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New Old World: An Indian Journalist Discovers the Changing Face of Europe
After several years documenting the rise of China, award-winning Indian journalist Pallavi Aiyar moved to Brussels, the headquarters of the European Union, to discover a Europe plagued by a financial crisis, and unsure of its place in a world where new Asian challengers are eroding its old and comfortable certainties. With a lively mix of memoir, reportage and analysis, Aiyar takes the reader on a romp across the continent, meeting workaholic Indian diamond merchants in Antwerp, upstart Chinese wine barons in Bordeaux, Sikh farmhands in the Italian countryside, and Indian engineers running offshore energy turbines in Belgium.
In the Europe of today everything is in flux, as she discovers through conversations with Muslim immigrants struggling to define their identities, the austere bosses of Germany's world-beating companies, and bewildered Eurocrats struggling to keep the European Union from splitting apart. Examining the diverse challenges the continent faces today―among them, bloated welfare states, the accommodation of Islam, the European ambitions of Indian and Chinese entrepreneurs, and ancient intra-cultural fissures ― New Old World offers a panoramic look at Europe's first-world crisis from a unique Asian perspective.
In the Europe of today everything is in flux, as she discovers through conversations with Muslim immigrants struggling to define their identities, the austere bosses of Germany's world-beating companies, and bewildered Eurocrats struggling to keep the European Union from splitting apart. Examining the diverse challenges the continent faces today―among them, bloated welfare states, the accommodation of Islam, the European ambitions of Indian and Chinese entrepreneurs, and ancient intra-cultural fissures ― New Old World offers a panoramic look at Europe's first-world crisis from a unique Asian perspective.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2013
21 people are currently reading
684 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 24, 2015
As a far too provincial American I know a lot more about select favorite periods in European history than I do about the continent today, but this informative, fascinating, and engaging book went a long way toward bringing me up to date. Indian journalist and author Pallavi Aiyar attended university in England, married a man from Spain, and has lived in and written about the changing world of China, making her perspectives on European economics, politics, and daily life particularly insightful and often eye opening and counterintuitive, at least to me. For instance, worries about contaminated milk and other such concerns aside, Aiyar and her husband generally found shopping much easier in communist China, where eager store owners will reopen their shops for a late customer, than they did in capitalist Belgium, where store schedules cater to employees who don’t want to work evenings or weekends rather than to customer convenience or any business bottom line.
New Old World combines detailed factual reportage of the people, places, and policies of Europe with Aiyar’s personal experiences of living in the capital of the European Union with her young family, which presents a fuller picture than either angle alone would do. Because of her background in China and India, Aiyar also writes fluently about Europe relative to those two rapidly emerging nations. Topics she addresses include the state of the EU, climate change politics, demographic shifts in industry, cultural legacies, immigration, Islam, the euro crisis and the regional squabbles it created, the lingering effects of colonialism, and the very strange political situation in Belgium and how that affected the party she gave in her mixed language Brussels neighborhood. Based on how much I enjoyed New Old World I purchased Aiyar’s earlier book on China, where she lived for seven plus years before Belgium. Aiyar has now moved with her husband and children to Jakarta--I can’t wait to read what she has to say about Indonesia.
New Old World combines detailed factual reportage of the people, places, and policies of Europe with Aiyar’s personal experiences of living in the capital of the European Union with her young family, which presents a fuller picture than either angle alone would do. Because of her background in China and India, Aiyar also writes fluently about Europe relative to those two rapidly emerging nations. Topics she addresses include the state of the EU, climate change politics, demographic shifts in industry, cultural legacies, immigration, Islam, the euro crisis and the regional squabbles it created, the lingering effects of colonialism, and the very strange political situation in Belgium and how that affected the party she gave in her mixed language Brussels neighborhood. Based on how much I enjoyed New Old World I purchased Aiyar’s earlier book on China, where she lived for seven plus years before Belgium. Aiyar has now moved with her husband and children to Jakarta--I can’t wait to read what she has to say about Indonesia.
April 15, 2015
If you'd like your opinions and beliefs about the state of Europe challenged and rearranged, this is the book that will do it. Of course, even as a North American, you have your thoughts on immigration policy, the wearing of the hijab, the standoff between Greece and Germany, multilingual education, offshoring, and so on.
