SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK
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Contents:
SASNET News:
• SASNET report from the Indo-Swedish Commission meeting in Delhi
As reported in the April newsletter SASNET was represented by Jan Magnusson in the Swedish delegation when the 14th session of the joint Indo-Swedish commission met in New Delhi 1–2 April 2003. SASNET was thus able to draw attention to the new guidelines for foreign researchers and students visiting India issued by the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), as well as the delay in the Nordic Centre in India's application to open a liaison office in New Delhi. The issue of securing a clearance from the Indian government to officially launch the Centre was raised, and will be followed up. Read Jan Magnusson’s report from the Delhi meeting.
• SASNET symposia on PhD candidates situation at Stockholm and UppsalaSummer school
As a follow-up on the discussions that emerged at SASNET’s symposium for South Asia oriented PhD students in Marstrand in October 2002 (read the reports) Staffan Lindberg and Lars Eklund from SASNET will visit Stockholm and Uppsala in May 2003, and have local meetings with researchers, teachers and students.
In Stockholm a call has been given to interested persons at the Karolinska Institutet Medical University, KTH, and Stockholm University, for an intercurricular meeting on Wednesday 14 May, 16–18. Venue: Rockefeller room, Karolinska Institutet, Nobels väg 11, Stockholm.More information on the Stockholm seminar (as a pdf-file)
In Uppsala the Collegium for Development Studies is going to invite PhD students, supervisors, and teachers/researchers for a full day follow-up symposium, with an introduction by Staffan Lindberg and Lars Eklund, on Friday 16 May 2003, 9.15–17.30. Venue: Atrium Hotell and Conference, Dragarbrunnsgatan 46.
• Panels suggestions for the EASAS conference welcome till 30 June 2003
SASNET will arrange the 18th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies, which will take place at Lund University, Sweden, 6–9 July 2004. Scholars engaged in research and teaching concerning South Asia with regard to all periods and fields of study are welcome to take part in the conference. SASNET organises the conference on behalf of the European Association for South Asian Studies, EASAS. Suggestions for panels should be delivered before 30 June, 2003. Read the announcement for the conference.
• Applications for the next round of SASNET planning grants
are now invited. Closing date for applications is 15 June, 2003. More information.
• Use SASNET’s advanced search function
An advanced search function was created for SASNET last year by Netlab at Lund University. It provides for a full text search not only to our own web site, but also to all the pages we link up to, in two steps (at present that means more than 15 000 web pages). Therefore our engine is most useful for searching material specifically connected to South Asia. It is found at http://www.sasnet.lu.se/searchf.html
Community News:
• Invitation to Discuss the Future of NIAS.
Following a political-administrative evaluation of its Nordic institutions in mid-2002 the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) wants to relieve itself of the direct ownership for these institutions. Therefore a process has been initiated to identify a new form of governance for the institutions. The Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) will be included in the process. Proposals for possible new governance will be put forward to the NCM in mid-May 2003. NIAS will be closely involved in this process and is now interested in soliciting our partners and users in the Nordic countries and Asia about their ideas of what we do well and what NIAS could do better and what more we could do in the future. A discussion list, moderated by NIAS Director Jørgen Delman, has therefore been introduced. It will be in function till 1 September 2003.
• NorFA may fund Research School in Asian Studies
The NorfAsia Research School in Asian Studies, NorfAsia, has a good chance to establish itself as a Nordic research school. The Nordic Academy of Advanced Study, NorFA, in 2002 issued a call for proposals for establishing such research schools, and out of 50 proposals 10 have been selected to prepare an actual application for funding of the proposed schools. NorfAsia, headed by Professor Björn Hettne, PADRIGU, Göteborg University, plans to have its administration at NIAS in Copenhagen, and it intends to focus on societal dynamics, conflict and human security in contemporary Asia – including South Asia. It will give priority to history, politics and culture, work at different levels in Asia, i e village, sub- region, nation, and wider regions, and also promote a comparative approach. NorfAsia will, according to the proposal, be a virtual institution where students will be inscribed with their own Nordic academic institutions which will have the authority to conduct examinations and award degrees. NorfAsia is supposed to start its work on 1 January 2004. More information on NorfAsia (as a pdf-file).
