and the world with all the corruption, neocolonialism, state terrorism, and ecological disasters has not become a better place by the mere fact of reading it but it has become a slightly more hopeful place for me with the voice of this woman. Couple of personal insights:

*I should have read these interviews, most of which date back to early 2000s, much earlier during my IR studies;
** I knew before and got once again convinced that the struggles we all go through - as nations, or communities, or countries - are the same in principle, and if only we could see through the surface of media labelling of us with religions, parties, economic classes, genders, etc. - we'll see a clear (very complex in itself but clear!) solution of understanding politics in a different way, not country-wise anymore but in intersectional and aligned forms of solidarity. It starts with this understanding to me. When I read about repressions in India when you can be jailed for a Facebook post, or a book you own, well, that's what I've lived through in Belarus. When I see how masterfully governments broaden definition of terrorism to serve them as green light to shut down any dissents, and how media picks up the "right" images of "terrorists" covering for the state terrorism at this huge scale, I remember that in my home country I'm considered a terrorist or an extremist, and, well, you need to wear a certain lens through which to see the real meanings behind this current "slaughter of language". The author of the book provides her lens which is so needed amidst the co-opted media noise.
***Last but not least, it's priceless to have friends who gift you books, Alyona😘 and whenever this book openly states that G.Bush was a terrorist, I'm gladly accepting the gift.

A quote instead of my radical call to read it:

Poetry, literature, the way you build a story, the way you tell a story, the way you construct a sentence, these are all more indestructible that almost anything else. To insist on beauty. To insist on the fact that you are going to spend a lot of time trying to create something that presents the world as different from the way people want you to see it. That you notice things that people don't want to notice. These are acts of resistance for me. They're not sloganeering acts of resistance. They are not marching acts of resistance.

I wish more people read this as an act of resistance.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

19 Apr 2025
Read to page 122, returned to Library, overdue. I've taken pages of notes already. I'll buy a copy to finish reading. A series of question and answer format on a wide range of topics. It's definitely a 5 star rating so far.

Bought a new copy on 9 July 2025
To resume . . .

Finished reading - 24 Aug. 2025.
A paperback of 254 pages, this is worth reading slowly. There is much to absorb and take in. This was an education.

[Akshay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Architecture of Modern Empire by Arundhati Roy is a sharply political, essay-driven examination of contemporary imperial structures, focusing on how military power, corporate interests, media narratives, and economic policy combine to sustain modern systems of global dominance. Roy’s work operates less as a traditional historical study and more as a moral-political critique that interrogates the ideological foundations of modern geopolitics.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⚝ (4/5)

Overview

Roy argues that modern empire is not defined solely by territorial conquest but by a complex network of economic leverage, cultural influence, technological control, and military presence. Through a series of essays and analytical reflections, she explores how global institutions, multinational corporations, and superpower foreign policy collaborate—often subtly—to maintain hierarchical global systems that benefit a small set of nations and economic actors.

Central Arguments

Empire Without Formal Colonies

One of Roy’s key assertions is that contemporary empire functions through financial dependency, trade agreements, development loans, and security alliances rather than overt colonial rule. This transformation makes imperial structures less visible yet more pervasive, allowing dominant powers to influence domestic policies of weaker nations without formal occupation.

The Role of War and Security Narratives

Roy highlights how “security” rhetoric often legitimizes military intervention, surveillance expansion, and political pressure abroad. By framing geopolitical action as defense against instability or terrorism, powerful states maintain global strategic control while presenting these actions as humanitarian or stabilizing missions.

Corporate Power and Global Governance

The book also emphasizes the growing role of multinational corporations in shaping policy decisions, suggesting that corporate interests frequently align with geopolitical strategy. Roy argues that privatization, resource extraction, and infrastructure projects often function as economic extensions of imperial influence.

Style and Intellectual Approach

Roy’s prose is direct, passionate, and rhetorically charged, blending investigative commentary with moral critique. Rather than presenting a neutral academic tone, she adopts a consciously activist perspective, positioning the essays as interventions meant to provoke debate rather than detached analysis. This approach gives the text emotional urgency but may challenge readers expecting strictly empirical or technocratic policy writing.