Pallavi Aiyar is a business journalist from India. She grew up speaking English as a first language, went to Oxford, spent seven years reporting from China, and has relatives scattered throughout the world, including Europe and the U.S. But even her western education and exposure did not prepare her for Europe in the 21st century.
Aiyar found that many of the jobs in Europe are being done by Indians, Turks, and other "third world" workers. A falling birthrate among Europeans combined with a general disdain for brutally hard work left a big hole in the labor force that is being filled by diligent, dependable, and cheap work from abroad. This is not being met with gratitude, rather, many Europeans seem to resent that outsiders are working "too hard." We see Indian diamond cutters in Antwerp and Indian agricultural laborers in Italy, and they are there to stay.
Aiyar points out that multicultural cities are more the norm throughout history than are homogenous populations that were a post war aberration. On the other end of the economic spectrum are the Chinese with their new wealth, buying up chateaus and wineries in France. Aiyar spent a day with a group of 11 year old Chinese kids doing a tour of Europe. They were spending money like Americans used to fifty years ago. And the kids were not exceptionally rich, their parents were policemen, engineers, housewives.
Aiyar's views as a citizen of a country that's multicultural, multilingual, and has a legacy of a long rule by a colonial power are not what you may be used to hearing. Her takes on outlawing the wearing of headscarves, on finger-wagging by the west to China and India over global warming initiatives, on anti-immigrant policies, on forgotten colonialism in Belgium, will make you angry or perhaps will make you reconsider your opinions.
New Old World left me uncomfortably unsure of my own opinions. One thing I am quite certain of though, is that this was a very good book.
Pallavi Aiyar is a business journalist from India. She grew up speaking English as a first language, went to Oxford, spent seven years reporting from China, and has relatives scattered throughout the world, including Europe and the U.S. But even her western education and exposure did not prepare her for Europe in the 21st century.
Aiyar found that many of the jobs in Europe are being done by Indians, Turks, and other "third world" workers. A falling birthrate among Europeans combined with a general disdain for brutally hard work left a big hole in the labor force that is being filled by diligent, dependable, and cheap work from abroad. This is not being met with gratitude, rather, many Europeans seem to resent that outsiders are working "too hard." We see Indian diamond cutters in Antwerp and Indian agricultural laborers in Italy, and they are there to stay.
Aiyar points out that multicultural cities are more the norm throughout history than are homogenous populations that were a post war aberration. On the other end of the economic spectrum are the Chinese with their new wealth, buying up chateaus and wineries in France. Aiyar spent a day with a group of 11 year old Chinese kids doing a tour of Europe. They were spending money like Americans used to fifty years ago. And the kids were not exceptionally rich, their parents were policemen, engineers, housewives.
Aiyar's views as a citizen of a country that's multicultural, multilingual, and has a legacy of a long rule by a colonial power are not what you may be used to hearing. Her takes on outlawing the wearing of headscarves, on finger-wagging by the west to China and India over global warming initiatives, on anti-immigrant policies, on forgotten colonialism in Belgium, will make you angry or perhaps will make you reconsider your opinions.
New Old World left me uncomfortably unsure of my own opinions. One thing I am quite certain of though, is that this was a very good book.
April 10, 2015
Another excellent work from the author of Smoke and Mirrors. Staying true to her role as an economic correspondent, Punjabi Parmesan deals closely with the economic crisis that hit Europe around 2008 and the ways various countries dealt with it. It also explores the effects of globalisation and the challenges faced by the immigrants of Europe who are vital to the growth of European economy, yet are viewed with much mistrust.
Although all this might sound a tad too heavy, when peppered with Pallavi Aiyar's engaging writing style and amusing anecdotes, Punjabi Parmesan becomes a delight to read.
Although all this might sound a tad too heavy, when peppered with Pallavi Aiyar's engaging writing style and amusing anecdotes, Punjabi Parmesan becomes a delight to read.
June 19, 2020
Great book - very engaging and lucid account of Europe - socio-economically and politically. I have traveled widely in the EU and this book was a great eye opener on the continent beyond the cafes, museums and public transport. The fact that it was written from a world view similar to mine was a bonus.