• 34 Million SEK granted to research on sustainable technology at Lund University
MISTRA (Stiftelsen för Miljöstrategisk Forskning) has recently granted 34 Million Swedish kronor as funding for 3.5 years for the research program ”GREENCHEM”, involving a unique constellation of researchers from Department of Biotechnology, Lund University (led by Rajni Hatti-Kaul, who is the Program Director), in collaboration with the Division for Environmental and Energy Systems Studies, and the Research Policy Institute, both institutions at Lund University. GREENCHEM is a program with a goal to develop sustainable technology primarily based on utilization of tools provided by modern biotechnology for production of ”green” products from renewable feedstocks. The technical aspects will be supported by evaluation of the environmental impact of the processes and products, and identification of the key factors for successful implementation of the green technologies in the chemical industry. The program will be realized in close collaboration with various Swedish companies including ACO Hud AB, Akzo Nobel Industrial Coatings AB, Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry AB, Astra Zeneca R & D, IKEA of Sweden AB, Karlshamns, Perstorp Speciality Chemicals AB and Protista International AB.
• Dissertation on transformation of three villages in Uttar Pradesh, India
Kristina Lejonhud at the Dept of Human Geography, Karlstad University, will defend her dissertation on ”Indian Villages in Transformation – A longitudinal study of three villages in Uttar Pradesh”, dealing with the changing nature of Lifeworld and Farming System in Village India, based on a study of Chamaon Gram Sabha, Varanasi, on Friday 13 June 2003, 10.15. Venue: Agardhsalen (Hall 11 D 257). The thesis has been written under the supervision of Prof. Gerhard Gustafsson, and Prof. Rana P B Singh, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. The latter in 1977 published a book on the village community of Chamaon Gram Sabha, which has been taken as starting point by Kristina for her research, and the place for her field studies 1994–2001. More information on the Dept of Human Geography.
• Dissertation on urban transport problems in Third World capitals, including New Delhi
Marie Thynell from PADRIGU, Dept of Peace and Development Research, Göteborg University, defended her dissertation on ”The Unmanageable Modernity. An Explorative Study of Motorized Mobility in Development” on 5 April 2003. The thesis is an explorative study of a neglected area in International Political Economy and Development Studies. The study includes a comparison of the historical evolvement of motorization in the Third World capitals of Brasília and Teheran; as well as a comparison of the handling of current urban transport problems in Rome and New Delhi, India. Read the abstract.
• The World Social Forum 2004 will be held in Mumbai, India 16–21 January 2004.
The background to the shift from Porto Alegro, Brazil, to India is the ambition to strengthen and bring forward Asian movements, groups and networks. With the experience from the successful Asia Social Forum held in Hydrabad last winter it became obvious that the idea of an open, multicultural and constructive forum for 'another world if possible' can be global also in an Indian setting. A meeting of the Indian Working group responsible for drawing up policies on how WSF 2004 is to function is being organised for 1–2 June 2003. The agenda includes setting up an Asian Solidarity Group to coordinate action on mobilization in the Asia region. More information on the WSF India web page.
• Honorary doctorate will be awarded to Gita Sen at Karolinska
Gita Sen, Sir Ratan Tata Chair Professor of Economics and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, India, and a well known researcher on Equity, gender and health, will become Doctor Hon. Causa at the Karolinska Institutet Medical University, Stockholm, at a function on 16 May 2003. She had been suggested for the honorary position by the Dept of Public Health Sciences, Division of International Health (IHCAR), at Karolinska.