Strengths

Clear articulation of how economic and military systems intersect to shape global power structures
Accessible language that makes complex geopolitical mechanisms understandable to general readers
Compelling ethical critique that encourages readers to question dominant political narratives

Limitations

The strongly argumentative tone sometimes prioritizes rhetorical force over methodological balance
Readers seeking extensive statistical or institutional data analysis may find the discussion more interpretive than empirical
Some geopolitical examples are treated briefly, leaving certain arguments less developed than they might be in academic monographs

Comparative Context

Compared with conventional geopolitical studies that emphasize statecraft and institutional frameworks, Roy’s work aligns more closely with political-critical essays in the tradition of writers such as Noam Chomsky and Naomi Klein. Where many policy texts focus on strategic decision-making, Roy centers moral responsibility, media framing, and the lived consequences of global power arrangements, giving the book a distinctly activist intellectual orientation.

Final Assessment

The Architecture of Modern Empire is a forceful and thought-provoking critique of contemporary global power systems. Though less academically neutral than traditional geopolitical scholarship, its clarity, urgency, and conceptual framing make it an influential entry point for readers seeking to understand how modern empire operates beyond formal colonialism. For readers interested in political theory, global justice debates, and critiques of neoliberal globalization, the book offers a compelling and provocative perspective.

[Rai · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of interviews dating back to the early 2000s - Roy’s analysis and observations are as true today as they were twenty years ago, which is scary, and I felt this weight in the last interview dating 2022. The earlier conversations had much more of a hopeful quality of what could be, but when we arrived at the near-present day, this felt lost. Roy’s writing always inspires me, but it was bittersweet to read these early conversations with the hindsight of knowing how the events played out, and how much the world has changed (arguably, for the worse, particularly when thinking about Palestine). But this book made me confront a lot of the questions I’ve been pondering lately in regards to civil rights, elections, and India’s politics, and it was as much informative as it was harrowing.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arundhati Roy you are so special to me

[Ellen Soust · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love her writing and perspective and articulation.

[radish ! · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was just fantastic. a really great look and overview on the past decade + of US intervention in the middle east and southeast asia, as well as the ways nonviolent resistance can go beyond protest and spark change in the most dire and desolate of places. i definitely want to look more into the history of indian democracy and the and find more work concerning the overlap of land ownership, governmental interference, and inequity. so so good

[Hazel P · Rating 5 out of 5]

✍️ Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things" came to my attention through a respected Chinese professor's recommendation during an open lecture. But I hadn't read any of her works yet nor knew much about her. I picked up the book from the library after I spotted the title in the "new publications" section of a bookshop. I was intrigued by the prospect of gaining insight into Indian politics from an intellectual's perspective. My understanding of India had previously been limited to its geopolitical relationship with China.

Upon reading, I found myself profoundly moved by Roy's intellectual depth, illuminated by this collection of interviews. And it took me some time to process the shocking findings that I had no idea about before, for example, anti-Muslim cruelty, surveillance in Kashmir, and the privatization of natural resources.

Roy's stance is clear in the words: "The first half or more of my life was spent fighting the cruelties of tradition, dreaming of escaping from this little village that I grew up in, hoping that I wouldn't have to marry one of those men and produce children for them. And then I came up against the vulgarity of what modernity offers, and I had to refuse that, too, and walk a high wire, if you like, between the two. One is constantly, constantly making political choices. …Tradition and modernization are not opposites. Nor is neoliberalism the only answer to modernization" (p. 93). This nuanced perspective challenges simplistic dichotomies and underscores the complexity of societal progress that I also found personally relatable.

Additionally, among the political insights, I found Roy's emphasis that activists should utilize accessible language to reach people particularly illuminating. She recognizes the importance of bridging the gap between grassroots realities and centers of power, often controlled by state or corporate interests that dictate decision-making affecting common people's lives.