December 27, 2019
An interesting perspective of various challenges faced by European Union and the parallels it can draw from a diverse country like India or China.
June 18, 2015
Europe's declining population, the increase of its resident Muslim population and the impact of China's ascendancy are not news to anyone who has been paying attention to the BBC or reading about terrorism in France. However, author Pallavi Aiyar provides a unique and refreshing perspective on these world events because she is Indian. In a world dominated by the Euro/American news media, it is rarer to hear how these events are being viewed from a distinctly non-European point of view.
Aiyar fearlessly addresses the unspoken tensions arising between the clash between East and West. Having lived in Brussels and China (with a white spouse), she continually compares the lifestyles in these two countries without judgment - unlike other books that side tacitly with the idea that European civilization is always "superior" and that its possible eclipse by the "developing world" is a tragedy, she presents a balanced view and rebukes those who would simplistically indulge in China or India bashing. In her book, "Made in China" is presented as something that, at times, is worthy of praise, despite well-publicized abuses and problems.
Her book is filled with a number of startling insights that reveal how centuries-old European racism, intolerance, self-righteousness and hypocrisy percolate beneath universal issues binding all nations: capitalism, culture, and relationships. She shows how the European Union, losing its cultural and financial authority as "the way to be", has jumped on the issue of climate change as a way of preserving its sense of superiority to "developing nations." She also shows how Europeans, spoiled by socialist welfare programs that could be seen as a reaction to the harshness of WWII living standards, now look upon hard-working Chinese and Indian immigrants with disdain (a highly ironic situation given how Europeans, in the colonial era, believed that non-whites were universally lazy). In one memorable scene, Aiyar describes the shocked reaction by a French worker when a Chinese billionaire buys a French chateau and unapologetically disses French food. The horror, the horror! Whoever thought the French could be out-snobbed by the Chinese? It's clear that Chinese wealth has not led to a greater respect for China in the European mind - only more disdain and hostility.
In addition, she also reveals the culture clashes within individual European nations that led to a crisis - between the hardworking, disciplined Germans with the easygoing, insolvent Greeks.
Overall, this is a fascinating and important book to read, providing a truly global and multicultural point of view that is often muted by the dominant Western media.
Aiyar fearlessly addresses the unspoken tensions arising between the clash between East and West. Having lived in Brussels and China (with a white spouse), she continually compares the lifestyles in these two countries without judgment - unlike other books that side tacitly with the idea that European civilization is always "superior" and that its possible eclipse by the "developing world" is a tragedy, she presents a balanced view and rebukes those who would simplistically indulge in China or India bashing. In her book, "Made in China" is presented as something that, at times, is worthy of praise, despite well-publicized abuses and problems.
Her book is filled with a number of startling insights that reveal how centuries-old European racism, intolerance, self-righteousness and hypocrisy percolate beneath universal issues binding all nations: capitalism, culture, and relationships. She shows how the European Union, losing its cultural and financial authority as "the way to be", has jumped on the issue of climate change as a way of preserving its sense of superiority to "developing nations." She also shows how Europeans, spoiled by socialist welfare programs that could be seen as a reaction to the harshness of WWII living standards, now look upon hard-working Chinese and Indian immigrants with disdain (a highly ironic situation given how Europeans, in the colonial era, believed that non-whites were universally lazy). In one memorable scene, Aiyar describes the shocked reaction by a French worker when a Chinese billionaire buys a French chateau and unapologetically disses French food. The horror, the horror! Whoever thought the French could be out-snobbed by the Chinese? It's clear that Chinese wealth has not led to a greater respect for China in the European mind - only more disdain and hostility.
In addition, she also reveals the culture clashes within individual European nations that led to a crisis - between the hardworking, disciplined Germans with the easygoing, insolvent Greeks.
Overall, this is a fascinating and important book to read, providing a truly global and multicultural point of view that is often muted by the dominant Western media.
