Neil Howard (oD): An unresolved question in labour activism regards whether or not possibilities for North-South solidarity exist, be they with more traditional groups or with more marginalised groups in either constituency. Some activists suggest that such solidarities are impossible or unlikely to bear fruit. What is your take on this question?
Anannya Bhattacharjee: I'm really opposed to such bland binaries, which are ahistorical and frankly out of date. With migration being one of the biggest phenomena of our times, we must understand that the Global North is being shaped by very new populations who are soon going to be either the largest minorities or even majorities in their countries. And we must always be accurate, so we can't just say ‘the Global North is this’. I'm really shocked when well-known academics say that. They have the money to travel, and they have the money to do some research. If that is what they see when they go to those countries, then they must be mingling with the wrong kind of people.
It's a middle-class complex, actually, to forget to trust the people.