As I neared the end of the interviews, I couldn't help but wonder what drove Roy's perseverance in activism in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. Her response in a 2022 interview, which is also the last interview in the collection, may offer an answer: "I don't want to be that person who is just being hopeful because that's the position that you take. I go through periods of very deep despair. But I also know that sometimes you have to just reduce the scope of the lens you are looking through. And you see people being so brave, and so funny, and so defiant" (p. 234).

What a gem of a read.


🔖 p234 Fundamentally, I'm a fiction writer, and I feel that poetry, literature, the way you build a story, the way you tell a story, the way you construct a sentence, these are all more indestructible than almost anything else. So to insist on beauty. To insist on the fact that you are going to spend a lot of time trying to create something that presents the world as different from the way people want you to see it. That you notice things that people don't want you to notice. These are acts of resistance for me. They're not sloganeering acts of resistance. They're not marching acts of resistance.

p91 The language of the left must become more accessible, must reach more people. We must acknowledge that if we don't reach people, it's our failure. Every success of Fox News is a failure for us. Every success of major corporate propaganda is our failure. It's not enough to moan about it. We have to do something about it. Reach ordinary people, break the stranglehold of mainstream propaganda. It's not enough to be intellectually pristine and self-righteous.

p9 Sitting in Washington or Geneva in the offices of the World Bank or the WTO, bureaucrats have the power to decide the fate of millions. It's not only their decisions that we are contesting. It's the fact that they have the power to make those decisions. No one elected them. No one said they could control our lives. Even if they made great decisions, it's politically unacceptable.

Those men in pin-striped suits addressing the peasants of India and other poor countries all over again— assuring them that they're being robbed for their own good, like long ago they were colonized for their own good-what's the difference? What's changed? The further and further away geographically decisions are taken, the more scope you have for incredible injustice. That is the primary issue.

…The power of the World Band is not only its money, but its ability to accumulate and manipulate knowledge.

p36 So whatever freedoms a society has exist because those freedoms have been insisted upon by its people, not because the state is inherently good or bad.

p59 The point is that we have to rescue democracy by being troublesome, by asking questions, by making a noise.

p63 I think my passion comes from my intellect. So much of the way I love comes from the way I think. Thinking makes great loving. …there isn’t anything as wonderful as fierce intellectual passion.

[Brown Girl Bookshelf]

Arundhati Roy, a renowned author celebrated for her exceptional writing and incisive political commentary, delves into the complex tapestry of Indian politics, religious communalism, farmer laws, sexual violence, and environmental challenges that have defined the nation's trajectory, all while juxtaposing them with political events unfolding in the United States.

Comprising of excerpts from interviews beginning as early as 2001, Roy's writing is oddly prescient in light of India's current political landscape and the rise of extremism. From astute observations on the Bush administration to reflections on the ascent of the BJP in India, and even discussions on global conflicts like that of Israel and Palestine, Roy offers readers a comprehensive lens through which to examine modern Indian history and its interconnectedness with the wider world.

As someone with an Indian-American identity deeply entrenched in the diaspora, I found this book particularly resonant. My favorite two chapters, “Women and Resistance” and “Fascism in India,” are particularly poignant as they delve into events from the last couple of years. "Women and Resistance" explores the pivotal role of women in political movements, touching on significant cases such as the Nirbhaya incident, while "Fascism in India" critically examines the leadership of Modi and the challenges faced under his governance.

What makes Roy's work truly impactful is its relevance. I found myself enriched with a wealth of historical knowledge and a deeper understanding of the intricate webs of power that shape our world. For all who seek to unravel the complexities of our modern political climate, “The Architecture of Modern Empire” is a beacon of insight.

[Sandeep · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Architecture of Modern Empire, Arundhati Roy converses with David Barsamian across two decades, charting a clear-eyed, often prescient map of India's transformation from a troubled democracy to a muscular, majoritarian state. Spanning 2001 to 2022, this collection isn’t just a retrospective, it’s a damning prophetic document, where Roy unflinchingly diagnoses the fault lines of a nation drifting toward authoritarianism long before it became common to say so. Her views and ability to make connections and see patterns in the Indian society and beyond is truly breathtaking.