• Dissertation in Uppsala on the rise of Bahujan Samaj Party in India
Magdalena Inkinen (photo to the left) from the Dept of Government, Uppsala University, will defend her doctoral dissertation on ”Mobilising the Lower Castes: The Rise of the Bahujan Samaj Party in India”, on Thursday 22 May, 2003. Fakulty opponent is Prof Anirudh Krishna, Duke University, U.S. More information on the thesis.
• Professors from KTH informed about their recent tour to India
Svensk-Indiska Föreningen arranged a meeting in Stockholm on the theme ”What do we learn from India”, on Tuesday 6 May. It dealt with a tour to India that a high-level delegation from the Royal Institute of Technology (Kungl Tekniska Högskolan), Stockholm, including the Rector of the KTH (Anders Flodström) and 11 other distinguished professors, made to India in November 2002. There they met with partner institutes and the steel and automotive industry. The tour has since resulted in a number of formal agreements on Indo-Swedish research co-operation. Among the involved researchers on the Swedish side are Professor Seshadri Seetharaman (photo to the right), Theoretical Process Metallurgy, and Assoc. Professor Ramon Wyss, Theoretical Nuclear Physics, and vice president of International affairs at KTH, Wyss has especially been involved in a project on developing the waterways of Kerala.
• Rana P B Singh on a lecturing tour to Sweden and Denmark
Prof. Rana P B Singh from the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, is touring universities in Italy and Scandinavia during May and June 2003. He will hold several seminars on ”Sacred Geography and Cosmic Geometry of the holy City Varanasi”, and ”Social Patterns and Spatial Organisation of an Indian Village”. In Scandinavia Rana P B Singh will hold guest lectures at the universities of Karlstad, Göteborg and Copenhagen. His relation to Karlstad University is especially strong as he was one of the founding fathers of the its Study Centre in India at Varanasi, which opened in 1988. More information on the study centre (from Lars Eklund’s report in 2002).
Vacant research positions/fellowships
• Postdoctoral fellowships at Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies
The Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies at Lund University invites applications for two postdoctoral fellowships. The duration of each fellowship is two years, commencing 1 September 2003. Prospective candidates, from the fields of social sciences, economics and humanities, must have received their doctoral grade, or be in the situation that they will receive their doctoral grade before 1 July 2003. Closing date for applications: 21 May 2003. More information.
• Social Science Research Council announces South Asia Regional Fellowships
Social Science Research Council, an independent, nonprofit organization. based in New York City, with an ambition to advance social science throughout the world, supporting research, education and scholarly exchange worldwide, announces a number of South Asia Regional Fellowships, up to 20, for college and university teachers based in South Asia. The fellowship theme for 2003–4 is Migration. Eligible applicants must hold a PhD in the social sciences, humanities, or related fields, and the primary intent of the fellowship is to write up completed research. The fellowship program is operated in collaboration with five partner organizations in South Asia: Centre for Alternatives, Dhaka; Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata; Social Science Baha, Kathmandu; Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad; and Social Scientists' Association, Colombo. Closing date for applications: 15 May 2003. More information.
Conferences and courses
• Islamabad conference on policy challenges and prospects in South Asia
An International conference on ”Current domestic policy challenges and prospects in South Asia” is held at Islamabad, Pakistan, 26–27 May 2003. The conference is organized by the Institute of Regional Studies at Islamabad. Contact information to be given by Ms. Amera Saeed.
• Conference on ”Inequality, Poverty and Human Well-Being” at Helsinki
A conference on ”Inequality, Poverty and Human Well-Being” is held at Helsinki, Finland 30–31 May 2003. It is arranged by WIDER, World Institute for Development Research, United Nations University. Venue: Marina Congress Center, Katajanokanlaituri 6, Helsinki. More information.
