SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK
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Contents:
SASNET News:
• 63 panels suggestions given for the 18th EASAS conference 2004
The closing date for leaving panels suggestions to the 18th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies, organized by SASNET and Lund University, on behalf of the European Association for South Asian Studies, EASAS, 6–9 July 2004, was June, 30, 2003. A total number of 63 suggestions were delivered, out of which 49 have regional South Asian themes, whereas 1 refer to Afghanistan only, 2 to Bangladesh only, 10 to India only, and 1 to Sri Lanka only. 47 suggestions have been fully verified, and include abstracts and correct names of convenors. Five suggestions still need to be verified and abstracts given, and another 11 suggestions need some complimentary information in order to be evaluated. Decisions on panels will be taken by the EASAS conference planning committee on 15 August 2003, after which the complete list will be presented on the conference web page.
• 27 applications for the First Round of SASNET Planning Grants 2003
27 applications have ben received for the First Round of SASNET Planning Grants 2003. Last date for applications was 15 June, 2003. Out of the 27 applications six refer to continued research networking projects/programmes, 18 to new research programmes/projects, one to continued education projects/programmes, and two to new education programmes/projects. Total amount applied for is 2.36 Million SEK, whereas the amount available to distribute is approximately 475.000 SEK. Decisions will be taken on 26 August, 2003. More information.
• Applications for the next round of SASNET planning grants
are now invited. Closing date for applications is Monday 17 November, 2003. More information.
• Similar Planning grants can also be applied for from Sida/SAREC
They are offered for field work, research collaboration and other activities, including costs for salaries and travelling expenses. SASNET presents information on these and other Planning and Travelling grants open for researchers engaged in South Asia related research. Go for the page!
• 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 approximately 20 000 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:
• The Human Development Report 2003 was launched on 8 July 2003
The yearly report commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) offers a unique analysis of the world’s progress in meeting the ambitious Millennium Development Goals, arising from the Millennium Declaration which was endorsed by world leaders at the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000. These goals, ranging from reversing and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases to achieving universal primary education, with an aim to lift hundreds of millions of people out of extreme poverty by 2015, were reaffirmed by the Group of Eight leaders in June 2003 in France.
As in previous years, the Human Development Report ranks 173 countries according to their level of human development, based on indices such as infant mortality, sanitation standards, and basic education. Among the South Asian nations Maldives ranks highest (86) in this Human Development Index, followed by Sri Lanka (99), India (127), Bhutan (136), Bangladesh (139), Nepal (143) and Pakistan (144). Afghanistan not included in the ranking. Three Scandinavian countries top the list: Norway, Iceland and Sweden. The report is available (as pdf-files) on the Internet. More information.
• Pakistan National Human Development Report 2003 launched
UNDP also publishes reports for individual countries and regions. The Pakistan National Human Development Report 2003, subtitled ”Poverty, Growth And Governance” was launched on 1 July 2003. The 2003 report examines for the first time new questions such as: How do distorted markets for goods and services result in the loss of income for the poor?, and how do local structures of power (landlords, local officials, etc…) deprive the poor of their income and assets? More information on the report.
• Human Development Report on ”HIV/AIDS and Development in South Asia 2003
A Regional Human Development Report on ”HIV/AIDS and Development in South Asia 2003” was also published by UNDP recently. It examines the connection between the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the larger challenge of human deprivation in South Asia. The central argument of the Report is that it is imperative that the eradication of HIV goes hand in hand with the eradication of human poverty in the region, particularly given the current Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) campaign. More information on the report.
• Professor Jan Nyström at Södertörn University College passed away
Professor Jan Nyström at the Department of Human Geography, Campus Flemingsberg, Södertörn University College, tragically passed away on 19 May 2003. Jan Nyström, who was only 51 years old, had a special affection for India, and he was a strong supporter of the setting up a special South Asia Research Unit, SARU, at Södertörn University College. More information on his department.