On democracy, Roy is unsparing:
“India has become a democracy of symbols and ceremonies, not substance.”
She sees the Indian electoral spectacle as “a kind of performance art” masking systemic dispossession and violence.

She reflects deeply on freedom, especially the freedom to speak and dissent, as increasingly commodified and curtailed:
"Freedom is not just the right to vote or to speak—it is the ability to live with dignity, to think aloud without fear. That has been systematically crushed.”

The media, in Roy’s analysis, is no longer the fourth estate but the “hall of mirrors in a funhouse of power”:
“News anchors in India today are not journalists. They are generals in a televised war on truth.”

Roy is not merely a critic of the Modi regime or Hindu nationalism; she traces the decay back to the liberalization policies of the 1990s, the Congress-era compromises, and the war-on-terror rhetoric post 9/11 that India eagerly adopted.

An absolute must read to understand the broken machinery of Modern India and what still might be saved.

[Ishika Mukherjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This “book” is a collection of interviews Roy has done over the last about 20 years.
She is very articulate about the very confronting issues that have plagued India and the US in this time, she raises questions and subjects that I think aren’t talked about enough - at least not that I have seen.
My only issue is that most of the book is set about 10years ago - pre Modi’s election as PM while some of it speculates the potential consequences of his possible election, I’d be keen to hear more about her thoughts on what’s happened in the last 10 years. Not just about Modi, but generally about the political situation of India today, including but not limited to how controlled the media is, how what she admired about India’s inherent anarchism has changed today in the Aadhar times, how insidiously the right wing propaganda has permeated the Indian middle class, and of course, most topically, the war over Kashmir.
I think the parallels between the US and India are well discussed in this book - which while not surprising, is still interesting to see laid out. Roy’s sentiments and analysis of the US is very similar to Chomsky, and while I agree with a lot of it, I was overall more interested in her take on India, as I think it’s less discussed.
Due to the release date being 2024, I was led to believe the book was more topical than it was. Nonetheless, everything Roy has spoken about still holds.
A 4.5 ⭐️s for me.

[Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roy's interviews, concentrated in the mid 2000s but stretching with some additions to the 2010s and to 2022, feel like a record of Cassandra. Every issue she pinpoints, dissects, every trend she sees, has become so much worse, and we watch her react to it through time, more to our despair, it seems, than hers.

The rise of Hindu nationalism and Modi, neoliberal projects that oppress and create inequality, the plight of caste, of women, of the world. We're talking about the evil of George W. Bush's Iraq war at the start, which now seems blushingly mundane. David Barsamian provides enough context and structure that even I who am less familiar with Indian politics could follow, something I found frustrating with a previous essay collection Capitalism: A Ghost Story.

Roy remains incredible, even just speaking off the top of her head, her ability to think clearly and critically, organize her thoughts, display slef-deference and her search for knowledge, the evolution of her thinking, commendable. Somehow at the end she is still fighting though always on the losing end.

We get the portrait of a fierce and brave woman. One that I will admire forever. (Also everyone should read The Ministry of Utmost Happiness)

[Zarish Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just recently finished this book. Arundhati Roy is by far the most controversial and non conventional Liberal writer and thinker out there. She is not a safe liberal. She aims to shock and question everything. She aims to make everyone uncomfortable with their bais. She is one of the few writers I have read that target middle class. She does not punch up or down but punches in her own weight. I may not agree with everything she says, but I appreciate that she is able to say it. Her understanding of economic systems and how they influence political systems is unique and enlightening.
It's definitely a good read, and I would recommend it to anyone living in South Asia harping about how progress costs and everyone being affected by it needs to shut up and take one for the team. She really bluntly showcases the hypocrisy of middle class and how, unfortunately, we always are with the authoritarian fascists because that seems to how we support progress and, in the same breath, manage to show our disdain and disgust for the people(protesting the progress) we find too poor, unenlightened, tribal, backward, uneducated, low class or caste etc.