May 13, 2015
The socioeconomic crisis in Europe: The new European order and changing identities
This is a very engaging and fascinating investigation into of the current socioeconomic crisis in Europe that is struggling to keep its cultural and economic dominance in the midst of its new citizens, the immigrant population from Asia and Africa. The author observes that several crises continue to distract Europe’s confidence, coherence and competitiveness. The book focuses specifically on the period 2009 to 2012 when demographics, diversity, Islamic ideology, and globalization of business and economics are a part of 21st century Europe. The emergence of India and China as the economic power players and challengers to European business is new and unanticipated. The aging population and low birth rates in many West European countries has also offered some advantages to the newcomers of the continent. The divergence of their value system from the mainstream is provoking anxieties about what it means to be European today. The fear of Islamic terrorism after 7/7 bomb attack in London, the train station in Madrid and the recent attack on the cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo in Paris is causing genuine concerns in Europe. Only this week, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced new radicalization crackdown plans to confront 'Islamist Extremist Ideology’ head-on. The economic crisis in the EEC is also a genuine concern for many member nations, notably Greece. The 2008-2009 Financial Market Collapse shows how vulnerable nations could be, and the austerity measures caused popular resentment against their governments across the continent.
The Europe’s crisis is not of the same texture as of the so called “Third World.” There is no famine here, no stench and no tanks in the city square, but Europe’s crisis is a strange new creature. The old world is old news, and most West- European governments and the media were unwilling to accept India and China as partners. This book tries to weave together strands of these predicaments. The author being of Indian origin focusses on some specific issues that others may overlook, such as hardworking Indian and Chinese immigrants at both upper and lower ends of value chain in Chapter Two; and the performance of Indian-owned businesses across Europe in Chapter Seven. The book discusses some “cold facts” that this once imperious region of the world needs to come to terms with.
This is a very engaging and fascinating investigation into of the current socioeconomic crisis in Europe that is struggling to keep its cultural and economic dominance in the midst of its new citizens, the immigrant population from Asia and Africa. The author observes that several crises continue to distract Europe’s confidence, coherence and competitiveness. The book focuses specifically on the period 2009 to 2012 when demographics, diversity, Islamic ideology, and globalization of business and economics are a part of 21st century Europe. The emergence of India and China as the economic power players and challengers to European business is new and unanticipated. The aging population and low birth rates in many West European countries has also offered some advantages to the newcomers of the continent. The divergence of their value system from the mainstream is provoking anxieties about what it means to be European today. The fear of Islamic terrorism after 7/7 bomb attack in London, the train station in Madrid and the recent attack on the cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo in Paris is causing genuine concerns in Europe. Only this week, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced new radicalization crackdown plans to confront 'Islamist Extremist Ideology’ head-on. The economic crisis in the EEC is also a genuine concern for many member nations, notably Greece. The 2008-2009 Financial Market Collapse shows how vulnerable nations could be, and the austerity measures caused popular resentment against their governments across the continent.
The Europe’s crisis is not of the same texture as of the so called “Third World.” There is no famine here, no stench and no tanks in the city square, but Europe’s crisis is a strange new creature. The old world is old news, and most West- European governments and the media were unwilling to accept India and China as partners. This book tries to weave together strands of these predicaments. The author being of Indian origin focusses on some specific issues that others may overlook, such as hardworking Indian and Chinese immigrants at both upper and lower ends of value chain in Chapter Two; and the performance of Indian-owned businesses across Europe in Chapter Seven. The book discusses some “cold facts” that this once imperious region of the world needs to come to terms with.
March 1, 2020
this is a book by an indian journalist called pallavi aiyar.
she spends 7 years in china and then she moves to brussels which is the capital of belgium.
she finds a europe which is in crisis.
this book revolves around belgium.
there are a lot of muslim immigrants from muslim countries such as morocco and turkey and they people in europe are sick of these people.
they want them to go back to their own countries.
this is about the world war 1 and world war 2 .
it is about the european union.
it is about the life of the indian journalist pallavi ayar.
belgium is a very small and peaceful country.
she spends 7 years in china and then she moves to brussels which is the capital of belgium.
she finds a europe which is in crisis.
this book revolves around belgium.
there are a lot of muslim immigrants from muslim countries such as morocco and turkey and they people in europe are sick of these people.
they want them to go back to their own countries.
this is about the world war 1 and world war 2 .
it is about the european union.
it is about the life of the indian journalist pallavi ayar.
belgium is a very small and peaceful country.
