Comrades at Odds explores the complicated Cold War relationship between the United States and the newly independent India of Jawaharlal Nehru from a unique perspective--that of culture, broadly defined. In a departure from the usual way of doing diplomatic history, Andrew J. Rotter chose culture as his jumping-off point because, he says, "Like the rest of us, policymakers and diplomats do not shed their values, biases, and assumptions at their office doors. They are creatures of culture, and their attitudes cannot help but shape the policy they make." To define those attitudes, Rotter consults not only government documents and the memoirs of those involved in the events of the day, but also literature, art, and mass media. "An advertisement, a photograph, a cartoon, a film, and a short story," he finds, "tell us in their own ways about relations between nations as surely as a State Department memorandum does."While expanding knowledge about the creation and implementation of democracy, Rotter carries his analysis across the categories of race, class, gender, religion, and culturally infused practices of governance, strategy, and economics.Americans saw Indians as superstitious, unclean, treacherous, lazy, and prevaricating. Indians regarded Americans as arrogant, materialistic, uncouth, profane, and violent. Yet, in spite of these stereotypes, Rotter notes the mutual recognition of profound similarities between the two groups; they were indeed "comrades at odds."

"Outstanding. . . . Great history and a great story."--St. Petersburg Times "A clear and thought-provoking assessment of the organization's accomplishments during its first sixty years."--Louisiana History "An outstanding analysis of both the NAACP and the ongoing struggle for the right to vote."--American Historical Review "[Berg] directs this work to scholars and general readers in an effort to correct what he views as the underrating of the contributions of the NAACP to American racial equality. . . . Berg details the growth of the NAACP, its successes and failures, and the major figures who helped advance the NAACP, including W. E. B. Dubois, Thurgood Marshall, Moorfield Storey, Walter White, and Oswald Garrison Villard."--Booklist "The NAACP is regarded as an old-fashioned, conservative, and even 'Uncle Tom' organization by some, . . . [Berg] argues that the association's often conservative aims have to be seen in the context of particular moments in time and the nature of the leadership itself. "--American Studies "Berg's narrative style is fluid and compelling, revealing a resourceful and dynamic organization which has done much to open up the electoral process to greater black participation."--AfroAmericanHeritage.com Focusing on the NAACP's campaign for voting rights, Manfred Berg challenges the legalistic and bureaucratic image of the NAACP and reveals a resourceful, dynamic, and politically astute organization that did much to open up the electoral process to greater black participation.