SASNET News
• Decisions taken for 2013 Erasmus Mundus India and Asia Regional Lots/Lund University and SASNET selected
On July, 10, 2013, the European Commission’s Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) decided upon the 2013 round of the Erasmus Mundus Action 2 – Strand 1 – Partnership programme, EU’s flagship programme aimed at promoting the attractiveness of the European Higher Education system and third country cooperation and partnerships. EACEA received 180 proposals under Action 2 – Erasmus Mundus Partnerships, Strand I, out of which 57 projects were selected for funding.
Four Asia Regional consortia were selected for Lot No. 11 – primarily devoted to South Asia (including universities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka). They are coordinated by universities in France, Cyprus, UK and Germany. Mälardalen University in Västerås is a partner in one of the consortia, and Uppsala and Turku universities in another.
Lund University’s application for the India Lot, No. 13, was successful this year. Lund University will coordinate a consortium entitled EMINTE (Erasmus Mundus India To Europe), in which also Uppsala University is a partner. SASNET is an Associate partner in this consortium.
The South Asian partner universities are Gandhigram Rural Institute Deemed University, Dindigul; Indian Institute of Technology Bombay; Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur; Jadavpur University, Kolkata; Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi; North Orissa University, Baripada; Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences Deemed University, Loni; Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai; University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram; and University of Pune.
Three other India lots were selected by ECEA. They are coordinated by Agricultural University of Athens, Greece; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain; and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany, respectively. Full information about the 2012 selection of India and Asia Regional Erasmus Mundus mobiity programmes.
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg. Contact person: Senior Lecturer Anna Godhe.
Since the mid-1990s, Dr Godhe and her colleagues at the former Department of Marine Ecology – now integrated into the Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences – have been involved in a long-standing and fruitful research collaboration with the Karnataka Animal Veterinary and Fisheries Science University, and especially its Fisheries College located in Mangalore on the Indian west coast. In Sweden, collaboration partners includes the School of Education and Environment, Kristianstad University.
The research primarily focuses on harmful toxic Algae, their ecology, and about methods to develop Identification and Detection of these Algae, along the south-west coast of India. Projects have also been carried out focusing on the Inter-relation between bacteria and phytoplankton blooms, applying advanced molecular techniques. Several joint research projects, funded by Formas–Sida/SAREC, the Swedish Research Council and other funding agencies, have taken place.
The main research partner on the Indian side is Professor Indrani Karunasagar (photo), heading the Dept. of Fishery Microbiology at the Fisheries College in Mangalore – a department that has got international prominence, being recognized by UNESCO as a MIRCEN (Microbial Resource Center) in Marine Biotechnology.
In Gothenburg, PhD candidate Gurpreet Kahlon is involved in the research. She holds a position that came to be as part of an initiative by University of Gothenburg in 2011 to establish a Graduate School in Marine Environmental Research. Funds were provided for two PhD projects within an India related project on ”The Effects of Climate Induced Changes in the Arabian Sea on Marine and Coastal Socio-Eological Systems in India”. Other researchers who have been involved in the Indian Ocean projects include Dr. Karolina Härnström who defended her doctoral dissertation in 2009, and Dr. Arvind Singh who worked at the department in 2011-12, but now has moved to a post-doc position in Kiel, Germany.
Dr. Anna Godhe has also recently established research collaboration with Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. In 2012, a Swedish Research Links (Asian–Swedish research partnership programme) grant was given to launch a new project entitled “Climate induced changes in the pelagic microbial communities: assessing the response of harmful algae and pathogenic bacteria in coastal water of Sri Lanka“.
More information on the South Asia related research activities at the Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences.
SASNET tries to keep track of all South Asia related research at the Swedish universities, and in our database we have information about approximately 300 departments where some kind of South Asia related research and/or educational collaboration projects with institutions in the eight South Asian nations is going on. Among our networking partners , we will each month present one or two of these departments and the researchers working on South Asia related projects. Go for SASNET’s list of Swedish departments.