• 20th Annual Meeting of the Sanskrit Tradition in the Modern World
The 20th annual meeting of the Sanskrit Tradition in the Modern World, STIMW, seminar will take place 23–25 May, 2003, at Minsteracres Retreat Centre, a monastery in the Tyne valley near to Newcastle, U.K. The seminar is arranged by the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
• Global conference on Mountain Ecotourism at Namche Bazar
A global conference on Mountain Ecotourism will be held at Namche Bazaar, Khumbu, Nepal, on 24–26 May, 2003. The conference is arranged by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation of Nepal, in collaboration with Bridges-PRTD (Projects in Rational Tourism Development), and the Laboratory of Geoecology, Hokkaido University, Japan.
• Seminar at Lillehammer on Mahatma Gandhi’s role in today’s society
A Seminar on ”Mahatma Gandhi and the 21st Century” is held at Lillehammer, Norway, 29 May – 1 June 2003. Professor Arne Næss, and other Norwegian authorities on Gandhi will lecture on the role his legacy can still play in today’s society. The seminar is arranged by Nansenskolen, located on Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsonsgt. 2, Lillehammer. More information.
• Conference on Women and Politics in Asia at Halmstad University
An international multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary conference on ”Women and Politics in Asia” will take place at Halmstad University 6–7 June 2003. The aim of the conference is to study different dimensions of Asian women in politics, with contributions from scholars within the social sciences and the humanities from various parts of the world. Abstracts for papers expanding on the central theme, and on other relevant topics, are invited. The conference is organized jointly by the School of Social and Health Sciences at Halmstad University, the Centre for Asian Studies at Göteborg University, the Centre for East and Southeast Asian Studies at Lund University, and Nordic Institute for Asian Studies, NIAS. More information on the conference website.
• Symposium on Arsenic in Soil and Groundwater Environments at Uppsala conference
The 7th International Conference on the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements (7th ICOBTE) will be held at Uppsala, Sweden, 15–19 June 2003. It is an interdisciplinary conference dedicated to link biosphere phenomena to physical & chemical reactions in the pedo-and lithosphere, and is sponsored by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and the International Society of Trace Elements Biogeochemistry (ISTEB). One of the symposia is dealing with the issue of ”Arsenic in Soil and Groundwater Environments: Biogeochemical Interactions”, organized by Dr Prosun Bhattacharya, Dept of Land and Water Resources Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, and others.
• Conference on South Asia Literatures and Languages at Moscow
The International Conference on South Asia Literatures and Languages – SALILA (the former ICOSAL) takes place in Moscow, Russian Federation, at the Institute of Asian and African Studies, Moscow State University, 5–9 July 2003. More information.
• 15th Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences sciences congress at Florence
The International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES) arranges its 15th Congress on the theme ”Humankind/Nature Interaction: Past, Present, and Future”, 5–12 July, 2003, at Florence, Italy. A large number of the sessions will be devoted to South Asia.
• An International Workshop on ”The Restructuring of Old Industrial Areas in Europe and Asia”
is arranged in Bonn, Germany, 11–12 July 2003, by the Dept of Geography, University of Bonn. The workshop is sponsored by the Asia-Europe Foundation/Asia Alliance Grant, which means that travel and accommodation costs of presenters of accepted papers will be fully covered. Deadline for submission of workshop papers: 1 June 2003. More information.
• The 12th World Sanskrit Conference
will be held in Helsinki, Finland, 14–18 July, 2003. The conference is organized by the International Association of Sanskrit Studies, and the Dept of Indology, Institute for Asian and African Studies, University of Helsinki. Closing date for registration is 31 March 2003.
• Conference on Early Devotional Literatures in New Indo-Aryan Languages
The Ninth International Conference on Early Devotional Literatures in New Indo-Aryan Languages is held 23–26 July 2003, at the Dept of Modern South Asian Studies, South Asia Institute, University Of Heidelberg. This year’s theme is ”Bhakti in Current Research 2001-2003”. More information.
