Knowledge: elusive and inaccessible

Banning books seems to be in vogue these days. In the US, schools boards and legislatures in several southern states have decided that they are unwilling to face the harsh reality of racial injustice and systemic racism. They have chosen to ban books from schools that show the society its ugly face in the mirror.

Pakistan has come up with its own model of keeping books out of reach from those who want to read. The approach in Pakistan is two-fold. First, under the watchful eye of politicians who want to shine their conservative credentials for purely political gains, and who probably have never read much, a variety of books are being considered dangerous to the society and its morals. Never mind that the banned books do not contain what the politicians think that they have within them.

The second, and perhaps even more troubling, problem is the economic inaccessibility of books. This works just as well as banning books. In the absence of public libraries, affordable books have been a robust way for many to engage, learn and acquire knowledge. It has kept the modest engine of inquiry going even when the state has chosen to invest in anything but scholarship. Unfortunately, that is becoming harder and harder. Pakistan’s own book publishing industry is weak, and with the exception of a couple of publishers, academic and scholarly books are almost always imported. With a ban on import of books from our eastern neighbour, where book publishing industry is vibrant and the cost reasonable, bookstores are relying on books published in the US and Europe. The cost, as one can imagine, is prohibitive. Even books on Pakistan, or Islam in the region, cost thousands of rupees, making it difficult if not impossible for many to read and learn. The painful irony is that many books on Pakistan are more accessible and affordable anywhere but in Pakistan.

On the one end, this has meant that our students are unable to benefit from knowledge and wisdom of careful researchers, and on the other, it has created an even greater circulation of inflammatory, inaccurate and discredited information that is widely shared on social media or spewed on prime time TV shows. Polarisation, hatred and ignorance are natural consequences — much of which is on full display these days.

At a recent trip to a bookstore in Islamabad, that once used to be a vibrant and a reliable resource for academic books, a family member painted a picture of sadness and fatigue. The few books that remained on the shelves were wrapped in plastic that was enclosed in layers of dust. The bookseller, while eager to please, was sitting in the dark and turned the lights on only after the family member entered the bookstore. It was unclear how long the store occupying prime real estate in the city would last or would give way to a clothing store, a restaurant or a bakery.

The ban on trade (that included books) was a political response to the awful situation in Kashmir. The reality of this ban is that it hurts us more than anyone else. Our solidarity with the right cause should not mean that we should choose ignorance. Banning the import of books would only work if either our own industry was strong, or we had made alternative arrangements with other countries where publishing is vibrant and costs reasonable. Neither has happened. We had a similar situation with the import of drugs that had to be reversed for very valid reasons. As a scholar told me last night, we should think of books as medicines as well — perhaps medicines for the soul and the mind. I am reminded of Hannah Arendt’s last and unfinished book that was called The Life of the Mind — a profound philosophical work that built on her earlier arguments about how thoughtlessness results in evil. At a time when we are actively and aggressively dealing in hatred and polarisation, we need to read and cultivate the life of our minds. We need more books, not less.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2022.

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