Book launch at Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) 2018. Speaker at first KLF-London in 2017, Royal Festival Hall. Reviews in Karachi media.
Editorial reviews:
“This wonderful volume offers a vivid palimpsest of perspectives that brilliantly unpack how urban violence structures people’s lives and relations in both contested and contradictory ways. It will undoubtedly become ‘the’ reference point for understanding Karachi, as well as a model for exploring other violent cityscapes around the world.” —Dennis Rodgers, Professor of International Development Studies, University of Amsterdam
“A mesmerising read, presenting original, provocative prose about a city that defines Pakistan in more ways than one…Khan has done a phenomenal job of weaving together the themes in these brilliant essays.’ —Professor Hassan Abbas, Chair of the Department of Regional and Analytical Studies, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
“This unusual book does full justice to a dynamic, diverse and troubled metropolis. Each chapter brims with insight, knowledge and affection for Karachi, and sensitive portraits of its residents. Khan’s volume strikingly depicts how violence, spectral and real, frames Karachi life, from ethnic fissures and poetry to masculine labour and alcohol.’ — Thomas Blom Hansen, Professor of Anthropology, Stanford University.
“Karachi, currently numbering over 23m people, is projected to be the world’s largest city by 2030. Khan has marshalled leading authorities to examine from different disciplinary perspectives why violence is integral to the city’s workings...’ — Francis Robinson, Professor of the History of South Asia, Royal Holloway University of London.
Media reviews in Dawn, Herald, The Friday Times.Yusuf, Ahmed. 2017. “Karachi Conversations”. Dawn, 13 August
“a conversation between the gods of scholarly writing on Karachi.”
Academic reviews- Urban Geography 2017 “It covers a huge gap in the body of knowledge on peculiarities of Asian cities” (2017 online, Sana Iqbal)