Published 28 March 201126 March 2012 · Main Posts Parallel lives Jeff Sparrow Regular readers might remember an extraordinary interview in Overland 196 with a man called Thomas Shepherd, who had been an undercover agent for ASIO inside various left-wing organisations for over fifteen years. Shepherd kept his identity secret from his closest associates, even embarking upon a relationship with someone who knew nothing of his secret life. Before his eventual exposure, he grew sympathetic to the ideals of those he was spying upon. The whole experience left him with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, for which he was seeking compensation. A few days ago, the British Guardian published a remarkably similar piece, a feature on a man called Mark Kennedy. Kennedy had spent seven years as an undercover police agent infiltrating the British environmental movement. He, too, became romantically involved with some of those he was investigating and adopted their ideals — indeed, at one point in the interview, he criticises the movement for not being radical enough. And like Shepherd, Kennedy now suffers from PTSD. Read both pieces. The similarities are remarkable, even though the events took place in different political eras. Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays 28 March 20249 April 2024 · Main Posts Why we should value not only lived experience, but also lived expertise Sukhmani Khorana In the wake of this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, I want to extend the central idea of El Gibbs’s 2022 essay on 'lived expertise' and argue that in media accounts of racism, analytical expertise and lived experience ought to be valued together and even in the same body. 5 March 2024 · Main Posts Andrew Charlton’s school assignment Alex McKinnon Australia's Pivot to India exists for three reasons: so that when Andrew Charlton is interviewed on the radio or introduced on Q+A, his bio includes the phrase "he has written a book about Indian-Australian relations"; to fend off accusations that he is another Kristina Keneally engaging in electoral colonialism in western Sydney; and to help the Albanese government strengthen economic and military ties with Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.