What do you think?
Rate this book
Azad Nagar: The Story of a 21st Century Slave Revolt
Millions of people around the world today are enslaved; nearly eight million of them live in India, more than anywhere else. This book is the story of a small group of enslaved villagers in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, who founded their own town of Azad Nagar after staging a rebellion against their slaveholders. International organizations championed this as a nonviolent ‘silent revolution’ that inspired other villagers to fight for their own freedom. But Laura T. Murphy, a leading scholar of contemporary global slavery, who spent years researching and teaching about Azad Nagar, found that whispers and deflections suggested there was something troubling about Azad Nagar’s success.
Murphy embarks on a Rashomon-like retelling – a complex, constantly changing narrative of a murder that captures better than any sanitized account just why it is that slavery continues to exist in the 21st century. Azad Nagar’s enormous struggle to gain and maintain liberty shows why it is unrealistic to expect radical change without violent protest – and how a global construction boom is deepening and broadening the alienation of impoverished people around the world.
Murphy embarks on a Rashomon-like retelling – a complex, constantly changing narrative of a murder that captures better than any sanitized account just why it is that slavery continues to exist in the 21st century. Azad Nagar’s enormous struggle to gain and maintain liberty shows why it is unrealistic to expect radical change without violent protest – and how a global construction boom is deepening and broadening the alienation of impoverished people around the world.
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 2022
4 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 25, 2022
If you thought slavery doesn’t exist in India today, Azad Nagar: The Story of a 21st Century Slave Revolt will make you question your assumptions. It takes just over 150 pages for Laura T. Murphy, professor of human rights and contemporary slavery at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK, to break down how we compartmentalize the plight of workers who do not have the agency to ask for a safer work environment or the long hours they put in for very low wages. Think workers in sweatshops, employers taking official identification papers and refusing to give them back, landless farmers working for a pittance and compelled to take loans at interest rates that the landowner decides.
The majority of the book is set around the uprising of the Kols, an impoverished Adivasi community in Uttar Pradesh, against their upper-caste landowners in 2000. She examines the circumstances that led to the uprising and then dissects the many layers that got added over the years—whether things changed for the community and what exactly transpired during the course of the uprising. There is scant media coverage or easily available information about how this Adivasi community revolted against their landowners, eventually going on to establish an Azad Nagar of their own. This reflects two things: the unsavoury truth that many in India are still uncomfortable to acknowledge that slavery exists, just in a different form than it used to, and that the uprising in 2000 was a one-off incident that did not lead to any institutional change over the years, and did not receive much interest from the media to have been documented or discussed at length.
Murphy's writing provokes one to reflect on the sociopolitical realities of India—the country has the fourth highest number of billionaires globally, but the Adivasis are counted amongst the poorest people in the world. There is just the right balance of academic text with ground reportage that makes this short book extremely readable. Read the full review here:
https://lifestyle.livemint.com/how-to...
The majority of the book is set around the uprising of the Kols, an impoverished Adivasi community in Uttar Pradesh, against their upper-caste landowners in 2000. She examines the circumstances that led to the uprising and then dissects the many layers that got added over the years—whether things changed for the community and what exactly transpired during the course of the uprising. There is scant media coverage or easily available information about how this Adivasi community revolted against their landowners, eventually going on to establish an Azad Nagar of their own. This reflects two things: the unsavoury truth that many in India are still uncomfortable to acknowledge that slavery exists, just in a different form than it used to, and that the uprising in 2000 was a one-off incident that did not lead to any institutional change over the years, and did not receive much interest from the media to have been documented or discussed at length.
Murphy's writing provokes one to reflect on the sociopolitical realities of India—the country has the fourth highest number of billionaires globally, but the Adivasis are counted amongst the poorest people in the world. There is just the right balance of academic text with ground reportage that makes this short book extremely readable. Read the full review here:
https://lifestyle.livemint.com/how-to...
July 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK - Azad Nagar: The Story of a 21st-Century Slave Revolt
AUTHOR - Laura T. Murphy
GENRE - NON FICTION
Some books change your perspective towards life. About the way you see a community or how you perceived them before. I knew that the scheduled tribes in our country faced backwardness in economical and social opportunities. Read about how they are displaced due to the constructions of the modern temples in India - "Dams". Read about them in exam books but this book changed my perspective and gave me deeper and truer insights about the live they are leading.