Research Community News
The 23rd European Conference on South Asian Studies (ECSAS) will take place 23 – 26 July 2014 at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. On 15 June 2013, the Steering Committee decided upon the panels. 51 panels were accepted, focusing on diverse issues ranging from ”Video varieté: the cultures and forms of new visual media in South Asia”, to ”‘Mafia(s)’ and politics in South Asia”, ”Understanding rural Pakistan: the political economy of power and agrarian relations”, ”Conspiracy, terrorism and counterterrorism in late colonial India (c.1900-1947)”, ”Lost in transition? Negotiating power, legitimacy and authority in post-war Nepal and Sri Lanka”, and ”India in the eyes of the others: world perspectives on India’s global role”. Go for the full list of panels.
There is no separate call for papers as this is a convenors’ conference: all papers must be part of an approved panel. All decisions about paper proposals are in the hands of the panel convenors. The deadline for submission of paper proposals to panel convenors is 15 October 2013.
Please note that panel convenors and paper presenters at the 23rd ECSAS must be members of EASAS through 2013 and 2014. Non-members cannot attend the conference. It is easy to join EASAS through the following link: www.easas.org/Becomeamember
The ECSAS has met regularly since 1968, and has provided an important opportunity to discuss current research and scholarship on topics relating to South Asia within the humanities and social sciences. The ECSAS conferences now operate under the auspices of the European Association for South Asian Studies (EASAS), a charitable, academic association engaged in the support of research and teaching concerning South Asia with regard to all periods and fields of study. The hosts for the 23rd ECSAS are the Department of Geography and the University Research Priority Program (URPP) Asia and Europe, both at the University of Zurich. Conference convenors are Prof. Dr. Ulrike Müller-Böker, Department of Geography, University of Zurich (CH); and Prof. Dr. Angelika Malinar, Department of Indology; Academic Director University Research Priority Program Asia and Europe, University of Zurich (CH). Full information about the 2014 EASAS conference.
The Swedish Development Research Network on Nature, Poverty and Power (DevNet), based at Uppsala University, was established on 1 January 2008, and received network grants from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) for the period 2008–2012. It was coordinated by Professor Lars Rudebeck and Dr. Heidi Moksnes. Highlighting the interrelation between nature, poverty and power, DevNet aimed to bring an understanding of political and social dynamics and conflicts in natural resource use into Swedish analysis of sustainable development. The network promoted independent and critical research and constructive exchange with policy.
DevNet has now ceased to exist, after the Sida funding funding expired. Full reports of DevNet’s activities, including videos from several of its major events, are however still available at the Uppsala Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD) web site. CSD is an interdisciplinary centre established at Uppsala University, based on a collaboration between Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Go for the web page where you find DevNet’s reports.
Dr. Styrbjörn Alström defended his doctoral dissertation on “Weed management in tropical agriculture with emphasis on India” at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, in 1991. Since then he has changed focus of his research work to the study of farm life changes, and the history and culture of western Rajasthan, where he has lived for several years. He has been connected to the Department of Linguistics and Philology at Uppsala University, and in 2005 he received a SASNET planning grant for a project on ”The 20th Century Indian agriculture as perceived in the oral literary tradition of a drought-prone semi-desert region with a unique ancient folklore culture – an interdisciplinary approach” (more information about his research). Under the pen name Son Lal, he now presents the material he has collected on rural life in western Rajasthan during many years on the Internet. It includes extensive photo galleries, Marwari poems and narrations, and links to the e-books produced by Dr. Alström. Go for the web page.
Dr. Pradip Basu, Professor of Political Science at Presidency University in Kolkata, India, invites researchers to publish original, hitherto unpublished and fully referenced research papers in a coming book focusing on the dialogue between Naxalism and Subaltern Studies. It will result in an edited volume to be published by Setu Prakashani in New Delhi & Kolkata in May 2014.