November 13, 2017
I did not like this as much as Pallavi Aiyar's Smokes and Mirrors, perhaps because I really liked the travelogue-cum-political analysis style she had adopted there and this one had less of the travelogue-ness. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth a read, and I plan to reread some of the chapters again at some point.
January 2, 2022
Fascinating viewpoints
June 15, 2017
Pallavi Aiyar, a journalist from India, offers a refreshing perspective on the EU and its crises as well as an interesting analysis of how the shifting power balance in the world is impacting Europe. I have read many books and articles on Europe, yet these are often written by Europeans or Americans (especially in political science). Aiyar's book benefits from her position as an outsider looking in at Europe, and I often found myself looking at events in Europe with new eyes (and agreeing with some of her observations, which I, as an American, also noted - especially regarding Europeans' vacation time). I found the chapters "The Veiled Threat" and "Tilting at Windmills" - about immigration in Europe and the EU's climate change initiative, respectively - to be particularly interesting. A thought-provoking and interesting read.
October 24, 2023
There's a lot of interesting anecdotes, and I found a few of the threads of argument compelling - the comparison of India as a national project and the European Union, the discussion of racism and the short-sighted attitudes of Europeans toward non-Europeans and their own history. There were also a number of arguments I found less compelling - the reflexive skepticism toward organized labor, the failed gestures of class consciousness that ultimately came down in favor of the sort of economic stratefication that benefits wealthy Indians. And the book as a whole is at this point pretty dated - there's a number of times when I was like "Oh yeah I remember this discourse. So wild how different the world is now."
January 20, 2026
Excellent description of how migration is shaping European countries!
September 10, 2022
I was recommended this book by an Indian friend who's living in Germany for a decade when I asked him the reason for the HIGH number of doner shops in Germany; the high number of Muslims; and the current economic crisis that the country/entire EU is facing. Isn't immigration the reason they are losing this? And that's when he recommended this book.
An honest account by the business journalist, Pallavi Aiyar, this book is so informative and also is part memoir of her accounts of shifting to Belgium from China and facing EU living. While I read this during my EU trip in the summer of 2022, and the world has transformed in many ways - she must consider writing one more given the geo-political changes. It was fascinating to read the accounts of diamond brokers of Antwerp, the way Europeans do not like the immigrant workforce due to their attitude of putting in long working hours (it still remains the same), and how a joining together of forces should be more powerful but EU shows us it is not necessarily the case. My husband and I must have discussed the pros and cons of EU living vs India living a considerable number of times in the last 3 months, and it was like the author was right there listening to us and then gave us this wonderful narrative of everything EU crisis can be...it was a nice read, although I should have read this before I did my trip, and a few years earlier.
Now, before heading to Japan, I know which book I have to read first...
An honest account by the business journalist, Pallavi Aiyar, this book is so informative and also is part memoir of her accounts of shifting to Belgium from China and facing EU living. While I read this during my EU trip in the summer of 2022, and the world has transformed in many ways - she must consider writing one more given the geo-political changes. It was fascinating to read the accounts of diamond brokers of Antwerp, the way Europeans do not like the immigrant workforce due to their attitude of putting in long working hours (it still remains the same), and how a joining together of forces should be more powerful but EU shows us it is not necessarily the case. My husband and I must have discussed the pros and cons of EU living vs India living a considerable number of times in the last 3 months, and it was like the author was right there listening to us and then gave us this wonderful narrative of everything EU crisis can be...it was a nice read, although I should have read this before I did my trip, and a few years earlier.
Now, before heading to Japan, I know which book I have to read first...
September 15, 2015
Pallavi Aiyar is a journalist from India. Moving to Brussels in 2009, she decided to write a journalistic book about her experience as an Indian in Europe. She meets with other immigrants, Indian, Muslim, other ethnic groups and countries and how they all struggle to make ends meet and fulfill their dreams in Europe. My favorite passages are about Belgium which I hadn't known was a fairly new country. The Flemish and French speaking people struggle to accommodate newer immigrants who are badly needed but also badly treated. The idea of Europe as a country is theoretical rather than practical in many ways and the idea keeps falling apart little by little. This book wasn't difficult to read and the interactions with residents provided amusements and insight. I really admired this book and the author.
