Dear readers, we wanted to let you know about an excellent new essay Ranbir Singh Sidhu has written for the Los Angeles Review of Books titled, “All Borderlands Are Ghost Lands.” He reflects on the refugee crisis in Europe informed by his own family’s history, when his mother and relatives were displaced by the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan. Writing eloquently and powerfully about the plight of refugees and how this ordeal scars the historical memory of one’s family, readers may find parallels with the regional crisis occurring in Central America and along the U.S.-Mexico border. From the essay:
In the end, all borderlands are ghost lands, and every border is painted in blood. Many of those fleeing today, caught in their exhaustion and despair on our television screens, carry with them similar stories. Behind those faces, that far too many in Europe are demanding to be shut out or deported, are often epic and tragic tales. The vast majority of people do not leave their homes, their memories, and their hopes to face the prospect of death by drowning simply for the possibility of economic gain. Real desperation drives them, and the near certainty that their lives, should they stay and somehow survive, would be lived among ruins.
For the full read, follow the link:
https://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/all-borderlands-are-ghost-lands
Borderlands History 