• Naila Kabeer guest professor at the Centre for Global Gender Studies in Göteborg
Naila Kabeer will be guest professor at the Centre for Global Gender Studies, PADRIGU, Göteborg University in 2004, from 15 January to 31 September. Kabeer who comes from Bangladesh is a social economist and works primarily on poverty, gender, and social policy issues. She is currently Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK. Her latest book is ”Gender Mainstreaming in Poverty Eradication and the Millennium Development Goals – a handbook for policy makers and other stakeholders” (published on 28 May 2003 by IDRC Books, the publishing arm of Canada's International Development Research Centre). More information.
• Web site on the founder of the Orangi Pilot Project in Pakistan
A new web site on Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan, scholar and founder of the Orangi Pilot Project in Pakistan, is of great interest to researchers, scholars, and students of rural development in the Third World. Dr. Khan was a social scientist and scholar, and also founder of the Orangi Pilot Project in Pakistan and the Comilla Rural Academy (now in Bangladesh). He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Michigan State University. He was also the recipient of the Nishan-i-Imtiaz, Hilal-e-Pakistan, Sitra-i-Pakistan, and the Magsaysay Award. He was a part of the prestigious Indian Civil Service (I.C.S.). Millions benefited from the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP). Go to the web page on Dr Khan.
Working papers and conference reports on South Asia available on the Internet
• Reports from the Stockholm International Water Institute
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).
• Conference reports on Migration, Development and Pro-Poor Policy Choices in Asia
The UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, one of the leading research groups on migration in South Asia, arranged a conference on ”Migration, Development and Pro-Poor Policy Choices in Asia”, 22-24 June 2003 in Dhaka. The conference papers are now available (as pdf-files) on the Internet. Go to the conference page!
Among the papers are one on ”Internal migration and the development nexus: the case of Bangladesh”, by Rita Afsar, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies; and one on ”An overview of migration in India, its impacts and key issues”, by Ravi Srivastava, Jawaharlal Nehru University & S K Sasikumar, V V Giri National Labour Institute, India.
Conferences and courses
• The 12th World Sanskrit Conference at Helsinki
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.
• 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”.
• Multidisciplinary conference in Härjedalen on Peripheral Communities
An international multidisciplinary conference on the theme ”Peripheral Communities. Crisis, Continuity and Long-Term Survival” will take place in Sveg and the forest village of Ängersjö in Härjedalen, Sweden on August 14-17, 2003. The conference is hosted by the Swedish interdisciplinary research project ”Flexibility as Tradition. Culture and Subsistence in the Boreal Forests of Northern Sweden”, which involves scholars from the faculties of natural science, humanities and social science, and it will explore the historical and contemporary conditions of peripheral communities from a broad multidisciplinary perspective. More information at the conference website.
• International workshop on “Buddhist Economics”
An International workshop on “Buddhist Economics” is held in the state of Uttaranchal, India, 17–20 September 2003. The workshop is arranged by the International College for Sustainable Living, Bija Vidyapeeth, and conducted by Sulak Sivaraksa and Vandana Shiva – both recipients of the Right Livelihood Award. The organizers hope that a permanent Research & Development network on “Buddhist Economics” could result from the workshop. Venue: Navdanya Farm, 16 km outside Dehradun, the capital of Uttaranchal.
• Course on ”Food First: Food, Famine & Freedom from Hunger” in India
A course on ”Food First: Food, Famine & Freedom from Hunger” is arranged by the International College for Sustainable Living, Bija Vidyapeeth, in India, 1–14 October 2003. The faculty consists of Frances Moore Lappé and Dr. Vandana Shiva. The course will go into an analysis of how food is changing, in terms of how it is grown, how it is processed, who controls it, who has access to it. It will cover issues of hunger, famine, and chemical hazards, but will also explore creative alternatives. The course begins in Delhi, but then proceeds to the Bija Vidyapeeth campus, set on Navdanya’s organic farm outside Dehra Dun (the capital of the state of Uttaranchal, India).