The book is written in different timeliness where the author firstly gives us a realistic and vivid picture of the trials living in Uttar Pradesh. How they have been coerced to be bonded labourers for generations for taking miniscule loans of few hundreds of rupees.
The slavery didn't end with one generation but this burden passed on for ages like a deadly viscous cycle with no end. Their lifestyle, food habits, way of life and the lynching they suffered was heart wrenching to say the least. What was more appaling is their total ignorance of the term - freedom or freedom of movement.
Finally, the book tells us how these very people tried to break their bandage and establish a place for themselves under the name of Azad nagar. One has to appreciate the role Sankalp- Ngo and few other people who made this possible.
But the author also questions at what cost they achieved their freedom and how it has been portrayed as a non violent revolution but whereas in reality, s
Blood was shed from both the sides.
Though I found this questioning confusing, but later on understood what the author meant. Finally, the author gives a gory picture about their current lives and the sustainability of their freedom. After reading this book, I had a question which propped in my mind - Are they really free ?
I would recommend this short and fast paced read for anyone who wants to understand the reality of the lives of the millions of tribes in India and how new slavery has still bonded their lives and livelihoods.
BOOK - Azad Nagar: The Story of a 21st-Century Slave Revolt
AUTHOR - Laura T. Murphy
GENRE - NON FICTION
Some books change your perspective towards life. About the way you see a community or how you perceived them before. I knew that the scheduled tribes in our country faced backwardness in economical and social opportunities. Read about how they are displaced due to the constructions of the modern temples in India - "Dams". Read about them in exam books but this book changed my perspective and gave me deeper and truer insights about the live they are leading.
The book is written in different timeliness where the author firstly gives us a realistic and vivid picture of the trials living in Uttar Pradesh. How they have been coerced to be bonded labourers for generations for taking miniscule loans of few hundreds of rupees.
The slavery didn't end with one generation but this burden passed on for ages like a deadly viscous cycle with no end. Their lifestyle, food habits, way of life and the lynching they suffered was heart wrenching to say the least. What was more appaling is their total ignorance of the term - freedom or freedom of movement.
Finally, the book tells us how these very people tried to break their bandage and establish a place for themselves under the name of Azad nagar. One has to appreciate the role Sankalp- Ngo and few other people who made this possible.
But the author also questions at what cost they achieved their freedom and how it has been portrayed as a non violent revolution but whereas in reality, s
Blood was shed from both the sides.
Though I found this questioning confusing, but later on understood what the author meant. Finally, the author gives a gory picture about their current lives and the sustainability of their freedom. After reading this book, I had a question which propped in my mind - Are they really free ?
I would recommend this short and fast paced read for anyone who wants to understand the reality of the lives of the millions of tribes in India and how new slavery has still bonded their lives and livelihoods.
October 8, 2024
Author's point of view is rather muddled until the last chapter. The whole thing could have been wrapped up in an essay, the basic argument is definitely not worth a whole-ass book. Everyone who knows anything about revolts, especially anti-colonial/slave/peasant revolts, knows they are necessarily violent. The discussion regarding NGOification of the Azad Nagar "revolution" could have really given readers something to chew on, but it reads like the author was trying not to step on any toes. Particularly, any toes belonging to staff at the NGOs that gave her access to/info about the village and its surrounding region, nevermind how problematic they all appear from the get-go.
All in all, predictably mediocre read from a white academic trying to write a "public facing book" about a people whose language and context she needs multiple field assistants and interpreters to even begin to understand. If you don't know the language and if your gatekeeper in the field is an NGO, please. just stop. unless it's about an ongoing genocide, time is on your side: take the time to learn your shit please. and come up with an argument.
(cover art is great but unfortunately oversells the thing itself)
All in all, predictably mediocre read from a white academic trying to write a "public facing book" about a people whose language and context she needs multiple field assistants and interpreters to even begin to understand. If you don't know the language and if your gatekeeper in the field is an NGO, please. just stop. unless it's about an ongoing genocide, time is on your side: take the time to learn your shit please. and come up with an argument.
(cover art is great but unfortunately oversells the thing itself)
May 6, 2025
We think that slavery no longer exists in the world, but "slavery today is less a matter of ownership than it is of inescapable and unpaid forced labour as it has been in many of its iterations throughout history.