• 2003 World Water Week at Stockholm of great interest for South Asia
The 2003 World Water Week will take place in Stockholm, Sweden, 10–16 August 2003, and the 13th Stockholm Water Symposium 11–14 August. Both during the symposium and the eight workshops throughout the week a large number of South Asian researchers and professionals – from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka – have been invited to speak and give presentations, not the least in workshop no 4, on ”Securing Food Production under climatic variability: Exploring the options”, filled with South Asian participants. More information, and the full programme to be found on on the 2003 World Water Week web site.
• Dialogue on European Union initiativ ”Water for Life” at Stockholm
Connected to the World Water Week the European Union Water Initiative has invited for a mukti-stakeholder dialogue meeting on Sunday 10 August 2003, to discuss the Initiative’s ”Water for Life” programme launched during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002.
• SIWI Seminar for young water professionals at Stockholm
Stockholm International Water Institute, SIWI, invites the same day, Sunday 10 August, young water professionals for a seminar on ”Basin Water security – implications of virtual water trade and agricultural subsidies at regional, national and local levels”. Mr Rashedul Islam from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, will lecture at this seminar on ”Agricultural subsidies and rainfed agriculture: A critical view”.
• 32nd Annual Conference on South Asia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
The Center for South Asia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison invites scholars and other interested parties to its 32nd Annual Conference on South Asia, 24–26 October 2003. The annual conferences normally attract 500+ participants, and feature over 70 academic panels and roundtables. Registration as an observer at the Conference is open to the general public. Venue: Concourse Hotel, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
• International Seminar on Fermented Foods, Health Status and Social Well being in Gujarat
An International Seminar and Workshop on ”Fermented Foods, Health Status and Social Well being” will be organised by the Institute of Rural Management at Anand, Gujarat, India, 13–14 November 2003. The conference is co-hosted by the Dept of Applied Nutrition, Lund University, Sweden; and is partly sponsored by a planning grant from SASNET. Read the announcement (as a pdf-file).
• International Conference on ”Sri Lanka at Crossroads: Continuity & Change”
The 9th International Conference on Sri Lankan Studies will be held at the University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka, 28–30 November 2003. The conference’s theme will be ”Sri Lanka at Crossroads: Continuity & Change”. A Call for papers has been issued, the deadline for submitting abstracts is 15 June 2003.
• Norwegian conference on research and evaluation on education and development
The Second NETREED Conference with the theme ”Communicating and Evaluating Research Results from the South” will take place 8–10 December 2003 at Gausdal Høifjellshotell, Norway. NETREED is a network of individuals and institutions based in Norway, who do research and evaluation on education and development (with a focus on developing countries). Key note speaker at the conference will be Dr. Iffat Farah from the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. The theme of the conference is chosen in order to get a wide discussion and different perspectives on research results of researchers in the North doing research in countries in the South. There will also be a debate on ethical questions and dilemmas for those working as researchers on the one hand and as evaluators on the other hand. Paper presentations by graduate students, researchers, evaluators and representatives from NGO's will be organised in parallell sessions. More information on the conference.
• An International Conference on ”Women and Migration in Asia”
is held at New Delhi, India 10–13 December 2003. The conference is organized by the Developing Countries Research Centre, DCRC, at the University of Delhi, and has the ambition to bring together scholars from across Asia and other countries working in the broad thematic area of Women and Migration.
• NSALSA Conference on Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges
The National South Asian Law Student Association (NSALSA) Conference 2004 at Seattle, Washington State, USA, will be 13–16 February 2004. The theme for the conference is ”Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges: Human rights and the Law in South Asia”. Venue: Seattle University School of Law at Sullivan Hall, 900 Broadway.
• More conferences connected to South Asian studies, see SASNET’s page, http://www.sasnet.lu.se/conferences.html#conf
Important lectures and workshops
• A workshop on ”Bribes, Morality, and Development Assistance”
is arranged in Stockholm on Wednesday 14 May 2004, 15–17. It is arranged by Globalakademin at Sida’s conference premises, Kungsgatan 36, 2nd floor. The researcher Joakim Thelander, Dept of Sociology, Lund University, will present interviews he has made with development assistance staff; and representatives from Sida will present their policy against corruption.
