Kamandal Goes West
Outlook|November 11, 2024
Whatever the outcome of the election, one thing is sure: Kamala Harris embodies the tensions of an America still struggling to define its identity
Souzeina Mushtaq
Kamandal Goes West

IN October 2024, Kamala Devi Harris stood tall on the stage in Clarkston, Georgia, her voice unwavering as supporters roared. “We will win!” the crowd shouted, and Harris, with a knowing smile, echoed, “Or as a certain former president would say, ‘Yes, we can.’” The audience responded in unison, “Yes, we can.”

Harris stands at the intersection of many firsts—the first Black woman to be elected district attorney in California, the first woman to serve as the state’s attorney general and the first Asian American senator. Now, as vice president, and the presidential nominee, she carries the dual legacy of being both the first Black and South Asian woman—a multifaceted identity that resonates with many, but also invites heightened scrutiny. Her journey presents a fascinating and complicated profile of political ambition and ideological evolution, caught between the shifting demands of progressives, centrists and critics from the Right and Left alike. To understand Harris entirely is to confront these complexities.

This story is from the November 11, 2024 edition of Outlook.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November 11, 2024 edition of Outlook.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM OUTLOOKView All
Soft Ruins
Outlook

Soft Ruins

'Soft Ruins' is a chapter within the long-term ongoing project \"When Spring Never Comes\", an expansive exploration of memory, identity and displacement in the aftermath of exile within contemporary global politics. It reflects on how the journey as an asylum seeker in Europe mirrors the instability and threats of life under dictatorship, amidst rising right-wing movements and shifting power dynamics, where both certainty and identity are redefined

time-read
1 min  |
January 11, 2025
Building Beyond Homes: Provident Housing's Transformative Approach
Outlook

Building Beyond Homes: Provident Housing's Transformative Approach

Provident Housing leads in crafting thoughtfully designed homes that cater to modern homebuyers' evolving needs. With a focus on timely delivery, sustainability, and innovative, customer-centric solutions, the company sets new benchmarks. In this exclusive interview, Mallanna Sasalu, CEO of Provident Housing, shares insights into the company's strategies, upcoming projects, and vision for India's housing future.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 11, 2025
Syria Speaks
Outlook

Syria Speaks

A Syrian graffiti artist-activist's tale of living through bombings, gunshots and displacement

time-read
3 mins  |
January 11, 2025
The Burdened
Outlook

The Burdened

Yemen, once a beautiful land identified with the Queen of Sheba, is now one of the worst ongoing humanitarian disasters of modern times

time-read
6 mins  |
January 11, 2025
Sculpting In Time
Outlook

Sculpting In Time

Documentaries such as Intercepted and Songs of Slow Burning Earth grapple with the Russian occupation beyond displays of desolation

time-read
4 mins  |
January 11, 2025
The Story Won't Die
Outlook

The Story Won't Die

Is Israel's triumphalism over its land grab in Syria realistic? The hard reality is-Israel now has Al-Qaeda as a next-door neighbour

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 11, 2025
Against the Loveless World
Outlook

Against the Loveless World

In times of war, love exists as a profound act of defiance

time-read
6 mins  |
January 11, 2025
Soul of My Soul
Outlook

Soul of My Soul

What does it mean to continue to create art during a genocide?

time-read
9 mins  |
January 11, 2025
in Dancing the Glory of Monsters
Outlook

in Dancing the Glory of Monsters

By humanising the stories of those affected by war, poverty and displacement, Buuma hopes to foster empathy and inspire action

time-read
2 mins  |
January 11, 2025
All the President's Men
Outlook

All the President's Men

Co-author of All The President's Men and one of the two Washington Post journalists (the other was Carl Berntstein) who broke the Watergate scandal that brought down the President Richard Nixon administration in the United States in 1974, Bob Woodward's recent book War was on top of The New York Times Bestseller list, even above John Grisham.

time-read
3 mins  |
January 11, 2025