[Zarish Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just recently finished this book. Arundhati Roy is by far the most controversial and non conventional Liberal writer and thinker out there. She is not a safe liberal. She aims to shock and question everything. She aims to make everyone uncomfortable with their bais. She is one of the few writers I have read that target middle class. She does not punch up or down but punches in her own weight. I may not agree with everything she says, but I appreciate that she is able to say it. Her understanding of economic systems and how they influence political systems is unique and enlightening.
It's definitely a good read, and I would recommend it to anyone living in South Asia harping about how progress costs and everyone being affected by it needs to shut up and take one for the team. She really bluntly showcases the hypocrisy of middle class and how, unfortunately, we always are with the authoritarian fascists because that seems to how we support progress and, in the same breath, manage to show our disdain and disgust for the people(protesting the progress) we find too poor, unenlightened, tribal, backward, uneducated, low class or caste etc.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across Arundhati Roy years ago when I read ‘God of Small Things’, when it was just published. But it’s only relatively recently she appeared on my radar as a political writer, activist and thinker, I’m embarrassed to admit. I loved this book of interviews, conducted over twenty plus years, and felt privileged to read it. It was challenging, mainly because of the inconsolable pain of endless injustice in India and across the world. But it also felt like a ray of light, to encounter such starkly honest analysis undertaken without hate, and with a belief in the best of humanity. Nevertheless, I am reeling from how prescient were Roy’s reflections over twenty years ago, and how tragically relevant here and now as we see democracy reduced to majoritarianism with no interest in justice or decency. What is democracy really, if its human heart is missing? Has there ever been a time in history where we have seen it truly in action?

[Eila Mcmillin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally, this is a really interesting take on a number of political issues and contemporary historical events. Centered particularly on Indian politics, but with some connections drawn internationally, it was definitely a fresh take to consider the topic of the contemporary empire through an Indian lens.

The interview style gives it more of an informal feel but it is no less informational for it. A significant flaw is the repetitiveness of many of Roy's arguments. Even with the repetitiveness and some internal contradiction, there are some gems that make this book definitely worth reading especially for those interested in geopolitics and social justice.

[Hans Bakker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful a part of the world a very big part that we don't hear a lot from in Holland. But probably people are the same anywhere. Altough they change a little little bit over the years as is clear in thisset of interesting and sometimes devastating stories in interviews with my beloved Arundhati

[Peter Timson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just excellent. Mostly from almost 20 years ago but shows a clarity of thought which one can say has only become more and more valid and evident.

But being right is not enough. As is said… we need to start winning the argument.

[Stephen Gillespie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of interviews that spans an impressive period of time. It’s more facilitated monologues, the right choice as Roy speaking at length is stunning.

Really powerful as rhetoric and also just continually educational and pointed. Very highly recommended

[Pablo Mont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es uno de esos libros que cómodamente se colocan en tu lista de libros esenciales, favoritos de todos los tiempos. La lucidez de Arundhati es brutal, nunca había subrayado tanto un libro. Las entrevistas que le Hacen empiezan en 2001 y hay un gran valor en cada una de ellas.

[hello nurse · Rating 4 out of 5]

when she's cooking she's cooking

[Zulekha Saqib · Rating 4 out of 5]

— A timely and important read.

[Karissa]

this was so interesting and i'm excited to read more of roy's writings!

[#moluminary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book and indeed Arundhati’s one liners are unparalleled! Not only a thought provoking read but also one that’ll add great value to one’s thinking. Highly recommended!

[Eric De Feo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me some months to get through bc of the heavy material, but Arundhati Roy is everything. I want to read her fiction next.

[Fran Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incisive as ever, and also interesting on the craft of writing

[Abhirami Ajit]

DNF - I have my reasons. Of course eloquent though.

[Yolande Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Arundhati Roy has such a sharp voice of dissent. This book was conversational so I was also impressed with how concise and broadly knowledgeable she is verbally.
She speaks so clearly of the functions and pitfalls of empire, critiques of development and inspiring efforts of resistance and provides a roadmap of how we can think and what we can do within this reality of global injustice.
I found this almost relieving to read, like permission was granted for me to feel the great discomfort that I do about the workings of the world and within that acknowledgment I’m free to take action knowing I’m supported in doing so and connected to the wider community of humans that need to be acting in political resistance for and with each other.