• Seminar by the Swedish Society for Research on History of Religions
Svenska Samfundet för Religionshistorisk Forskning arranges a seminar on ”Current Islam” at Lund on Thursday 15 May 2003, 10.00–17.15. All interested are welcome to the seminar which includes lectures by Rasmus Alenius Boserup, and Julia Howell. Venue: AF-huset, Hall Aten, Sandgatan, Lund. More information from Leif Stenberg, Section of Islamology, Lund University.
• Pankaj Mishra lectures at Uppsala and Stockholm
The well-known writer and journalist Pankaj Mishra is coming to Sweden where he will lecture at Uppsala and Stockholm, on ”The Modernity of Religion in India”. Pankaj Mishra has written extensively on political development in South Asia. Particularly he has described the situation in Kashmir and the relationship between Hindus and Muslims in India. He is also the author of the highly acclaimed novels The Romantics: A Novel (2000), and Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small Town India (1995). The lectures, are organized by the South Asia Studies Programme at Uppsala University in collaboration with the so-called Gamla Torget Samarbetet at Uppsala University, and the magazine Axess.
The lecture in Uppsala will be on Thursday 15 May 2003, 15.15, at the Dept of Peace and Conflict Research, Gamla Torget 3, room 2. No registration is necessary.
The lecture in Stockholm will be on Friday 16 May 2003, 15.00, at the office of Axess, Skeppsbron 24. To attend the lecture in Stockholm, please contact Una Gustafsson/Axess, at least two days in advance.
• Lectures with Soli Jehangir Sorabjee at Oslo and Stockholm
Soli Jehangir Sorabjee, Attorney General of India since 1998, is visiting Scandinavia, giving lectures at Oslo and Stockholm. He was previously the Solicitor General of India, and has also worked for the UN in several capacities, including human rights protection, prevention of discrimination and protection of minorities.
At Oslo University Sorabjee lectures on "Constitution, Courts and Minorities", Tuesday 20 May 2003, 14.00. The seminar is organized by the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO), with Carsten Smith, former Chief Justice of Norway, acting as commentator. Venue: PRIO, Fuglehauggata 11, Oslo.
In Stockholm Sorabjee lectures on "Judicial Protection of Human Rights in India", Thursday 22 May 2003, 16.00. This seminar is organized by the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.
• Björn Hettne lectures on Regionalization of the World at Lund University
Professor Björn Hettne from the Dept for Peace and Development Studies, PADRIGU, Göteborg University, holds a lecture at Lund on ”Regionalization of the World”, Wednesday 21 May 2003. The lecture starts at 19.30 at Eden’s hörsal, Dept of Political Science, Paradisgatan 5, and is an arrangement by the Lund Association of Foreign Affairs. More information.
• Seminar on the Politicization of Gender in post-Taliban Afghanistan at Stockholm University
A seminar on the Politicization of Gender in post-Taliban Afghanistan is arranged at Stockholm University Thursday 22 May 2003, 17.00-18.30. The lecture is held by Professor Deniz Kandiyoti, Oriental and African Studies, University of London. The seminar is arranged by the International Graduate Programme (IGP), part of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Stockholm University. Venue: Room: B900, Frescati.
• R S Deshpande lectures on the Consequences of the Green Revolution in India
Professor R S Deshpande from the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore, India, is visiting Lund University during the later part of May. R S Deshpande (photo to the right) will hold a SASNET lecture on ”Consequences of the Green Revolution in India”, on Monday 26 May 2003, at 14.15. Venue: Dept of Economic History, Ekonomicentrum, Tycho Brahes väg 1, Lund.