July 28, 2014
Having followed her journalism and dispatches for long and having read and loved her earlier book Smokes and Mirrors, I did not think twice to pick up Punjabi Parmesan before picking it up (yes, the quirky title might have did my partner in but I knew what I was getting into). Pallavi's narrative is insightful, readable and makes one think about the bureaucracy and politics that is binding Europe down. Her perspective of the issues at hand in the present day Europe rings truer because of her Indian-ness and the fact that India is one of EU's biggest allies. Her anecdotes of life in Brussels and how it compares with life in a third world country are funny. Enjoyed reading it.
September 9, 2016
Loved it! For anyone with an interest in the current socioeconomic situation in Europe, it is definitely a must read! If you are Indian/ Chinese is you get a very relatable perspective. And if not, you get a fresh perspective from an emerging economy's standpoint. It was written during the three years of her stay in Belgium - the heart of the European Union. She speaks about issues of immigration, economic crisis, China's rise, Germany's rise to dominance in the EU in spite of it's shameful Nazi past and how it all makes these once dominant powers very uncomfortable. Very insightful! She has now moved on to Jakarta, Indonesia. I am eagerly looking forward to reading her next one.
November 24, 2015
When I retrieved the book from the library and opened it up to read, I got a bit of vertigo. The text was upside and backwards. I closed the book. The cover was right-side up. I opened the book again. It was upside down. It took a moment to realize that the dust jacket had been taped in place incorrectly. The reversed cover was just so appropriate to what was happening inside the pages. Aiyar deftly turns stereotypes and established fact about the Global North/South, First/Third World, industrial/developing nations on their ear.
April 27, 2016
Very interesting book. Pallavi Aiyar writes with how Europe
>>deals with Islam, the reasons for the overt hostility towards muslims, the confusion that young European muslims feel
>> Attitude towards business and how it contrasts with what is done in India/China
>> India/EU relationship , how both are very similar in their political decision making systems
I really liked it for the way the whole Islam-Europe/christianity has been dealt with. Probably one of the better writings on how the relationship is being looked from both sides.
Must read.
>>deals with Islam, the reasons for the overt hostility towards muslims, the confusion that young European muslims feel
>> Attitude towards business and how it contrasts with what is done in India/China
>> India/EU relationship , how both are very similar in their political decision making systems
I really liked it for the way the whole Islam-Europe/christianity has been dealt with. Probably one of the better writings on how the relationship is being looked from both sides.
Must read.
January 17, 2016
New Old World tells the story of Europe's economic crisis through the eyes of Indian journalist who lived in China for several years before moving to Brussels. Aiyar's engaging writing style and inclusion of stories about her experience living in Europe made what could have otherwise been a dry topic quite interesting.
I received a free copy of New Old World through Goodreads Giveaways.
I received a free copy of New Old World through Goodreads Giveaways.
February 20, 2016
what started off seemingly as a EU-bashing, Asia loving travelogue interspersed with trivia and serious assesments of all sorts ended looking at the baffling jigsaw of the so called 'civilised west' countries in a kinder manner. Much water has passed under the bridge in the life of the EU since 2012 but a positively recommended book for a critical reader! I'll be looking forward to Aiyar's next compilation.
July 15, 2014
Gives an excellent insight into the economic, political and social conditions of Europe today. As in the author's previous book on China 'Smoke and Mirrors', her style of writing makes the book lively and interesting besides being very informative.
January 28, 2016
A very clear and well researched commentary on the Eurozone crisis. Well worth the read. Particularly good, is the way the larger problems plaguing Europe have been viewed/explained through the everyday stories of people from buying bathroom fittings or taking the bus in Brussels.
February 8, 2014
Indian perspective on the events in Europe, unlike most articles written by western authors with their own perspectives. Editing could have been better though, as the author rambles sometimes.
June 28, 2014
Had loved 'smoke and mirrors' on China ...so had to read her book on Europe.
April 15, 2014
Informative but a bit of a drag .... Loved her first book smoke and mirrors much more !
November 26, 2015
Enjoyed the book. I received the book through good reads.
June 2, 2016
Insightful and thoroughly well researched.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews