Newsletter 120 - 15 February 2011
Last updated: 17 October 2011
SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK
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SASNET News
• First Call for Papers for the Third Nordic Conference on South Asian Studies for Young Scholars
The Swedish South Asian Studies Network (SASNET) and the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) are organizing the Third Nordic Conference on South Asian Studies for Young Scholars to be held from 16–18 August in Falsterbo, Sweden. The Conference will be a gathering of graduate students and postdocs, along with other junior scholars affiliated with universities in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) who are focusing on South Asia in their work. Keynote speaker this year will be Prof. Patricia Jeffery from the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh. The conference is interdisciplinary and this year's main topics will be - Gender Issues; - Climate Change; - M; - ICT and Development, as well as Alternative Career paths beyond the academia with focus on the South Asian region. The previous two conferences differed from the usual academic conferences in paying attention explicitly to students. Positive evaluations were received from all participants and we are looking forward to having a productive and engaging event this year! Deadline for submitting an abstract with a current or projected research project is 15 April 2011. Note: those studying for their masters, Ph.D. candidates, and postdoctoral researchers in all disciplines who are affiliated with Nordic universities are invited to apply. However, if space permits, young scholars from other European Universities will also be welcome, so are also encouraged to send in an application at this time. More information.
• Prof. Lipi Ghosh gave a lecture on writing women's history in India
On Tuesday, 25 January 2011, the first Visiting ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) Chair Professor at Lund University, Prof. Lipi Ghosh (in the middle in the photo, in black) held an open lecture on "Writing Women's History in India: Informative Oral & Written Presentations" at the Centre for Gender Studies at Lund University. In her lecture, Prof. Ghosh did an extended overview of the evolution of women's role and their power in the Indian society, along with the work of a number of prominent Indian reformes who have improved the position of women in the society in India. An important part of the lecture was an overview of the ongoing research on Gender Issues in Indian Universities. The lecture was followed by an engaging discussion about women's role in the armed forces of India, along with cultural specifics and marriage practices.
• The Embassy of India in Stockholm celebrated the 62nd Republic Day of India 
On the 27 January 2011, SASNET's acting webmaster/ deputy director, Julia Velkova, attended a reception organised by the Embassy of India in Stockholm on the occasion of the 62nd Republic Day of India. The reception was inaugurated with a traditional Indian dance performance. It was followed by a speech by H.E. Mr. Ashok Sajjanhar, Ambassador of India and Latvia in Sweden (photo, right). After him, the word was taken by Mr. Frank Belfrage, secretary of the state of Sweden (photo, left) who emphasized the rapid development of an active collaboration and intensifying relations of partnership between the two countries. On the occasion of the reception it was organised an exhibition of paintings by prominent Indian artistis.
• SASNET organises Rabindranath Tagore 150th anniversary celebration week in Lund
During 2011, SASNET is strongly involved in planning for academic seminars and related cultural programmes in connection with the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Rabindranath Tagore at several Scandinavian universities, including Lund University.
Preliminary, these seminars will take place in September 2011 in collaboration with the Indian embassies in Scandinavia, and with support from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). Leading South Asian Tagore scholars have alreday been invited for these occasions. More information will follow in due time.
SASNET will however organise a Tagore week in Lund already 20–24 March 2011. In collaboration with other local institutions and organisations, the week includes popular lectures by Swedish experts on Rabindranath’s life and literature, as well as exhibitions, film shows, concerts and poetry reading. On Thuesday 22 March, SASNET and Lund University organise an academic seminar, featuring Prof. Wiliam Radice (photo) from SOAS, University of London. Prof. Radice, who has made new inspiring translations of Tagore’s poetry and prose from Bengali into English, will speak about the relevance still present in his literature.
Full information about the March 2011 Tagore Week in Lund.
• Follow us on Facebook!
SASNET is now also present on Facebook. Please join the network through our Facebook group as well, and be updated about new events. Go to the SASNET Facebook group.
Research Community News
• SIDA research grant awarded to Prof. Abul Mandal from University of Skövde
In December 2010, Prof. Abul Mandal, School of Life Sciences, University of Skövde was granted 4 500 000 SEK from SIDA for a new research project on sanitation of poisonous metals with the help of a bacteria which Dr. Mandal and his team have succeeded to isolate. The project will be implemented in collaboration with a team from Pune, India and the results will be published in the BIOS system (Biological Open Source) so that they are freely available to the research community. On 1 January 2011, Prof. Abul Mandal became Chair of System Biology Research Center at the University of Skövde.
Read more about the research projects at the School of Life Sciences at the University of Skövde.
• Lund University announces 26 PhD studentships
Lund University welcomes applications for 26 PhD studentships at the departments of Communication and Media; Centre for Theology and Religious Studies; Centre for Languages and Literature; Dept. of Philosophy; Dept. of Archaelogy and Ancient History, and Dept. of Cultural Sciences part of the faculties of Humanities and Theology. Applicants from all academic institutions and countries are welcome provided they comply with the basic eligibility criteria, which is - second-cycle qualification; - completed courses of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 at second cycle; - acqired essentially corresponding knowledge in Sweden or abroad. Submission is done by post and should reach the University before 1 March 2011. Successful applicants are expected to start from 1 September 2011. Full list of positions and details about application (as pdf-file).
• Dr. Paula Uimonen becomes the new director of SPIDER
In January 2011, Dr. Paula Uimonen became the new director of the Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions (SPIDER). Dr. Uimonen has 14 years of experience as ICT4D adviser and researcher. She has specialized in digital anthropology and defended a PhD in 2001 on "Transnational.Dynamics @ Development.Net. Internet, Modernization and Globalization" being the first comparative empirical study of the Internet development in developing countries. In this work, she has done an extensive field work i South-East Asia and Geneva. Since then she has been working as a consultant on ICT4D. SPIDER has also new members of the board and in the secretariat. Read more on SPIDER's website.
• PhD position on Development, Cosmopolitism and Gender in India announced at Bergen University
A four-year PhD Fellowship in Development, Cosmopolitism and Gender in India is currently available at the Dept. of Social Anthropology, University of Bergen. The department focuses currently on the topic of social development, regions and comparative democracies in India and develops at present a project on cosmopolitanism. This project will analyse the full spectrum of India's social diversity in the prism of cosmopolitanism and paradoxes that occur. Applicants whose research ideas are in this direction are encouranged to apply, although other proposals on socio-economic issues in India are also welcome. Eligible candidates must have a Masters degree in Social Anthropology. The appointment is expected to start in June 2011. Deadline to apply is 9 March 2011. More information.
• Editors needed for a new index on Buddhist studies 
Expressions of interest for editing BRILL's _Index Buddhicus_(Classified Bibliography of Buddhist Studies) are currently welcome. The index, which is currently in preparation, will cover a broad range of materials, namely, articles, papers, chapters appearing in journals, proceedings, collections, monographs, theses, editions and digital resources. The final index will be distributed both online and in hard copy. "Indica et Buddhica", a New Zealand based digital publisher, is in charge of coordinating the editing work and is looking to form a group of editors. Interested applicants who would like to submit an expression of interest should have a background in some of the following broadely defined areas: - India/Nepal; - Tibet/Central Asia; - China/Japan/Korea; - "Western" Buddhism: US/UK; - Art/Culture/Education; - Literature/Texts; - Philosophy/Psychology; - Religious Life/Discipline/Rituas; - State/Society. For more information, please contact Mr. Richard Mahoney from Indica et Budhica.
• Papers on "Terror and Media in South Asia" are welcome for the Journal of South Asian Popular Culture 
The Journal of South Asian Popular Culture invites for submission of papers (critical essays) on "Terror and Media in South Asia" for its special edition due to be published in July 2013. The aim of the special issue is through exploring theoretical and socio-political concepts related to the representations of terror in contemporary South Asian visual cultures to contribute to: - the theoretical debate on terrorism within South Asian conceptualizations and contexts; - a reconsideration of identity formations, cultural constructs and nationalism; and - the mass mediation of terror. The paper proposals should reflect on a number of questions, among which: - What is Terror in the South-Asian context? Does the South Asian media provide a background for alternative definitions - or theorization - of terror? - How is terror represented in South Asian contexts, and how do South Asian societies visually redefine themselves in the era of terror? - How does the era of terror challenge or recontextualize identity formations across South Asia? Deadline to submit short proposals and a CV is 30 April 2011. More information (in pdf file).
• Visiting Research Fellowships in Asian Studies available at the University of Singapore
3-month Visiting Research Fellowships in Asian Studies are available at the Asia Research Institute, part of the National University of Singapore. The Institute welcomes both senior and junior researchers who have already defended a PhD and have worked several years at postdoctoral level. The applicants are expected to become affiliated with one of the following clusters depending on their thematic area and interests: - Asian Migration; - Changing Family; - Cultural Studies in Asia; - Religion and Globalisation; - Science, Technology and Society; - Asian Urbanisms. Interesting proposals from other fields and topics will be also considered. Deadline to apply via email or post is 1 April 2011. The fellowships will start in October 2011, as well as in January and April 2012. For questions, please contact joinari@nus.edu.sg. More information.
One-year position in Sanskrit Literature at the Dept. for Asian Studies, University of British Columbia, Canada is open for a Post-Doctoral Fellow, Visiting Assistant Professor or Visiting Scholar. The successful applicant will be teaching a course in advanced Sanskrit, as well as two undergraduate courses in premodern South Asian culture starting from 1 June 2011. Candidates must be experts in Sanskrit, while teaching on premodern South Asia literature is an advantage, but not a requirement. Revision of applications starts on 15 March 2011 until the position is filled. More information.
• 2-year position for a Professor of South Asian Studies available
The Swiss University of St. Gallen announces a position for Professor of South Asian Studies (Culture and Society) by August 2012. With this position, the University aims to develop the subject and international contacts of the Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences. Applications from international scholars are encouraged. Deadline to submit a CV, cover letter and list of publications is the 10 March 2011. The application should be addressed to Prof. Thomas Bieger, President of the University of St. Gallen, Dufourstrasse 50, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland. For informal questions, please write to Prof. Ulrich Schmid, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. More information.
• Post-doctoral fellowships available at the Department of Religious Diversity in Gottingen
The Department of Religious Diversity in Gottingen accepts applications for postdoctoral fellowships for one or two years at the Max-Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity. The candidates should hold a Ph.D. in Social/Cultural Anthropology, Sinology, Religious Studies, Sociology or Political Science and preference is given to applicants who work on India or China. Applications including a CV and list of publications are to be sent to zhang@mmg.mpg.de before 1 April 2011. More information (in a pdf-file).
• Unique documentary film archive available on the net
The Centre of South Asian Studies at University of Cambridge, UK, holds a sizable archive of South Asian amateur documentary films shot between 1911 and 1956. They give a unique perspective of life in South Asia towards the end of the British Empire and in the first years of independence. The film collection is now available online as streaming video in its entirety, and they may be viewed using the Centre’s website, but you will need to contact the archivist at the Centre before broadcasting any of this material in any form.
Go for this unique collection of amateur films.
• SAMAJ invites papers on Rethinking Urban Democracy in South Asia
The South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal (SAMAJ) invites for papers to a coming special issue of SAMAJ focusing on ”Rethinking Urban Democracy in South Asia”, dealing with South Asian megacities, where decentralization has been analysed to date in a perspective that is more managerial than political. In other words, this issue wants to question the existence, specificity and manifestations of urban democracy in contemporary South Asia. In order to address this research agenda, and to initiate a comparison, SAMAJ invites papers focusing on city-based protests around specific urban projects in one or several of South Asia's large cities, as these constitute a privileged prism through which to observe the materiality of democratic expression in South Asian megacities today: Who gets mobilized? For what? How? And with what measurable impact? Does the materiality of democratic expression take a similar shape and have the same content all over South Asian megacities? And if differences prevail, what factors are to be taken into account in order to explain them? Proposals should be submited before 28 February 2011. More information.
SAMAJ is a peer-reviewed journal devoted to social science research on South Asia. It specializes in the publication of comparative thematic issues as well as individual research articles, review essays, and book reviews. Committed to disseminating rigorous scientific research to the widest possible audience, SAMAJ is fully and freely accessible on line. From 2011, SAMAJ has also a collaboration agreement with the European Association of South Asian Studies (EASAS), see below.
• Apply for doctoral scholarships at Asia and Europe in a Global Context Cluster
The Graduate Programme for Transcultural Studies (GPTS) of the Cluster of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context" at Heidelberg University, Germany, welcomes applications for 8 doctoral scholarships. GPTS is a central element of the Cluster of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context: Shifting Asymmetries in Cultural Flows". The Cluster's interdisciplinary research focuses on transcultural exchange processes within and between Asia and Europe from historical as well as contemporary perspectives. It connects methods and theories from the humanities and social sciences to challenge the eurocentrism still prevalent in scholarly discourses.
Applicants are expected to propose a doctoral project that can be affiliated with one of the ongoing projects at the Cluster. Scholarships start in the winter term of 2011/12, and are granted for two years with the possibility of an extension for an additional year. Deadline for application is March 31, 2011. More information.
Educational News
• University of Karlstad welcomes applications for the "India Program 2011"
Every year, Karlstad University in collaboration with the Banaras Hindu University(BHU) in Varanasi, India, offers students at the C/D-level courses in History of Religions, Cultural Geography, and History at Karlstad University, the opportunity to spend one full semester in Varanasi. The Indian Program is equal to 30 ECTS, and is open for all students who qualify for admission at the C/D levels of the named subjects. The program begins with a 7.5 points preparatory course (conducted in Karlstad during the summer), a course that includes research methodology. After arrival in Varanasi, a 7.5 points seminar series on the ”Multi-Cultural Aspects of Banaras” follows, and finally 15 points consisting of an Individual Study Project. Qualified academic advisors, often affiliated with BHU, serves as local experts for the students, and the final result of the “Individual Study Project” is a C/D level essay. Deadline for applications for the 2011 program is Monday 4 April. More information about the India Programme 2011 on the program web page.
Contact persons: Per Olof Fjällsby, Dept. of History, and Marc Katz, Associate Professor of History of Religions.
• Time to apply for the summer language courses at South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University 
This programme is linked to the University of Edinburgh's Global Development Academy, which fosters a dynamic interdisciplinary community of scholars who are working in partnership throughout the world to tackle the most important issues facing international development. Courses will provide analytical skills to help students to understand the processes that have shaped poverty and underdevelopment with particular reference to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The programme is interdisciplinary, combining rigorous training in analytical and qualitative methods with an emphasis on policy and practice as they relate to international development. It has two compulsory, core courses. They are ”Politics and Theories of International Development” and ”South Asia: the Roots of Poverty and Development”. 
Contact person: Professor Patricia Jeffery (photo), MSc Programme Director, School of Social and Political Science. Closing date for applications is 15th July 2011, but please note that it is in your interest to apply well before the closing date: Scholarship and funding schemes have different closing dates for application and generally require applicants to have a firm offer of a place at Edinburgh. The paperwork connected with visas and immigration takes time to process.
More information on the program web page
See also a poster for the programme.
Conferences and workshops
• International conference on "Democracy, Governance and Development: Between the Institutional and the Political?"
A Conference on "Democracy, Governance and Development: Between the Institutional and the Political?" for Doctoral and Post-doctoral students will be held on 27-28 June 2011 at the University of Oxford. It is organsed by the Dept. of International Development and St Antony’s College and will focus on bringing together ongoing research in the field of popular political processes and how they interact with discourses, policies and practices of development. Papers are accepted in the following two areas: - Popular politics and institutions; - Popular politics and social and political movements. The papers will be then presented during 10 minutes by a person different than the author while the latter will have 10 minutes after that to respond. It is expected that all participants are actively engaged and taking different roles during the event. The organisers provide free accommodation and board for the paper-presenters. Deadline to submit an abstract is 2 March 2011. More information (as a pdf-file).
• 22nd European Conference on South Asian Studies (ECSAS)
The 22nd European Conference on South Asian Studies (ECSAS) is to be held 25 - 28 July 2012 at ISCTE- Lisbon University Institute, Portugal. The conference is organized by Prof. Rosa Maria Perez, of the Department of Anthropology, supported by a local scientific steering committee. Suggestions for panels are currently accepted and should be sent to ecsas22@ed.ac.uk in .doc or .rtf format. They should include: - Panel name (tentative) - Panel description (100 words maximum) - Your name, postal and email address - Your professional affiliation - List of participants (tentative). Deadline for panel suggestions is 15 April 2011. More information about the conference to be published on the EASAS website. More information about the Lisbon University Institute.
• Tiruchirappalli Symposium on Professional Social Work
Bharathidasan University in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India, organizes International Symposium on Professional Social Work, on 10–11 March 2011. The Symposium, which is organized by the university’s Dept. of Social Work, aims at providing a platform for the academicians, practitioners and research scholars to discuss and reflect on various innovative practices followed in their own fields of specialization, as well as document innovative and best practices in social work education, teaching, research and extension. The main topics of the Symposium will be: – Innovations in Teaching; – Innovations in Research; and – Innovations in Extension. More information.
• 4 000 participants expected to joint AAS/ICAS conference in Honolulu
To celebrate its 70th anniversary, the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) is holding a special joint conference with the International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 31 March – 3 April 2011. The conference expects to draw an attendance of at least 4,000 participants, exhibitors, and visitors. (Normally the number of participants varies between thousand and fifteen hundred).
The Association for Asian Studies (AAS) is the largest society of its kind, with approximately 7,000 members worldwide, open to all persons interested in Asia. Its current President is Prof. K Sivaramakrishnan, Professor of Anthropology at Yale University. ICAS was launched in 1995 as a joint project between AAS and the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) in Netherlands. This transatlantic dialogue gradually matured and was thought of as a process involving American and European Asia scholars. Its main goals are to transcend the boundaries between disciplines, between nations studied, and between the geographic origins of the Asia scholars involved.
ICAS has grown into the largest biennial Asia studies event outside the US covering all subjects of Asia studies. Thus ICAS now has become the only major, regular Asia studies event to take place in Asia. Venue for the joint conference: Hawai'i Convention Center, Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu. More information.
• International Association for Asian Heritage conference in Colombo
The first conference of the International Association for Asian Heritage (IAHH) will be held 7 – 8 April 2011 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The conference is hosted by Kelaniya University. Members and other interested scholars on Asian Heritage are invited to submit abstracts on the following themes before 15th February. The themes will be – Pre and Proto history, Paleo Environment and Settlement Studies, Field Archaeology, Conceptual and Methodological issues in Heritage Studies; – Art History, Ancient Architecture, Epigraphy and Numismatics; – Heritage Management, Conservation, Museology and Ancient Technology; – History, Religion, Language, Traditional Medicine and intangible Heritage; and – Contemporary Asian Culture and Society. More information on IAHH’s web site.
• Uppsala conference on Global Civil Society – Shifting Powers in a Shifting World
An International conference on ”Global Civil Society – Shifting Powers in a Shifting World” will be held in Uppsala on 12–13 April 2011. It is organized by the Uppsala Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD) at Uppsala University, in cooperation with Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and its Team Civil Society. Social movements and other forms of civil associations increasingly connect transnationally to mobilise political pressure, resources and other forms of support. Transnational civil society organisations and networks have also become important actors on the international political arena, striving to affect agendas and policies of UN bodies, trade organisations and corporations. These global networks have strengthened the impact of civil society actors vis-à-vis political decision-makers at local as well as national and international levels. This conference addresses these various power relations, and what effect they have on social and political change. Researchers, actors in international development cooperation, activists, and others with interest in the issues are invited to participate and make presentations.
Kumi Naidoo (photo) from Greenpeace International, and earlier CIVICUS, is one of the keynote speakers. He will talk about ”Power relations within global civil society: north-south and south-south cooperation”. A series of participatory parallel sessions will also be held, on Social movements in a neoliberal era: – Ethnographies of local activists in transnational networks; – Diaspora, transnational engagement and the national regimes; – Globalisation and trade union internationalism; and – The implications of the growing clout of emerging powers for civil society. The first session will be chaired by Dr. Eva-Maria Hardtmann, Department of Social Anthropology, Stockholm University. Submission of abstracts is closed. Full information on the conference webpage.
• Roskilde PhD workshop on democratic deepening on inequality
The Graduate School of International Development Studies and the Centre for International Studies in Citizenship, Democratic Participation and Civil Society (CIPACI) at Roskilde University, Denmark, invites to a PhD researcher training workshop on ”How to study the effects of democratic deepening on inequality and development in an international comparative perspective?” on 27–28 April 2011. PhD students and other interested researchers (including thesis-writing master’s students who are preparing a PhD proposal) are welcome to participate. Among the lecturers are Patrick Heller (photo), Professor of Sociology and International Studies at Brown University, USA. He will talk about ”Democratic deepening in Brazil, India and South Africa: Towards a comparative perspective”. Participants are asked to register before 21 February 2011. More information (as a pdf-file)
• Young South Asia Scholars Meet Workshop in Berlin
The second annual Young South Asia Scholars Meet (Y-SASM) Workshop will be held in Berlin, Germany, 19 - 21 May 2011. The theme for the 2011 Y-SASM Workshop, to be hosted by the South Asian Studies Seminar of the Humboldt University, will be ”Engendering and Degendering South Asian Studies”. Deadline for handing in papers is set for the 15th of febuary 2011. The first Y-SASM workshop was held at the Zentrum Moderner Orient in Berlin in July 2010. It had the declared aim of providing young South Asianists with a platform for exchange and interaction that could further the integration and proliferation of research networks across the German-speaking region and beyond. In contrast, Y-SASM 2011 will have a thematic focus, namely gender, in order to encourage fruitful discussion.
Read the Call for Papers.
More information on the Y-SASN blog page
• Vilnius conference on The Body in the Cinemas of South Asia
An International conference on ”The Body in the Cinemas of South Asia” will be held at Vilnius University in Lithuania 30 June – 2 July 2011. It is being organised by the university’s Centre of Oriental Studies, and aims at bringing together and promoting dialogue between scholars based in Western European countries, Asia and the US, and scholars from Eastern Europe. Papers focusing on popular South Asian cinemas and discussions of what ‘exploitation cinema’ is or might be in industrial contexts are invited. Deadline for abstracts is 15 April 2011. More information.
• Thimphu conference on Mountains in South Asian Religion
The 4th SSEASR (South and Southeast Asian Association for the Study of Culture and Religion) Conference, with the theme ”Mountains in the Religions of South and Southeast Asia: Place, Culture, and Power” will be held in Thimphu, Kingdom of Bhutan, on 30 June – 3 July 2011. The conference will be hosted and co-organised by the Institute of Language and Culture Studies, Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), Thimphu. It will also be held as a Regional Conference of the The International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR), an organisation that seeks to promote the activities of all scholars and affiliates that contribute to the historical, social, and comparative study of religion. The purpose is to nurture the highest forms of scholarly dialogue among scholars from all parts of South and Southeast Asia, but scholars from all over the world are equally welcome. Deadline for registration is 15 February 2011. More information.
• Kathmandu conference on Changing Dynamics in Nepali Society and Politics
An international interdisciplinary academic conference on "Changing Dynamics in Nepali Society and Politics" will take place 17 - 19 August 2011 in Kathmandu and a call for papers is currently open. The main goal of the conference, which is organized by the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies, Social Science Baha and Alliance for Social Dialogue, is to analyse trends and aspects of changes in the Nepali politics and society, as well as their intersections. The ultimate aim will be to provide expert policy related recommendations and identify areas where change is visible. Sage Publications and/or Social Science Baha will publish selected papers after the event. The organizers provide limited travel grants for international participants, and full accommodation for everyone. Deadline to submit abstracts is 18 March 2011. Full information (as pdf-file)
• 15th Ladakh Studies conference in Aberdeen
The 15th Conference of the International Association for Ladakh Studies will be held at the University of Aberdeen, UK from 24 to 28 August 2011. The central theme of the conference is defined as ‘Responding to Climate, Biodiversity and Resource Changes in Ladakh and the Western Himalaya’. Ladakh, together with the adjacent Western Himalayan regions of Baltistan, Lahaul, Spiti and Western Tibet, has for much of the last century existed on an unstable fault line between crucial cultural, religious and political blocs of South and Central Asia. Lying in the rain-shadow of the Greater Himalaya, these regions are now experiencing freak weather events more associated with the Indian monsoon.
Centred on the Indus Valley, the region, which is also home to rare species of flora and fauna constituting a globally important biodiversity, has been substantially affected by recent economic development and population shifts occurring all along the Himalayan massif, and faces a challenging future. Changes in climate, rainfall and biodiversity have had a dramatic impact on human habitation, resource use and the prospects for cultural and economic development in the area and its environs.
This conference will bring together a multidisciplinary range of scholars, scientists and local specialists to examine not only the changes themselves, but the social, economic and political responses to them. Deadline for submitting abstracts was 1 February 2011. More information.
• 17th Himalayan Languages Symposium (HLS) will be held in Kobe
The 17th Himalayan Languages Symposium (HLS) will be held in Kobe, Japan, 6–9 September 2011. It is being hosted by Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, on behalf of the Forum for Scholars of Himalayan Languages. HLS is an annually convening, open scholarly forum for scholars of Himalayan languages. Contributions are welcome on any language of the greater Himalayan region, e.g. Burushaski, Kusunda, Tibeto-Burman, Indo-Iranian, Austroasiatic, Kradai, Andamanese, Nahali, Dravidian or any other language of the area. In addition to linguistic presentations, contribution are also welcome from related disciplines such as history, anthropology, archaeology and prehistory. The forum is secular and scholarly and not open to political or religious contributions. Deadline of submitting abstracts is 15 April 2011. More information.
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• 11th Asian Urbanization International Conference in Hyderabad
The 11th Asian Urbanization International Conference will be held in Hyderabad, India, 10 – 13 December 2011. It is being hosted by the Dept. of Geography at Osmania University, in association with The Asian Urban Research Association (AURA). AURA was established in January 1986 and is housed in the University of Akron, Ohio, USA. It is a non profit and private research organization whose primary purpose is to promote the study of urbanization, urban growth and to organize Asian Urbanization Conferences. The first Asian Urbanization Conference was held at the University of Akron in 1985. The conferences are biennial (held every other/alternate year) and have resulted in many publications. Deadline for submitting abstracts is 30 March 2011. More information.
Important lectures and seminars in Scandinavia
• Lecture on "Muslim Atol society where the women own the homes" at NIAS, Copenhagen
On Thursday, 24 February 2011, 14:30-16:00 will be held a guest lecture on "Muslim Atol society where the women own the homes" by Nils Finn Munch-Petersen, NIAS Senior Expert. The lecture will present the society of a small Indian atoll, part of the Lakshadweep Islands, known as Minicoy or Maliku which has presereved in a unique way a number of archaic features, such as matriliy and matrilocality, features which were also formerly part of Maldivian society. Nils Munch-Petersen carried out the research on Minicoy in November-December 2010. The lecture will be held at NIAS 3rd Floor, Leifsgade 33, 2300 Copenhagen S. All are welcome. Full information (as pdf-file).
• Staffan Lindberg on Poverty and Inequality in Rural Tamil Nadu
Professor Emeritus Staffan Lindberg will give a presentation on ”Out of Poverty – Trends of Poverty and Inequality in Rural Tamil Nadu” at Lund University on Tuesday 15 March 2011, 13.15–15.00. It is based on a paper on this issue jointly written by Lindberg and Prof. Göran Djurfeldt, based on their research work in the Kaveri delta in Tamil Nadu over a period of 25 years, a paper that will be presented at the closed-door University of Oxford Conference on Poverty in South Asia, to be held in late March 2011. The Lund University seminar is organised by the research group Society, Development and the Environment at the Department of Sociology. All are welcome. Venue: Room 335, Department of Sociology, Paradisgatan 5, Lund.
Business and Politics
South Asia related culture in Scandinavia
• Submissions and volunteer positions open for the 11th River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival
The 11th edition of River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival will be held 2–8 December 2011 in Florence, Italy. The River to River festival, under the Patronage of the Embassy of India in Rome, is the first festival in the world entirely devoted to films from and about India. From 15 February, the festival accepts entries for films produced in 2010 - 2011 from India and/or about India to be presented during the festival. Information about submission of entries will be available under the section "Film entries" on the Festival website. The festival is also looking for volunteers to be part of the staff of the coming edition. The positions available are as secretariat, marketing coordinator, catalogue editing, hospitality, cinema hall responsible, information desk responsible, accreditation desk responsible and photographer. For more information visit the official Festival website.
New and updated items on SASNET web site
• Culture
New documentary called "Voices of Nepal" focusing on the hard situation with human rights in Nepal is released on Youtube by the British Embassy in the country. Look at http://www.sasnet.lu.se/culture.html.
Best regards
Julia Velkova
acting deputy director/webmaster
SASNET/Swedish South Asian Studies Network
SASNET is a national network for research, education, and information about South Asia based at Lund University. Its aim is to promote a dynamic networking process in which Swedish researchers co-operate with researchers in South Asia and globally.
The SASNET network is open to all the sciences. Priority is given to interdisciplinary cooperation across faculties, and more particularly to institutions in the Nordic countries and South Asia. SASNET believes that South Asian studies will be most fruitfully pursued as a cooperative endeavour between researchers in different institutions who have a solid base in their mother disciplines.
The network is financed by Lund University.
Postal address: SASNET – Swedish South Asian Studies Network, Scheelevägen 15 D, SE-223 70 Lund, Sweden
Visiting address: Ideon Research Park, House Alpha 1 (first floor, room no. 2040), in the premises of the Centre for East and South East Asian Studies at Lund University (ACE).
Phone: + 46 46 222 73 40
Fax: + 46 46 222 30 41
E-mail: sasnet@sasnet.lu.se
Web site: http://www.sasnet.lu.se