• A Seminar on ICT and Development - with special regard to India's Communication Revolution
is held at Lund University on Monday 26 May 2003, 13.15. Madanmohan Rao, ICT consultant and lecturer at the Indian Institute of Information Technology in Bangalore - India's ”Silicon Valley” - will lecture on the issue. Rao is a prolific writer, among his most recent work are the first two volumes of "The Asia Pacific Internet Handbook" - the first in-depth survey of the ongoing digital revolution in the Asia Pacific Region. Venue: Conference room 2, Dept of Sociology, Paradisgatan 5, Lund.
• Seminar on Rebuilding Afghanistan. Prospects of Democracy after Military Intervention
The Seminar for Development Studies at Uppsala University organizes a one-day seminar on Wednesday 28 May, 10.15-16.00. The theme is "Rebuilding Afghanistan. Prospects of Democracy after Military Intervention", and the participants are Farid Abbaszadegan, Dept of Asian and African Languages, Uppsala University; Karen Brouneus, Dept of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University; Nina Hjelmgren, Swedish Broadcasting Corporation; and Sydney Petersson, The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan. Venue: Clasonsalen, Övre Slottsgatan 1, Uppsala.
• Seminar on Civil-Military Relations in Response to Weapons of Mass Destruction at Uppsala
The Collegium for Development Studies at Uppsala University in cooperation with the Centre for Public Health in Humanitarian Assistance (PHHA), Uppsala University, invites for a seminar on ”Humanitarian Principles Challenged: Civil-Military Relations in Response to Weapons of Mass Destruction”, on Tuesday 3 June 2003, 9.00–16.30. Among the participants are Egbert Sondorp from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who will give a presentation on ”Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst: How Humanitarian Organisations Can Organise to Respond to Weapons of Mass Destruction”. Registration to be done before 15 May 15 to Gunilla Lindestam. Venue: Församlingshemmet Odinslund 3, Uppsala.
• Bidyut Mohanty lectures on Lives of Women in India at Lund University
Bidyut Mohanty, Head of the Women's Studies Dept, Institute of Social Sciences, JNU, New Delhi, gives a SASNET lecture at Lund University on Thursday 5 June 2003, 13.15–15. Mohanty who is on her way to the conference on ”Women and Politics in Asia” in Halmstad (see information in the conferences schedule) will lecture on ”Seat Reservation in Local Politics – Impact on the Lives of Women in India”. Venue: Room 243 (prefektrummet), Dept of Sociology, Paradisgatan 5, Lund.
• Udaya Narayana Singh lectures on Indian languages at Uppsala University
Professor Udaya Narayana Singh, Director, Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, India, will give two lectures on languages and the linguistic situation in South Asia at Uppsala University. On Monday 16 June 2003, 9.15–11, he will lecture on ”Multilingualism and Language planning in South Asia”; and on Tuesday 17 June 2003, 9.15–11, he will lecture on ”Linguistic Landscaping in the context of South Asia”. Venue for both the lectures: Språkvetenskapligt centrum (SVC, room 16-0043, Uppsala. Professor Singh’s visit to Sweden is partly sponsored by the Swedish Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquites (Vitterhetsakademin).
Summer Schools
• Summer Course on Contemporary India organized by the Nordic Centre in India, at Hyderabad
The Nordic Centre in India organises a summer course for Nordic students on ”Contemporary India”. The course will be held in Hyderabad, India, between 7 July and 1 August 2003. It is open to students from all Nordic universities and institutions of higher learning. 10 participants are eligible for reduced fees on application. Those who are interested may also join the e-mail list by sending a mail to the NCI Director Arild Engelsen Ruud. The announcement is available as a poster. Go for it! (pdf-file).
• The second European Summer School in Modern South Asian Studies
takes place 21 July – 2 August 2003, at the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, Germany. It is jointly organised by the University of Edinburgh, the European Institute of Asian Studies, Brussels, the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales, Paris, University of Oslo and the University of Heidelberg. Undergraduate and graduate students from all over Europe will, through an interdisciplinary teaching program, covering issues of History, Politics, Economy, Religion and Development studies, gain insights into the most important aspects of modern South Asia. A limited number of scholarships is available.
