Inverse Journal

Muzaffar Karim

Factory or Corporation: What “Severance” Gets Wrong — An Analysis by Muzaffar Karim

Muzaffar Karim presents an analysis of “Severance” (2022, Apple+), the critically-acclaimed award-winning TV series directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle, with Adam Scott in the lead. Karim’s analytical piece fills the void that is often left by mainstream reviews that are mainly concerned with

POETÈ MAUDIT — A Short Story by Muzaffar Karim

In this short story that commences at “the holy steps” of the Makhdoom Sahib shrine in Srinagar, a disgruntled character surprises the author of what he considers to be an unfinished tale. Disclaimer: any resemblance to reality is purely fictional in this short story. For more, readers are advised

Dancing to the Tunes of an Algorithm: Mapping Labor Through Franco Berardi and Byung-Chul Han — by Muzaffar Karim

In this essay, Muzaffar Karim sets an important series of discussions in motion by evaluating four concepts—Time, Labor, Consent, Technology—and their interrelationship in the modern world-system. Karim explores relevant theoretical ideas by Franco Berardi and Byun-Chul Han, applying them to an orig

Mother Tongue — A Short Story by Muzaffar Karim

Muzaffar Karim presents a short story driven by language, the Kashmiri language, and with a protagonist about to embark on a journey. While waiting, Sultan Saeb voyages through his thoughts into the terrain of memory and into an inner world full of song, verse, and literature—all the while structuri

Jaun Elia: The Garbage Dump of History — Translated and Introduced by Muzaffar Karim

Academic and writer Muzaffar Karim translates and introduces Jaun Elia’s “The Garbage Dump of History,” a piece originally titled “Jannat Jahanam” in Urdu that appeared in Suspense Digest (July 2000). Karim’s introduction and subsequent translation situate international readers beyond Elia’s widely

Novel Excerpt: A Silhouette in the Nuke — by Muzaffar Karim

Muzaffar Karim brings us an excerpt from his post-apocalyptic novel set around 2050 when a nuclear attack by India has wiped off Kashmir from the face of the earth, leaving behind a few survivors. Among them, a few people are still fighting back, including Qais, the narrator, who is part of the Resi

We, the Expendables — by Muzaffar Karim

As the academic session in Kashmir starts after a six month lockdown, Professor Muzaffar Karim provides a perspective on the challenges faced by multiple parties within an education system that treats those entrusted with imparting knowledge as expendable.