The Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) offers a number of opportunities to scholars from any nationality for the academic year 2011-2012. Grants and support are provided for: – three months residency at the institution in order to work on an article, monograph or completing scholarly work in progress; – fellowships to support scholars to revise their PhD thesis into an article for publishing; – up to one year fellowships for designing Post-Doc research theme with focus on Kerala; – PhD Fellowships that focus on Kerala society and history or social science theories; – Up to 6 months paid internships at KHCR to M.Phil students, graduates or post-graduates; – Support for field work in archeology.
Most of the fellowships are with an open deadline, but for the post-doc research theme design, field work in archaeology and modifying a PhD thesis for publication the deadline is 20 December 2011. Full information.

In 2005 Sweden and India signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Science & Technology for which the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems, VINNOVA, was assigned the operational responsibility on the Swedish side. VINNOVA has asked the Swedish Energy Agency(Energimyndigheten) to engage in supporting Swedish-Indian research collaboration under this agreement. At the same time, the Swedish Energy Agency is responsible for bilateral collaborations within the area of energy, including research collaborations, with India according to an MoU on Renewable Energy from 2010 that refers to the 2005 S&T MoU.
In order to prepare for this engagement the Swedish Energy Agency has commissioned the Swedish Agency for Growth Policy Analysis (Growth Analysis) to map out areas where India has a strong position in energy research. The mapping should cover subject areas, geographical areas and universities/institutes as well as other relevant players.
This report has been prepared and written by Rajeev Palakshappa under the auspices of Andreas Muranyi Scheutz who is head of Growth Analysis‟ New Delhi office, and was published in September 2011.
Go for the report (as a pdf-file)

Pakistani independent researcher Q. Isa Daudpota (photo) reveals in an article entitled ”Scourge of fake journals” (published by Dawn.com on 1 December 2011), the prevalent occurrence of fake scientific journals and plagiarism in Pakistan. Daudpota, who is a physicist and outspoken environmentalist based in Islamabad, writes about common practices where expats and other Pakistanis apply for and get jobs in Pakistani institutions using fake degrees from fake universities using fake publications. He adds that although he informed the Higher Education Commission (HEC) about the scam already several years ago, it continues and no corrective measures have been taken. Read the article.

The Review of Agrarian Studies is a new bi-annual peer-reviewed journal of the Indian Foundation for Agrarian Studies, a charitable trust based in India and established in 2003. The journal is published from Kolkata and appears both in electronic and printed form – the latter in collaboration with Tulika Books, one of India’s most important publishers of books in the social sciences. The Review of Agrarian Studies invites articles on agrarian studies – on the forces and relations of production in agriculture and in rural areas, on living standards, and on different aspects of social formations in the countryside. It also carries theoretical and empirical articles on social, economic, historical, political and scientific and technological aspects of agriculture and rural societies.
The Editor is Professor V. K. Ramachandran from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.
Professor Venkatesh B. Athreya from the MS Swaminathan Foundation in Chennai – well-known to SASNET members –belongs to the Advisory Editorial Board along with (among others) Professor Abhijit Sen, member of the Planning Commission of India.
The online version is available for free at www.ras.org.in or www.reviewofagrarianstudies.org.
More information about the journal and details about subscriptions.

• More information about South Asia related research at Swedish and Nordic universities

An International Interdisciplinary Conference on ”Meaning, Culture and Values: East and West” will be held in New Delhi, India, 5-7 January 2012. It is being organised by the Society of Indian Philosophy and Religion. Subtopics include Ethnic Identity & Culture, Indian Civilization & Society, Role of Culture & Religion, and Cultural Meaning, Buddhism & Postmodernity. Selected papers from the conference will be published in the Journal of International and Interdisciplinary Studies and the Journal of Indian Philosophy and Religion). Advisory board members include Dr. Tommi Lehtonen from University of Vaasa in Finland. Abstracts should be submitted by e-mail to the conference convener Dr. Chandana Chakrabarti, Elon University in North Carolina, USA. More information.

The 14th International Maharashtra Conference: Society and Culture will be held in Mumbai, India 6–8 January 2012. The theme of the conference will be ‘Sthalantar’. Sthalantar could be roughly translated in English as ‘migration’. However, the theme for the conference will be more broadly interpreted and will entail more meanings than mere ‘migration’. It will connote or imply immigration-deshantar, wandering-bhatkanti, pilgrimage-teerthatan, travel-pravas or paryatan or deshatan. More information.

The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) hosts an international conference on ”The Spiritual Challenge in Management: What is to be Done?” at the IIMB Campus in Bangalore on 9–11 January 2012. The conference is organised in collaboration with the Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion. It is convened by Prof. Ramnath Narayanswamy, IIMB, and Prof. Yochanan Altman, Bordeaux Management School (BEM), France. The conference will address and question a key issue of our times: the adequacy of the current paradigms of management for the future of mankind and our planet. The positioning of the conference in India is signaling the issue we are questioning: is the Western model of management the best suited for the challenges we face? What can West and East learn from each other? And how does the new epoch of spirituality fit into these new emerging agendas? More information on the conference web page.

The “Focus Asia Organisation” of Kolkata, India convenes an international conference ”Asian Religions & The World” on 23–25 January 2012. The objective is to provide a common platform for the exchange of ideas & views among those, who are seriously engaged in the study of religions and associated topics. The academic periphery of the upcoming conference includes the growth, evolution and changes of the religions, interactions among them and their role in the modem world particularly in the background of globalization. The “Focus Asia Organization” is a voluntary body, formerly known as “Society for Indian Culture & Heritage”. More information.

The 24th Kerala Science Congress is scheduled from 29th to 31st January 2012 at the Rubber Research Institute in  Kottayam. It will be jointly organisd by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) – the umbrella organization of the research establishments in the State – and the Rubber Board.
Realising the critical role of Science and Technology in socio-economic development, Kerala has made substantial efforts to strengthen its science base through a number of research and development initiatives. In almost every key sector, whether it is agriculture, forestry, fisheries, industry, transport, environment, energy, material sciences, there are top class institutions undertaking research relevant to the needs of the State. Every sphere of science as well as the different phases of research – basic, strategic, applied and adaptive – are being addressed by the Universities and the R&D institutions in the State. Being a state with high population density and limited natural resources, wise use of the resources and building up human skills are essential. The 24th Kerala Science Congress will have a number of sessions for providing an opportunity for intense interaction and knowledge sharing. Particular thrust will be given to encourage young researchers through Young Scientist Awards and Children’s Science Congress.
More information about the 24th Kerala Science Congress.

The University of Western Australia in Crawley organises a symposium on the local politics of global economic and ecological fragility on 2–3 February 2012. The symposium is entitled ”India And The Age Of Crisis”. The purpose of this symposium is to consider how politics in India are likely to be shaped by global economic and ecological crises.

Confirmed presenters are:
– Palagummi Sainath (photo), popularly known is India’s most highly-awarded journalist with over 40 international and national awards for his investigative and social sector reporting in a career spanning three decades. He is currently the Rural Affairs Editor of The Hindu – a 133-year-old daily with a circulation of over 1.6 million.
– Swapna Banerjee-Guha, Professor of Development Studies in the School of Social Sciences, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. From 1981 to 2006 she was the Professor of Human Geography at the University of Mumbai. – – Anjal Prakash, Senior Fellow and Director – Peri Urban Water Security Project at South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies – SaciWATERs, Hyderabad, India. More information (as a pdf-file)

The 12th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) will be held 2-4 February 2012 in New Delhi, India. DSDS is organized annually by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) since 2001, being an international undertaking that provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge on all aspects of sustainable development. Over the past ten years, DSDS has emerged as one of the most important forums on global sustainability issues, which brings together important heads of the State and Central Governments, academicians, and policy makers to deliberate over environmental issues. The theme of DSDS 2012 is Protecting the Global Commons: 20 years post Rio. The debates at this DSDS will revolve around the commons and take stock of the situation since the Rio summit of 1992. More information.

 Annual Institute of Colonial and Postcolonial Studies (ICPS), University of Leeds and Postcolonial Studies Association (PSA) Postgraduate Conference will take place 2–3 February 2012 at University of Leeds, UK. The theme for the 2012 conference will be ‘Re-evaluating the Postcolonial City: Production, Reconstruction, Representation’, and is likely to have a strong Asian Studies strand running through it.
This conference re-evaluates the postcolonial city-space as a site of cultural production. The postcolonial city has reconfigured itself in literature and culture, as an urban space that incessantly explores its modernity along various, conflicting lines of identity, representation and consumption. The event brings together practicing cultural producers and their critics, early career scholars and postgraduate students working with the subject of the postcolonial city. In order to re-evaluate the impact of the postcolonial city on lives beyond the remit of the academy, the organisers seek to posit the figure of the cultural producer as a primary focus area of our conference. More information.

The Manipur University in collaboration with the International Society for Folk Narrative Research (ISFNR) organize the Belief Narratives International Symposium at Manipur University, Imphal, Manipur from 6-8 February 2012. The International Society for Folk Narrative Research is an international academic body whose objective is “to develop scholarly work in the field of folk narrative research and to stimulate contacts and the exchange of views among its members”. The research interest of ISFNR members around the world includes a number of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, “covering all aspects of narrative as representing the pivotal category of human communication”. The Symposium theme will be ”Local Legends in the Global Context”. More information.

The Department of English at RKSD College, Kaithal – affiliated to Kurukshetra University in the state of Haryana, India – organises an interdisciplinary, international conference to explore humanism, postcolonialism and democracy discourses from in India from both western and Indian perspectives on 20–21 March 2012. Interested scholars can now submit a 300–400 words abstract of a paper that should address the following topic(s): – Postcolonialism and Indigenous Representation; – Postcolonialism and Indian humanism; – Postcolonialism and Western Aspirations; – Postcolonialism and Marxism; – Postcolonialism and Nativism, and Cultural Fundamentalism in East and West; – Postcolonialism and Indian languages. The deadline for submitting abstracts is 31 December 2011 for Indian delegates, and 15 January 2012 for foreign scholars.
Keynote and plenary speakers include Dr. Rajender Dudrah, Head of Drama & Senior Lecturer in Screen studies, School of Arts, Histories and Cultures, University of Manchester, UK;  Dr. María do Mar Castro Varela,  Professor for Gender and Queer Studies at Alice Salomon University, Berlin, Germany; Dr. Nikita Dhawan, Junior Professor for Gender and Postcolonial Studies, Cluster of Excellence ‘The Formation of Normative Orders’ at Goethe-University, Germany; Dr Bhaskar Mukhopadhya, Convenor MA Postcolonial Studies, Goldsmith, University of London, UK; and Dr. Pavan Malreddy, Chemnitz University of Technology (CUT), Germany. More information.

The Department of History of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapit University in Varanasi organises an international seminar on ”Reflections & Revival of Buddhism in South and South-East Asia in Modern Times”. The seminar will take place between 31 March and 2 April 2012 and aims at exploring the trends of Buddhism in South and South-East Asia nowadays, as well as discuss the question of happiness for the humanity in the light of Buddhist ideals and its relevance today. To facilitate the discussions during the seminar, the following topics are going to be discussed: – Role of States/Governments; – Contribution of Buddhism in moral and spiritual development; – Areas of Buddhist Studies, Intellectual exercises; – Buddhist temples and monasteries and their missionary activities; – Buddhist Educational and Cultural centers; – Funding for promotion of Buddhist centers and its impact; – Contribution of Buddhism in material uplift of communities and places; – Neo-Buddhist movements: Dalit movement; – Relevance of Buddhism in addressing socio-political challenges in India; – Tibetan Buddhist: Movement and Dilemma; – Reform movements within Buddhist denominations and new Buddhist sects.
Both Indian and international scholars are welcome. Papers on the above mentioned topics should be sent by 31 January 2012. More information.

The Center for South Asian Studies at the University of Hawai’i, USA, invites paper and panel proposals on aspects related to its 29th Annual Spring Symposium entitled “Settling and Unsettling: The City in South Asia”. The conference will be held 18–20 April 2012, in Honolulu, Hawai’i, and is co-sponsored by the School of Architecture, and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawai’i.
Stepping outside of technocratic approaches, and the view of the city as a site of intractable problems, this symposium aims to highlight the multifaceted energies and imaginaries that animate contemporary interpretation of cities. Keynote speakers include Ravi Sundaram, Sarai Program, Center for the Study of Developing Societies, India.
Deadline to submit proposals is 15 January 2012. More information.

An International conference on ”Faith in Civil Society. Religious Actors as Drivers of Change” will be held at Uppsala University on 24–25 April 2012. It is organized by Uppsala Centre for Sustainable Development in cooperation with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation.
The conference will discuss how to understand diverse faith-inspired actors, who not always fit neatly within liberal notions of civil society. When are they promoters of social change, democratisation and development, and how do their adherents envision such changes? Researchers, actors in international development cooperation, activists, and others with interest in the issues to participate and make presentations are invited to attend the conference.
The conference is being planned by Mia Melin and Heidi Moksnes, coordinators of the project ”Outlook on Civil Society” at CSD. Abstracts should be submitted before 10 February 2012.
Full information to be given on the CSD web page from 15th December.

The impressive ”Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures From the National Museum, Kabul” exhibition, on tour over the world since 2008, will be on display at Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm between 12 November 2011 and 25 March 2012.  It is a collection of some of the most remarkable archaeological finds in all of Central Asia, pieces that are not only artistically splendid but also reveal a diverse and thriving ancient culture. The exhibition includes four separate collections. One is from the ancient city of Fullol and includes a Bronze Age set of gold bowls that hint of the native wealth of Afghanistan. Another contains artifacts from Aï Khanum, a Greek city in northern Afghanistan. A third features untouched treasures from what is thought to be a merchant’s storeroom in Begram, sealed up 2,000 years ago. And the fourth is the Bactrian gold, a collection of the precious items discovered in the graves of six nomads in Tillya Tepe.
Previously the exhibition has been on display at several important museums, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and most recently at the British Museum in London.
More information about the Hidden Treasures exhibition.
More information about the exhibition in Stockholm (only in Swedish).