The Azad Nagar Revolt (though not well reported by the Indian media) was one of the rare cases where a population that was reduced to forced bonded labour was able to successfully take over the means of production and secure freedom for itself. What they got was not just economic freedom, but the freedom to dream of a better future for their children.
The author, an academic from the UK, was inspired by this story where freedom was claimed by peaceful means- "while the popular imagination of revolts may conjure something more urgent and cinematic, freedom can be won unexpectedly, deliberately and subtly"- and years after starting to teach her students about it, came to Azad Nagar to hear the stories for herself, and to see how the community is faring after gaining control. Till that point, the emphasis was on how freedom was not a gift that could be given- it could only be achieved by the people deciding they wanted to claim it. The author spoke about how as outsiders, one should support a rights based approach where the oppressed population was encouraged and empowered to seek freedom for themselves.
However, when she actually visited the community, she realised that things were far from what she had imagined them to be. That the stories told of the Azad Nagar Revolt were told by outsiders who chose to ignore an essential component of the revolt- the deliberate use of violence. She also found that it was not always easy to categorise people into the oppressed and the oppressors, and that sometimes, the oppressed could strike deals with the oppressors for mutual benefit.
The book ends with describing the new category of oppressors- a behemoth that can be ruthless in its exploitation because it has no stake in the local community at all.
This is a book that will challenge you, and force you to think of issues from a very different perspective. A book I will recommend anyone who wants to understand the socio-economic realities of the nation.
Though bought nearly two years back, I read this book as a part of the Champaca Reading Challenge- on protest and dissent
The Azad Nagar Revolt (though not well reported by the Indian media) was one of the rare cases where a population that was reduced to forced bonded labour was able to successfully take over the means of production and secure freedom for itself. What they got was not just economic freedom, but the freedom to dream of a better future for their children.
The author, an academic from the UK, was inspired by this story where freedom was claimed by peaceful means- "while the popular imagination of revolts may conjure something more urgent and cinematic, freedom can be won unexpectedly, deliberately and subtly"- and years after starting to teach her students about it, came to Azad Nagar to hear the stories for herself, and to see how the community is faring after gaining control. Till that point, the emphasis was on how freedom was not a gift that could be given- it could only be achieved by the people deciding they wanted to claim it. The author spoke about how as outsiders, one should support a rights based approach where the oppressed population was encouraged and empowered to seek freedom for themselves.
However, when she actually visited the community, she realised that things were far from what she had imagined them to be. That the stories told of the Azad Nagar Revolt were told by outsiders who chose to ignore an essential component of the revolt- the deliberate use of violence. She also found that it was not always easy to categorise people into the oppressed and the oppressors, and that sometimes, the oppressed could strike deals with the oppressors for mutual benefit.
The book ends with describing the new category of oppressors- a behemoth that can be ruthless in its exploitation because it has no stake in the local community at all.
This is a book that will challenge you, and force you to think of issues from a very different perspective. A book I will recommend anyone who wants to understand the socio-economic realities of the nation.
Though bought nearly two years back, I read this book as a part of the Champaca Reading Challenge- on protest and dissent
May 24, 2022
Despite the abolition of Slavery, many people still live like slaves - modern enslaved people. What is Modern Slavery, and why is it a need of concern?
The term modern slavery refers to situations in which people are exploited and completely controlled by others without being able to leave. This includes forced labor, debt bondage (or bonded), human trafficking, forced and early marriage, and selling and exploiting children. According to the latest report, the Global Slavery Index 2018, nearly eighteen million people in India lived in Slavery.
Azad Nagar by Laura T. Murphy is a story of the Kols community from Uttar Pradesh, India. They fall into the debt trap of Patel landlords and are forced into Slavery; they revolt against it, brutally kill the landlord with their working tools and build their town of Azad Nagar. This movement sounds inspiring and good to hear; however, the picture is more painful and complex.
When Laura T. Murphy came to Azad Nagar after years and talked with local people, she found a different picture of Azad Naga. Though they found their freedom, they were still unemployed, struggling with poverty and life-threatening diseases.
It indicates that a successful revolt went on vein without the government's support, whose responsibility was to provide freedom and basic needs to these people. Many questions are raised like, Why did the government overlook the Kol people because they had a violent revolution? Or because of the caste and social class discrimination? Is Azad Nagar's picture changed? To know more about it, you have to read this book.
Final Verdict:
Azad Nagar is an eye-opening read. The author used her expertise in modern Slavery excellently to examine the impact of violent revolt even when it is necessary for freedom. You will be able to understand many political conspiracies, social injustice, and inequality of our society through the Kol's people's lives. I want to appreciate the author's effort to portray an unfiltered picture of Azad Nagar's people.
Azad Nagar is indeed a book that I will highly recommend to all.
May 1, 2022
“Azad Nagar” is a tale of the Kol community, who broke through the shackles of their masters (slaveholders) and created a land for themselves. This land was named Azad Nagar by the people and lies in Sonbarsa, a village in Uttar Pradesh.
The author in this book not only covers the story of the revolution that led to the creation of Azad Nagar, but dives deep to raise two very important questions. Firstly, how can one create a model to sustainably lift people out of bonded labour. And secondly, is violence an absolute necessity for marginalised sections of society to get their rights.
The answer to the first question is not definitive. Multiple models have been explored in the past, and that work continues to happen. On the other hand, the answer to the second question seems definitive. For marginalised sections of society, violence is often the last step and one that seems to truly work out(Azad Nagar is one such example). Any narrative to depict a revolution as non-violent is mostly not accurate. Or is being deliberately avoided to maintain the optics of a revolution.
The author in this book not only covers the story of the revolution that led to the creation of Azad Nagar, but dives deep to raise two very important questions. Firstly, how can one create a model to sustainably lift people out of bonded labour. And secondly, is violence an absolute necessity for marginalised sections of society to get their rights.
The answer to the first question is not definitive. Multiple models have been explored in the past, and that work continues to happen. On the other hand, the answer to the second question seems definitive. For marginalised sections of society, violence is often the last step and one that seems to truly work out(Azad Nagar is one such example). Any narrative to depict a revolution as non-violent is mostly not accurate. Or is being deliberately avoided to maintain the optics of a revolution.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2024
Another one of those books that I finished reading in one evening.
What I liked: good storytelling, centering the voices of the subjects of the book, highlighting Indian works on the subject, backing the viewpoint about the state/elite monopoly on violence
What could be improved: Not particularly happy with the usage of the terms ´upper-caste' and 'forward-caste' for savarnas as opposed to 'dalits' and 'adivasis' in addition to SC/ST/OBC terminology. It's probably more respectful (in my admittedly Savarna opinion) to bahujans to not reinforce the upper/lower terminology commonly used by people in India, especially since this is a book with a lay audience.
I also missed some more depth in terms of the environmental impact of mining industries in the last few chapters and how intertwined adivasi lives are with forests and 'wastelands', not just in terms of the peoples' dependence on them but also on the land and flora and fauna's dependence on the peoples. The former was mentioned, but only in passing.
What I liked: good storytelling, centering the voices of the subjects of the book, highlighting Indian works on the subject, backing the viewpoint about the state/elite monopoly on violence
What could be improved: Not particularly happy with the usage of the terms ´upper-caste' and 'forward-caste' for savarnas as opposed to 'dalits' and 'adivasis' in addition to SC/ST/OBC terminology. It's probably more respectful (in my admittedly Savarna opinion) to bahujans to not reinforce the upper/lower terminology commonly used by people in India, especially since this is a book with a lay audience.
I also missed some more depth in terms of the environmental impact of mining industries in the last few chapters and how intertwined adivasi lives are with forests and 'wastelands', not just in terms of the peoples' dependence on them but also on the land and flora and fauna's dependence on the peoples. The former was mentioned, but only in passing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2022
This book by Laura T. Murphy tells us about how slavery exists in several places all over the world even today. The only thing is the older meaning of slavery referred to ownership of human beings' body and soul whereas in today's times it means exerting control over human beings in a more implicit way. There is no longer an ownership element attached. This is particularly true of the impoverished community called Kols who get entangled in a debt trap and then struggle and revolt to develop a colony for themselves called Azade Nagar. This book is all about that struggle and what happens subsequently. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book though it shows India in a rather poor light in several places.
August 30, 2022
Must read for everyone. It's a short and interesting read. The book is filled with facts that the author found out by visiting the villages. The whole event and the events before and after are narrated like a story and government decisions and court decisions are often referred to in laying down the context. This will definitely remove some blinders.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews