SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK
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Contents:
SASNET News:
• Planning Grants 2001 and 2002
The decisions concerning the second round of SASNET planning and networking grants for the year 2001 were delivered on 24 January 2002. Four projects, three for research and one for education, received grants. See the full list of the projects which were given SASNET grants in the two rounds of 2001.
Applications are now welcome for the next round of SASNET planning grants. Closing date for applications is 15 June, 2002. More information.
• SASNET symposium for Swedish PhD students and post-docs
A symposium for PhD students and post-docs dealing with South Asian studies will be arranged 25–27 October 2002 at Marstrands Varmbadhus, north of Göteborg. A group consisting of PhD candidates from different disciplines in Lund are making preparatory work for the symposium along with the SASNET root node, but PhD candidates and post-docs from all Swedish universities are invited to take part in the work. More information.
• Contact journey to South Asia
The SASNET director Professor Staffan Lindberg, and deputy director/webmaster Lars Eklund, are going on a tour, from 25 February to 23 March, to South Asia in order to link up the SASNET activities with universities and research institutions in different countries of the region. The two will visit the Maldives (Male), Sri Lanka (Colombo and Peradeniya), India (New Delhi, Varanasi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Shantiniketan) and Bangladesh (Dhaka).
• Board meeting
SASNET´s second board meeting took place in Lund on 24 January, 2002. The minutes are available as a pdf-file.
• Afghanistan additional country for SASNET to work with
Among the most important decisions at the board meeting was that SASNET onwards shall include Afghanistan among the countries it works with. As universities are reopened in Aghanistan it wil be an ambition for SASNET to establish contacts with these.
Information on Afghanistan has been added to the SASNET gateway, with a presentation page giving basic facts on the country, as well as useful links on many other pages at the gateway.
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• Seminar with the Pakistani ambassador
A second SASNET Open House seminar was held at Lund University on Monday 4 February 2002 with Mr Shahid A Kamal, Pakistan ambassador to Sweden as invited guest. Mr Kamal led a seminar on ”Possible themes for Pakistan–Sweden co-operation in the fields of research and education”, at the Dept of Sociology. The ambassador, who is an experienced diplomat serving the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more than 20 years, working in the Prime Ministers Office, the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), and at Pakistani diplomatic Missions in Paris, New York and Washington before he came to Sweden in 2001, also held a public lecture in the evening, on the issue of ”The conflict in Afghanistan, and the Pakistan–India relations”, an arrangement in collaboration with the Lund Association of Foreign Affairs.
Community News:
• Asian Studies at the University of Oslo
The Faculty of Arts at the University of Oslo offers a variety of programmes in Asian Studies. Of the subjects offered the following have relevance to South Asia: Hindi; South Asia Area Studies; Sanskrit; Tibetan Studies; Urdu; and, Asian religions. Application deadlines are March 1st and April 15th, 2002, depending on which category the applicant belongs to. Information about admission to Oslo University for Non-Scandinavian applicants; respectively admission for Scandinavian applicants.
• Network for scholars on Bangladesh
The European Network for Bangladesh Studies (ENBS), based at the Dept of Economics & International Development, University of Bath, UK, is about to compile a new edition of the Directory of Network Members. Anybody wishing to register or renew membership with the Network is requested to do that.
• Sida grants for development research
Sidas u-landsforskningsråd (Sida's Developing Country Research Council) announces grants for research with relevance to aid and development issues. Individual researchers or groups of researchers working at universities, colleges and other Swedish research institutions are eligible to apply for a grant. Swedish citizens working at the Scandinavian Institute for Asian Studies (Nordiska Asieninstitutet, NIAS) in Copenhagen may also apply. Closing date for applications is 22 April, 2002. More information.
• NIAS' Nordic Contact Scholarships
In order to make NIAS' library and other resources accessible to Nordic and Baltic researchers and students contact scholarships are given. A scholarship covers inexpensive travel to and from Copenhagen and accommodation in a NIAS room at Nordisk Kollegium, with full board for a period of two weeks. Applications are assessed three times per year. Monday 8 April 2002 is the closing date for applications for scholarships during the period May-June and August-September 2002.
• Nordic Guest Fellowships
NIAS also offers Nordic Guest Fellowships for senior researchers, graduate and postgraduate students based in the Nordic and the Baltic countries. It offers an opportunity to work at NIAS as an associated fellow during one calendar month. Monday 8 April 2002 is the closing date for applications for fellowships during the period August-December 2002.
• Grants from the Crafoord Foundation
The Crafoord Foundation, which on a non-profit basis aims to strengthen Swedish academic tuition and research at doctoral level and above, announces grants for for the year 2002. The applications will be examined by an academic council and thereafter by the Grants Committee of the Foundation, whereafter the Board of the Foundation makes its decision at the end of May. Last year the Foundation, with office in Lund, distributed grants for 25 million kronor. Closing date for applications are 14 February 2002. More information.
• New publication on research cooperation
SAMBAND is a brand new publication in Swedish, by Forskningsförlaget on behalf of Sida/SAREC. The idea is to present ongoing research co-operation between Sweden and the developing countries, and engage more young Swedish researchers to take part in such research. In the first issue of SAMBAND, which is going to be a yearly publication, focus is put on Asia, and it includes an interview with Sten Widmalm from the Dept of Political Science at Uppsala University, on ”Everyday corruption in India”. To get hold of SAMBAND make a request by mail to Santa Nockrash at SAREC.
• MFS students wanted for research project at SLU
Mikaela Ståhl Högberg, at Dept of Animal Nutrition and Management, at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, is working on a thesis concerning dairy farmers in northern India. Mikaela has room for two MFS students within the research project, to be carried out during 2002.
• Book on Gender and property law in Pakistan
Dr Rubya Mehdi, assistant professor at Carsten Niebuhr Institute of Near Eastern studies at Copenhagen University, has published a book on ”Gender and Property Law in Pakistan – Resources and Discources”, at DJØF Publishing. More information.
Important lectures
• Financing for Development.
Globalakademin, connected to Sida, arranged a seminar with this theme on 13 February, 2002 in Stockholm. The seminar could be seen as a preparation for the International conference on Financing for Development, which will be held in Monterey, Mexico 18–22 March. More information on this conference, arranged by the United Nations and the World Bank.
• Debate on the destruction of the Bamiyan statues
The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities at Skeppsholmen, Stockholm arranges a panel debate on the ”Iconoclasm of our time in relation to our common World hertitage”, focused on the destruction of the Buddha statues at Bamiyan, Afghanistan, in March 2001. The programme, which is part of a series of lectures on Iconoclasm in Asia, is held on Saturday 9 March, 2002, 13–15. Invited guests for the debate are Peter Hjukström, Gun Kessle, Tomas Löfström, Sven-Olov Wallenstein, Farid Abbaszadegan and Jan Svanberg. Tickets are sold for 100 kronor, students get 50 % reduction.
• Lecture on Sacred sounds of India
The Canadian Singer and anthropologist Rosanne Trottier holds a lecture, with musical examples, on ”Sacred sound as practised in Indian and other musical traditions”, at Auditorium 1, Sophus Bugge, Oslo University, on 13 March, 10.15-12.00. More information
• David White lectures on Bhairava
David White, Associate professor in Religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, holds a guest lecture at Copenhagen University, on ”Elective Affinities between South Asian Gods and their Human Devotees? The Case of Bhairava”, on Friday 22 March, 2002, 12-14. Venue: Asien-instituttet, Leifsgade 33, room 607. Dr White is a specialist on Indian religions. He has written extensively on Hindu Tantrism and Alchemy in India.
Courses and conferences:
• A PhD researcher training course at Bornholm
the Graduate School of International Development Studies at Roskilde University, Denmark, arranges a PhD researcher training course with the theme ”Twilight Institutions and Local Politics in Developing Societies” 24–27 September 2002. The course is held at Hotel Romantik (photo) in Allinge, at the island of Bornholm. More information.
• Anthropological conference in Copenhagen
The 7th Biennial Conference of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) is held in Copenhagen, Denmark, 14-17 August, 2002. The theme for the conference is ”Engaging the World: Theoretical, methodological and political challenges for a 21st century anthropology”. The conference is hosted by the Institute for Anthropology at Copenhagen University.
• Summer school in spoken Sanskrit at Heidelberg
The Department of Classical Indology at the South Asia Institute, Universität Heidelberg, offers a unique opportunity to participate in a spoken Sanskrit course in the summer 2002, under the tutelage of Sadananda Das, a Sanskrit native speaker. More information.
• Development research conference in Ljubljana
The 10th General Conference of EADI (European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes) arranges a conference on ”EU Enlargement in a Changing World – Challenges for Development Co-operation in the 21st Century” 19 - 21 September, 2002, in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The programme, along with its themes and sessions, is published on the EADI website.
• AAS annual conference in Washington
The annual conference of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) will be held in Washington, DC, United States, 4–7 April 2002. There will be approximately 19 panels focusing on South Asia. More information on the AAS website.
Research News:
• Research Council grants decided upon
The Swedish Research Council decided in the middle of November upon research grants for 2002–2004. Lists of the applications which were given grants in different disciplines.
• Network on HIV issues in India
The research network SAATHII (Solidarity against the HIV Infection in India) tries to bring together govenmental and non- governmental organizations, within and outside of India, working on HIV issues. SAATHII now prepares a website, still under construction, though.
• Discussion fora on international health issues
The Health & Development Networks (HDN) is a non-profit organisation who manages and moderates electronic discussion forums on international health issues, on behalf of the Swiss organisation Fondation du Present. Among the several e-mail discussion forums that are going on the SEA-AIDS Forum is focused on HIV/AIDS in the Asia-Pacific region, and Shohojogi-AIDS is a national forum on the AIDS situation in Bangladesh.
Educational News
• New educational courses, connected to South Asia, at Swedish folk high schools
– Färnebo Folk High School, at Österfärnebo in Gästrikland, arranges a 10 months course on ”Global Meeting for Justice”, in co-operation with Attac and Den Resande Skolan, including a tour to India and a visit to the World Social Forum conference in the Spring 2003. The course starts in August, 2002.
– Ljungskile Folk High school, offers a ”World course” on Justice, Peace and Environment, including a three weeks tour to north India. Next course starts 14 August, 2002. Last date for application: 3 May. More information.
– Biskops-Arnö Folk High school offers a 36 weeks course on ”Ecology and Global Solidarity”, including a two months stay in South India. Next course starts on 26 August, 2002. Last date for application: 17 April. More information on the school´s web page.
• Useful web site for Swedish teachers and school children
The web site internationalisering.com offers an extensive collection of Internet resources on the Third world, especially useful for Swedish teachers and school children. The site is constructed by the regional representatives of Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) in western Sweden, and GR Utbildning (a company run by the Göteborg Region Association of Local Authorities).
Cultural Events in Sweden connected to South Asia
• Programmes on India at Swedish Radio P1.
A series of six programmes produced by Vetenskapsredaktionen, on issues as varied as Bollywood films, Indian languages and the Kashmir conflict, are sent between 11 and 17 February, 2002. More information (in Swedish only).
• The Olof Palme Memorial Fund to Fazle Hasan Abed
The Olof Palme Memorial Fund for International Understanding and Common Security decided to give the Olof Palme prize for the year 2001 to Mr Fazle Hasan Abed. Abed got the award for his work through the organisation BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) to eradicate poverty and strengthen the poor, and especially the women, of Bangladesh. More information.
• Many South Asian films at the Göteborg Film Festival
Göteborg Film Festival 2002, from 25 January to 3 February, showed several films connected to South Asia. More information.
• God has 99 names now in Kristianstad
Riksutställningar and SKS has produced an exhibition on ”Gud har 99 namn”, on tour through Sweden. From 27 January in Kristianstad. More information.
New and updated items on SASNET web site
• More Swedish departments where research on South Asia is going on:
Added to the list of research environments at Swedish universities, presented by SASNET. The full list now includes around 40 departments. Go to the presentation page.
ƒ Dept of Caring Sciences and Sociology at Gävle University
ƒ Dept of Marine Botany at Göteborg University
ƒ Microbial Ecology, Dept of Ecology at Lund University
ƒ Dept of Theatre Studies at Stockholm University
ƒ Dept of Animal Nutrition and Management at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala
ƒ Dept of Political Science at Uppsala University
• Links to Newsletters and bulletins connected to developmental and political organisations working in or with South Asia. Go for it.
• Links to South Asian political parties and associated organisations, which are to be found at the Internet. Go for it.
• Links to International organisations including development agencies working with South Asia. Go for it.
• Links to documentary films on South Asia, for sale at The Center for South Asia, University of Wisconsin–Madison; and from Karuppan productions, Singapore. Go for it.
• Links to Swedish artists performing South Asian music. Go for it.
• Information about coming concerts by South Asian artists touring Scandinavia. Go for it.
• Links to South Asian books distributors: Manohar Book Services
• New useful links added to the Gateway´s News and Info page include: SAARC – South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation; Attac´s site on World Social Forum at Porto Allegre; and WWW Virtual Library Afghanistan.
Best regards
Staffan Lindberg Lars Eklund
SASNET/ Swedish South Asian Studies Network
SASNET is a national network for research, education, and information about South Asia, based at Lund University. The aim is to encourage and promote an open and dynamic networking process, in which Swedish researchers co-operate with researchers in South Asia and globally.
The network is open to all sciences. Priority is given to co-operation between disciplines and across faculties, as well as institutions in the Nordic countries and in South Asia. The basic idea is that South Asian studies will be most fruitfully pursued in co-operation between researchers, working in different institutions with a solid base in their mother disciplines.
The network is financed by Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) and by Lund University.
Postal address: SASNET – Swedish South Asian Studies Network, International Office,
Lund University, P O Box 117, S-221 00 Lund
Visiting address: Gamla Kirurgen, Sandgatan 3, first floor, room no. 230
Phone: + 46 46 222 73 40
Fax: + 46 46 222 96 65
E-mail: sasnet@sasnet.lu.se
Web site: http://www.sasnet.lu.se
Our office is manned weekdays 9-17, and open to visitors.
Staff: Staffan Lindberg, director/co-ordinator &
Lars Eklund, webmaster/programme secretary
