Research Community News


Fruitful SASNET/NCI meeting on Nordic Studies in India

On Friday 17 May 2013, the Nordic Centre in India (NCI) university consortium and the Swedish South Asian Studies Network (SASNET) jointly organized a fruitful meeting to discuss possible academic collaboration with The English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in India, in connection with the university’s plan to launch a new Department of Nordic Studies. The meeting was held at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University, and convened by the NCI coordinator Dr. Kristina Myrvold.
The invited participants included Monika Wirkkala from the Swedish Institute (SI); Clemens Cavallin from University of Gothenburg; Jyrki Kalliokoski from University of Helsinki, Anders Mortensen, Centre for Scandinavian Studies at Lund University; and Mattias Nowak from Centre for European Studies, Lund University. SASNET was represented by Anna Lindberg, Lars Eklund and Jonathan Stoltz. Representatives from the universities in Aarhus, Copenhagen, Uppsala and Oslo were also supposed to participate but could not come.
EFLU is a Central University with campuses in Hyderabad, Lucknow, Shillong and Malappuram that offer education and research in a wide range of foreign languages and related subjects. Since autumn 2012, NCI has arranged several meetings with representatives of EFLU to discuss their plans to launch a new Department of Nordic Studies that can provide teaching in Nordic languages and cultures. The meeting on May 17 is arranged to inform about EFLU’s plans for this pioneer project and to identify and receive input from universities and departments who could be interested in being partners with EFLU.
SASNET Assistant webmaster Jonathan Stoltz visited FLU on a visit to Hyderabad, along with Kristina Myrvold, in March 2013. Read his report.
 


Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer passed away

Renowned Indian Islamic scholar and reform activist Asghar Ali Engineer passed away at his home in Santa Cruz, Mumbai on 14th May 2013 after a long illness. He was born in Salumbar, Rajastan in 1939 to a family of the Dawoodi Bohr – a small Shia Muslim community centered on Gujarat in western India. Asghar Ali's family traditions led to Islamic schooling in the Quran, jurisprudence and hadith. He also received secular education, graduating in civil engineering and taking up appointment as an engineer of the Bombay Municipal Corporation. He took early retirement to devote his energies to study of Islam and promotion of social and religious reform, both within his Bohra community and among Muslims generally. His criticisms of the administration of the Dawoodi Bohra's spiritual leadership led his expulsion, yet he was supported by many of his compatriots and was active in the Progressive Dawoodi Bohra movement from 1977.  In 1980 he set up the Institute of Islamic Studies in Bombay as a vehicle for progressive Muslim thought.  Following the violence of 1992/93 surrounding the destruction of the Babri Masjid, he founded the Center for Study of Society and Secularism to promote communal harmony.
His active opposition of all religious bigotry and communal violence was recognized throughout India; Calcutta University conferred a D. Lit. on him in 1983.  He was recipient of many other awards and recognitions.  He was an invited participant in various conferences and gatherings on Islamic traditions throughout the Muslim world as well as in the West. Asghar Ali Engineer should be remembered both for his civic leadership and his scholarly work.
(Obituary by Prof. Frank Conlon, H-Asia)
More information on the Progressive Dawoodi Bohras web page.


Aarhus University research seminar on South Asian religion

The South Asian Religion Research Unit (SAR) at Aarhus University, Denmark, invites all interested to attend a research seminar on Thursday 16th May, 9.00–11.30. Venue: Aarhus University, room 1453-513, Nobelparken, Aarhus. The seminar will provide an overview of the background of the research unit and its current research projects and collaborations. It features presentations by Marianne Fibiger, Bjarne Wernicke Olesen, Silje Lyngar Einarsen, and Jørn Borup.
SAR emphasises a broad approach, encompassing the study of a variety of religious traditions of past and present South Asia, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Sufism and Tantra.The methodology is interdisciplinary, incorporating such disciplines as anthropology, sociology, semiotics, linguistics, history, and philosophy. Furthermore, SAR promotes the specific skills required for the study of contemporary and historical religion in this region, e.g. fieldwork, linguistic skills (e.g. Sanskrit, Pāli, and Hindī), metatheory, in-depth knowledge of the cultural and religious history of South Asia, familiarisation with classical and popular written sources as well as nonwritten sources and the competence to correlate these.
SAR is part of the research programme Interdisciplinary Research in Religion and a research unit at the Department of Culture and Society, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University. Leaders of the research group are Marianne Qvortrup Fibiger and Bjarne Wernicke Olesen. More information.


Seventh European PhD workshop in South Asia Studies to be held in Amsterdam

The Seventh European PhD workshop in South Asia Studies will be hosted by University of Amsterdam and be held 26–27 September 2013. The conveners are Prof. Mario Rutten and Prof. Willem van Schendel. These European workshops are jointly co-organised by the European Association for South Asian Studies (EASAS); Heidelberg University, Germany; Ghent University, Belgium; University of Edinburgh, UK; Le Centre d'Études de l'Inde et de l'Asie du Sud (CEIAS), Paris, France; University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and SASNET/Lund University, Sweden. Each university nominates a couple of PhD candidates and a senior Professor. The workshop's format gives each PhD candidate the responsibility of introducing the paper of another participant and raising some preliminary questions. A senior scholar then acts as discussant and provides feedback on the paper, prompting further debate. This format broadens perspectives on research methods, concepts, and theory by helping students consider questions from a variety of disciplines.
From Lund University, PhD Candidates Maria Tonini, Centre for Gender Studies, and Srilata Sircar, Dept. of Cultural Geography, will attend the Amsterdam workshop. More information on the 2013 workshop will follow.
The 2012 European workshop in South Asia Studies was organised by SASNET/Lund University. It was held at Falsterbo Kursgård, Höllviken from 17 to 19 September 2012. Read a report from the 2012 workshop.


Surinder Jodhka selected for 2013 Amartya Sen Award for Distinguished Social Scientists

Surinder S. Jodhka, Professor of Sociology at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, India, but currently ICCR Visiting Professor at the University of Lund, Sweden, has been selected for the 2013 Amartya Sen Award for Distinguished Social Scientists by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). He gets it because of his seminal work on bonded labour in agriculture. The Award comprises a citation, a plaque and a cash award of Rs. 1 million. The award function was held in Delhi on 6 May 2013 where Professor Amartya Sen was also present.
The other five award winners are President of Centre for Policy Research Pratap Bhanu Mehta for Political Science; Associate Professor at Hyderabad University’s School of Economics Vamsicharan Vakulbharanam for his work on agrarian distress and economy; Sociologist and legal researcher Kalpana Kannabiran, who is director of Council for Social Development, Hyderabad, for her work in the field of law; Prof Sudhanshu Bhushan of the National University of Educational Planning and Administration for his research in education; and Associate Professor at Delhi University Anu Kapur for her work in Geography.
The ICSSR instituted the Amartya Sen Award at the behest of Union Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministry. The Minister Kapil Sibal, while making an announcement to this effect in February 2012 said that it was a part of the five-point agenda “to rejuvenate social sciences “ in the country. “Unless we are able to lift the quality of research in India in social sciences, we will not be able to get the kind of data which are fundamental for policy makers to take decisions”, he added, signifying the importance the government attached to the Award. More information.


Launch of online journal "History of Science in South Asia"

The new journal "History of Science in South Asia" (HSSA), http://hssa.sayahna.org, has officially started publication with the appearance of its first paper by Dr. Bill M. Mak; "The transmission of Greek astral science into India reconsidered - Critical remarks on the contents and the newly discovered manuscript of the Yavanajataka". HSSA publishes papers as soon as they are peer-reviewed, accepted, edited and typeset.  Authors retain copyright of their work, and there are no fees for authors for the next two years.  Articles are published under a Creative Commons license, and are Open Access (free to download and read). Contributions are welcome! More information. 


Uppsala University Colloquium on South Asian Area Studies

The Forum for South Asia Studies at Uppsala University (FSAS) organises a Colloquium entitled ”Area Studies at Uppsala University: Challenges and Convergence in Researching South Asia” on Tuesday 21 May 2013, 13.15–16.45. The event will focus on the fact that Uppsala University recently initiated interdisciplinary regional research forums and the Forum for South Asia Studies is one of them. The colloquium will stimulate reflection and discussion about the development of area studies in the 21st century, and the opportunities it holds for Uppsala University. Venue: House 2, hall K1028, Engelska parken, Thunbergsvägen 3H.
Professor Roger Jeffery (photo) from the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh in Scotland will hold a keynote speech entitled ”Reinventing Area Studies: A continuing challenge and opportunity”, in which he argues that reinventing area studies is a worthwhile and valuable activity, and set out some thoughts about the role of area studies in the contemporary world. Prof. Jeffery is also President of the European Association for South Asian Studies (EASAS).
Challenges and Convergence in Area Studies. His presentation will be followed by a panel discussion also involving Prof. Margareta Fahlgren (Vice-rector for the Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences), Dr. Hans Blomqvist (Department of Government), and Prof. Gunnel Cederlöf (Department of History).
The colloquium programme also includes time for some Uppsala University South Asia research scholars – Prof. Heinz Werner Wessler (Philology and Linguistics), PhD student Pawel Odyniec (Philology and Linguistics), and Dr. Ferdinando Sardella (Theology) – to reflect over the research theme “Constructing Identities”. Another important research issue, on ”Building Bridges: Cooperation between the Humanities and Medicine in South Asia Studies”, will then be discussed by Prof. Gunnel Cederlöf and Dr. Birgitta Essén (Department of Women's and Children's Health). Full information about the Uppsala University Colloquium.


Muslim South Asia Research Forum launched at SOAS

Under the umbrella of the Centre of South Asian Studies at SOAS, University of London, a Muslim South Asia Research Forum (MUSA) was launched on Thursday 9th May 2013. The launch ceremony on May 9th included a short opening address by Professor Werner Menski on Law, Multiculturalism and Human Rights in South Asia.
MUSA is a new cross-disciplinary initiative focused on bringing together PhD students and early career researchers working on any aspect of Muslim societies in the countries of South Asia. The 'Muslim' in MUSA is meant in the broadest sense, including communities and cultures that interface with Muslim societies in any context. Geographically the organisers cut a wide swathe, encompassing Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and their diasporic communities. The ambition is to reach out to young researchers and practitioners internationally, by hosting regular networking events and a one-day, annual conference. MUSA will also build a directory of researchers on Muslim South Asia, which includes information on their specific research topics.
More information on MUSA web page.


University of Gothenburg symposium on Indian Culture and Society

The Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion (LIR) at University of Gothenburg organized a half-day Symposium on Indian Culture and Society, on Friday 19 April 2013. Lars Eklund from SASNET attended the symposium.
The programme, prepared by Professor Åke Sander, included lectures by two of the current Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Visiting Indian Professors in Sweden, namely Ashok Kaul, ICCR guest professor at the University of Gothenburg, who talked about ”Kashmir – a road forward”; and Surinder Jodhka, ICCR guest professor at Lund University, who talked about ”The future of caste and power”. On photo together.
The programme also included a presentation by Ms. Anette Pooja (photo to the left)on ”Studying Indian dance as a Western woman”, by Dr. Shashank Srivastava on ”Indian philosophy and post-modernism”, and Associate Professor Clemens Cavallin on ”Teaching Hinduism as a Western scholar”. See the programme.
An additional programme was added, namely the screening of the documentary film ”So Heddan So Hoddan” (Like Here Like There), made by professors Anjali Monteiro and Kizhavana Jayasankar from the Tata Institute of Social Studies (TISS) in Mumbai, India.
They had come to attend the symposium since they spend the month of April 2013 at Lund University as scholarship holders through the Erasmus Mundus Action 2 mobility programme EMEA.
Their fascinating film focuses on the communities in Kachchh, Gujarat, India and across the border in Sindh (now in Pakistan). Many of their Sufi poems draw on the eternal love stories of /Umar-Marui/ and /Sasui-Punhu/, among others. These songs speak of the pain of parting, of the inevitability of loss and of deep grief that takes one to unknown and mysterious terrains. More information about the film that became the focus for a vivid discussion afterwards.

Professor Åke Sander, LIR, and Pernilla Danielsson, University of Gothenburg International Centre. Symposium participants from Chalmers University of Technology, Prof. K V Prasad and Prof. Devdatt Dubhashi, Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE)

 


Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) visited India

During March 18-22, 2013, representatives from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) visited India. The purpose of the visit was to establish deeper forms of international cooperation and research exchanges and ultimately build new areas of research with an international impact within SIPRI and its regional counterparts in India. During the visit, the SIPRI delegation, led by its Chairman Mr. Göran Lennmarker and its Director Dr. Tilman Brück, met a number of research institutions, think-tanks and academicians as well as government officials and prominent thinkers on security and foreign policy.
When in India, SIPRI also released its latest report, "Trends in international arms transfers, 2012". 
SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament with its head office in Stockholm and presence in Beijing and Washington D.C.

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