News on courses and education
• Masters Programme in Asian and African studies introduced at Oslo University.
In the Fall 2003 University of Oslo introduces a new 120 credits Masters Programme in Asian and African studies, where the students may choose courses from the wide range of individual courses that already exist in the field. Of the courses related to South Asia which the Faculty of Arts offers are courses in three South Asian languages: Hindi, Sanskrit, and Urdu at the Department of East-European and Oriental Studies; and courses in South Asian Studies (covering topics as modern history, religion and political anthropology, with a focus on India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) at the Department of History. More information on the new Masters programme in Oslo.
Working papers on South Asia available on the Internet
• Background paper on Impact of Conflict on HIV/Aids in South Asia
A Background paper on the ”Impact of Conflict on HIV/Aids in South Asia”, written by PhD K S Subramanian in August 2002 is now available through SASNET. The report makes a rapid appraisal of the impact of conflict on HIV/AIDS in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It is intended as a strategic document, written from the perspective of policy professionals and decision makers outside the health sector, with help from UNDP, which sponsored the study. Go for the report! (pdf-file).
• Reports from Stockholm International Water Institute available for free
The Stockholm International Water Institute organizing the World Water Weeks at Stockholm ever year, has begun to make its reports available free of charge at its web page, http://www.siwi.org/sa/node.asp?node=168. Among the titles available are found the reports on:
• Balancing Human Security and Ecological Interests in a Catchment;
• Water Security for Cities, Food and Environment – Towards Catchment Hydrosolidarity; and
• Water Management in Developing Countries: SIWI Recommendation for EU Development Co-operation.
Dr Arunachalam Rajagopal, SaciWATERs, Hyderabad, India, delivered a lecture on ”Link to Downstream Aquaculture”, as part of the ”Balancing Human Security and Ecological Security Interests in a Catchment” seminar in 2002. This paper is available though SASNET (as a pdf-file).
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 nearly 100 departments. Go to the presentation page, http://www.sasnet.lu.se/environment.html.
ƒ Dept of Molecular Biology, Göteborg University
ƒ Biogeochemistry, Dept of Geology and Geochemistry, Earth Sciences Centre, Stockholm University
ƒ Institute of International Economic Studies (IIES), Stockholm University
• Several new articles recommended for reading
Look at http://www.sasnet.lu.se/recreading.html for suggestions on interesting new articles on South Asia in International media. Many new items added, especially on Pakistan, India, and Nepal.
Cultural Events connected to South Asia in Scandinavia
• SASNET concert with guitar and tabla musicians from Kolkata at Lund
SASNET arranges a concert with Amit Chatterjee and Suman Laha, two young Indian classical musicians from Kolkata, in Lund on Sunday 25 May 2003, at 19.00. Amit Chatterjee is a talented tabla player who has frequently toured Europe and the USA, whereas Suman Laha (photo to the left) plays the guitar in a rather unusual mode, like an Indian veena.
The concert is arranged in collaboration with the Zimba Marimba World Music Studio in Lund, which also provides for the concert hall at Qvantenborgsvägen 15 (right at the crossing with Kobjersvägen) in the northwestern part of Lund. Tickets are sold for 100 SEK each and should preferrably be ordered in beforehand from Peta Axelsson.
• Lots of South Asian cultural events in Norway.
The web site Desi.no lists and gives extensive coverage to all cultural events connected to South Asia taking place in Norway, including Bollywood film shows and Pakistani musical performances. Go for Desi.no!
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, c/o 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 41 11 (Note: Changed number!)
E-mail: sasnet@sasnet.lu.se
Web site: http://www.sasnet.lu.se
Staff: Staffan Lindberg, director/co-ordinator &
Lars Eklund, webmaster/deputy director