• Asian Conference on Environmental Education in Delhi
An Asian Conference on Environmental Education, ”Environmental Education and Civil Society”, is held at New Delhi, India, 7–9 November 2003. The conference is arranged by the Indian Environmental Society (IES). Among the topics will be the Role of Civil Society in Environmental Education, Sustainability and Wetland Conservation, and Trade and Environment. Last date for registration: 31 August 2003.
• International seminar an workshop on fermented foods in Gujarat
An International Seminar and Workshop on ”Fermented Foods, Health Status and Social Well being” will be organised by the Dept of Dairy Microbiology, SMC College of Dairy Science, Gujarat Agricultural University at Anand, 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. Dr V Kurien, the father of White Revolution in India, will inaugurate the seminar on 13 November. Full programme with registration form (as a pdf-file).
• International conference on ”Conflict, Peace and Development in South Asia”
An International conference on ”Conflict, Peace and Development in South Asia” is held at Colombo, Sri Lanka, 8–10 January 2004. The conference is arranged by School of Management, Binghamton University, New York State, USA, in cooperation with the the International Center for Conflict Prevention and Management, Sydney, Australia. Deadline for registration: 19 September 2003. More information (as a pdf file).
• More conferences connected to South Asian studies, see SASNET’s page, http://www.sasnet.lu.se/conferences.html#conf
News on courses and education
• South Asia related projects given grants from the Palme Linnaeus international exchange programme
In May 2003 17 projects related to South Asia were given grants from the Palme Linnaeus international exchange programme for the period 1 July 2003–30 June 2004. See the list of these projects.
More information on the programme and previosly granted activities.
• Minor Field Studies (MFS) grants available for students on C or D level
Sida (the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) offers Minor Field Study (MFS) grants to Swedish students at Swedish universities and colleges. MFS grants aim to provide students at C or D level with the opportunity to carry out minor field studies in developing countries, including South Asia. The stipend programme is handled by the International Programme Office for Education and Training (Internationella Programkontoret). Applications should be made through the students own departments. Deadline for applications regarding 2004: 1 December 2003. More information.
• South Asian studies at Copenhagen University
The Dept of History of Religions offers South Asia related courses on Science of Religion. More information on the BA, MA, and PhD programmes. The Section of Indology at the Dept of Asian Studies (Asien-Instituttet), in the Fall 2003 offers courses in Sanskrit, and Pali. More information on these courses.
• South Asia related courses on Religion at Uppsala University
The section for History of Religions at the the Dept. of Theology, Uppsala University, during the Fall 2003 arranges a 20 credits course on ”Religions in South Asia”, focusing on the modern religious landscape of South Asia. during the Fall 2003. The section for History of Religions during the Fall 2003 also arranges a 10 credits course on ”Religion in Conflict”, which partly deals with South Asia. The course might eventually become part of a planned Masters programme that Uppsala University plans for along with the Life & Peace Institute in Uppsala. The Masters programme has been proposed to start in the Fall 2004.
• Field work study in India for the teachers traing programme at Stockholm Institute of Education
The Dept of Teaching processes, Communication and Learning (UKL) at the Stockholm Institute of Education every year arranges an elective 20 credits specialization programme on Global Education. The programme, open to all admitted students to the Teachers traing programme at the Institute, consists of an intensive 10 weeks field work study (called The Changing South) in Tamil Nadu, India, and a 10 weeks follow-up course in Sweden afterwards. The next course will be in the Spring 2004.
• New course on Ecology and Global Solidarity at Nordens Folkhögskola Biskops-Arnö
A 36 weeks course on Ecology and Global Solidarity, is arranged by Nordens Folkhögskola Biskops-Arnö every year. The next course, starting on 25 August 2003, includes a two months stay in India in January–February where the students will study local projects working against the globalisation and for an ecologically and socially sustainable society. More information.
• Courses on Sanskrit, Jainism and Astrology at Lund University
The Dept for History of Religions at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University, introduces a a 20 credits course for beginners in Elementary Sanskrit. The course is taught on half-time from September 2003 till May 2004.
The Dept of History of Religions also arranges a 5 credits course on Jainism, Non-violence, and Vegetarianism, and a 5 credits course on Tantra and Tantric religion, during the Autumn 2003.
During the Spring 2004 the section for History of Religions arranges a 5 credits course on Yoga and Meditation in Indian religions, and a 5 credits course on Astrology and Divination in Indian religions.
• Course on Islam in South Asia at the section of Islamology, Lund University
The section for Islamology at the Dept of History of Religions, Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University, in the Spring 2004 arranges a 5-credit course on Islam in South and South East Asia.
In the Spring 2004 the section arranges a 5 credits course on Introduction to Islamic Law.
• Course on Psychology of Meditation at Lund University
The Dept of Psychology of Religion at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University, arranges a 5 credits part time course on The Psychology of Meditation, starting from descriptive studies on Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity, in the Fall 2003.
• Master of Science programme in Urban Housing Management at Lund University
The Dept of Housing Development and Management at Lund University runs a 16 months Master of Science programme in Urban Housing Management in cooperation with the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, IHS, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The next course will start in September 2003.
The department also regularly arranges Sida-sponsored short courses directed to planners, architects, civil engineers, administrators and others working with construction, housing and human settlements. A course on Architecture, Energy & Environment – Tools for Climatic design (AEE) is held 22 September – 24 October 2003.
Information, news, library resources
• Quick guide to newspapers and magazines from/on South Asia
SASNET presents links to the best available Internet based news resources on the region and the individual countries in South Asia. Go to our News page!
SASNET also gives access to Internet based magazines and journals around the World devoted to South Asia. Go to the journals page!
We now also present some academic journals on South Asia which are not fully available on the Internet but offer some sample articles for reading. Links are given to Taylor & Francis Group’s South Asian Popular Culture, Contemporary South Asia, South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, and Asian Ethnicity; and The Journal of Asian Studies, published by the American Association for Asian Studies. Go for the page on academic journals!
• South Asian telephone directories on the Internet
Telephone directories are now easy available for many parts of South Asia; including major Indian states and metropolises, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. 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 105 departments! Go to the presentation page
ƒ The Life & Peace Institute, Uppsala
ƒ Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
• Distributors of South Asia related literature:
Added to our links: • RoutledgeCurzon (Taylor & Francis Group); • Hurst & Company Publishers; and • Booklovers India
• 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 the South Asia region.
• New books related to South Asian studies
Several new additions now made. Go for the page!
Cultural Events connected to South Asia in Scandinavia
• An Odissi dance course is arranged at the Falun Folk Musice Festival, 9–13 July 2003
The professional Swedish Odissi dancer Ulrika Pettersson (part of the group Ahbinaya) leads the course, and Jonas Landahl will accompany the dance playing tabla. Otherwise no South Asian artists are scheduled for this year’s festival at Falun.
• Images of Asia cultural festival opens in Copenhagen on 8 August
The cultural festival Images of Asia will takes place in August and September 2003 in Copenhagen, Århus, Odense, Esbjerg and the County of Ribe, Roskilde, Randers and a number of other cities in Denmark. The festival aims to increase the Danish understanding of contemporary Asia and promote co-operation between Denmark and Asia. The Danish Center for Culture and Development (DCCD) has the overall responsibility for Images of Asia, which is organized in broad partnership between a range of governmental institutions, NGOs, cultural institutions, associations, municipalities, counties and individuals in Denmark and Internationally. The festival opens on Friday 8 August 2003 in Copenhagen. More information.
• Akram Khan performs at Dansescenen in Copenhagen
As part of the Images of Asia festival in Denmark the Bangladeshi-Brittish dancer Akram Khan will give a performance called ”Kaash” at Dansescenen in Copenhagen, on 21, 23 & 24 August 2003. With his superb technical prowess and deep knowledge of the classical Indian kathak dance, Khan is the dance personality of the moment by connecting these roots with a completely contemporary staging. With music by the phenomenal Nitin Sawhney and set by visual artist Anish Kapoor, this piece with Khan and his dancers gets heads spinning as they whirl, twirl and dive across the stage. Venue: Dansescenen, Øster Fælled Torv 34, Copenhagen.
• Abida Oarveen – the uncrowned Sufi Queen from Pakistan performs in Denmark
Abida Parveen, the uncrowned Sufi Queen from Pakistan, will also perform in Denmark as part of the Images of Asia festival. Along with her band she will perform at Vega Concert Hall in Copenhagen on Wednesday 3 September 2003. It will be Abida Parveen’s (photo to the left) first visit to Denmark, and according to the organizers – Vega in collaboration with the Danish Broadcast Corporation, DR – it will be a magic evening full of charm, magnetism and musical ecstasy. Venue: Vega, Enghavevej 40, Vesterbro, Copenhagen.
• Exhibition of Modern Indian Art at Tiergarten in Berlin
”Iconic Cities – Zeitgenössische Kunst aus Indien”, an exhibition of Modern Indian Art, will be on display at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany, from the 15 September 2003. The exhibition, which includes works by the artists Atul Dodiya, Anita Dube, Subba Ghosh, Suboth Gupta, Reena Saini Kallat, Jitish Kallat, Bharti Kher, Sonia Khurana, Surrendran Nair, Rehka Rodwittiya, Sharmila Samant and Hema Updahyay, was advised by Alka Pande, Director of the India Habitat Centre Art Gallery in New Delhi, Peter Nagy a free lance curator in Delhi, and the internationally renowned cultural critic Geeta Kapoor. More information on the exhibition in Berlin.
• South Asian presence at the 19th Göteborg International Book Fair
The 19th Göteborg International Book Fair, to be held 25–28 September 2003, has invited several South Asian writers and journalists. It also arranges other seminars related to South Asia, e g a joint seminar with Pakistani-Brittish historian and writer Tariq Ali; and Vandana Shiva, the Indian nuclear physicist turned environmentalist and human rights activist with a feministic perspective. They will discuss War, Empire and Resistance.
– In another seminar Tariq Ali will discuss his new bestselling book The clash of fundamentalisms: Crusades, jihads and modernity – currently one of the most controversial books in Britain.
– Vanda Shiva (photo to the right) will also promote two of her books which are published in Swedish, namely ”Water wars – Privatization,
Pollution, and Profit”, and ”Protect or plunder? Understanding intellectual property rights” respectively.
The Iranian documentary film maker Siba Shakib will talk about the catastrophic situation prevalent for the Afghan population, especially the women, something which her current book (and film) Afghanistan, Where God only comes to weep, deals with.
– The journalist Saira Shah, born in Great Britain to parents of Afghan descent, has been most successful with her documentary Beneath the Veil, broadcasted on Swedish television in the spring of 2002. Risking her own life she filmed in Afghanistan with the camera hidden under her clothes. At the book fair she will present her recently published book, called Storyteller’s daughter, on her personal experience of how Afghanistan has developed.
– The Indian journalist Rasheeda Bhagat from The Hindu, Chennai, will take part in a symposium on Media globalization
– diversification or only CNN?, arranged by FOJO, Further Education of Journalists, in Kalmar.
– Finally Professor Hans Rosling from the Dept of Public Health Sciences, Division of International health (IHCAR), at Karolinska Institutet (KI), will present The World Development Charter, a new computer programme illustrating how the goals from the so-called World Millennium Development Goals are achieved. The computer programme has been developed by KI in collaboration with Lund University and Sida.
More information on the Göteborg Book Fair.
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