If you are interested to contribute an academic article in this edited volume, confirm your contribution immediately and then send your title of article, an abstract in 300 words and a biodata in 50 words by 31 august 2013. The idea is to open up Naxal politics to new theories as well as new issues, to bring Naxal politics into intense dialogue with the new insights involved in the Subaltern Studies School. Kindly note that your article is expected to use one or more theoretical categories of Naxalism as well as that of Subaltern Studies School. You may critique Naxalism from the perspective of Subaltern Studies School, and also critique the Subaltern Studies School from the perspective of the Naxalite politics, but critique here does not mean total rejection but transcendence of something through exploration of its limitations as well as critical evaluation. Accepted articles should be submitted by 31 December 2013. Read the full invitation text.
Dr. Patrik Oskarsson, from the fall 2013 working as a lecturer at the School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg, but with a PhD from School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK, has published an article entitled ‘Dispossession by Confusion from Mineral-Rich Lands in Central India‘ in South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 36:2 (2013). The article is based on his doctoral dissertation from 2010, entitled ”The law of the Land Contested: Bauxite Mining in Tribal, Central India in an Age of Economic Reform” (available on the Internet, go for the thesis), highlighting how Bauxite mineral projects in central India in recent years have generated conflicts over both the physical environment and equitable development for very vulnerable people. In one such project, a joint venture between the state government of Andhra Pradesh and a private investor, attempts are currently being made to open up land constitutionally reserved for India’s Scheduled Tribes. The final outcome, though still uncertain, depends not only on the relative material resources of the opposing parties, but on a drawn-out process of contestation where the discursive resistance to tribal land dispossession has strong historical roots and many active supporters. Thus, for the project’s promoters, their advantage rests on their ability to create confusion via superior access to, and control over, information, rather than relying on their direct authority.on a dissertation focusing on the contestation over land use when a bauxite mineral project was proposed in the adivasi areas of northern part of Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Patrik’s Swedish university background is a MSc in Industrial Engineering and Management from Linköping University in 2000. After that he has worked as volunteer for the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in New Delhi, and Samata in Hyderabad – an NGO working on tribal welfare issues in Andhra Pradesh, before doing his PhD at East Anglia. During 2011-12, Patrik Oskarsson worked as Assistant Professor at Azim Premji University in Bangalore. More information on Patrik’s research.
The Heidelberg Papers in South Asian and Comparative Politics publication series (HPSACP) welcomes submissions of papers in the field of comparative government and politics related to the region of South Asia. For over ten years, this well-reputed German publication series has served the world-wide community of South Asia research, as an open-access journal, with over seventy papers currently available, online. The organisers seek more contributions by social scientists of all career stages – from post graduates to senior scholars. The main objective of the HPSACP is to publish ongoing research on South Asian politics in the form of research papers, easily accessible to the international community, policy makers and the general public. The journal is broadly based and covers social, political and economic issues of South Asia. Its coverage also extends to the cultural space, religions and identities of the region and the heritage and collective memories that underpin them. The journal has the technical ability to publish high definition colour images. HPSACP is a peer-reviewed, open access journal. The papers are available in electronic form and can be downloaded at no cost to the user. So far, the journal has drawn mostly on research projects that are being conducted at the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, senior seminars by visiting scholars. The editorial team now wishes to engage more fully with the worldwide network of South Asia scholarship by offering a platform on which to publish, engage in debates and to access new research frontiers. Submissions (min 8,500 words, max. 12,000 words) should be sent to the editors Hans Harder or Subrata Mitra at the South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg. All submissions will be acknowledged. Submissions accepted for consideration are anonymously reviewed by two or more external reviewers. Every effort is made for a speedy evaluation. Prospective authors are encouraged to consult the ‘notes to contributors’ prior to submission and to use the house style in formatting their articles. More information.
The Faculty of Humanities at University of Oslo announces a position as Doctoral Research Fellow in East Asian and South Asian Language Based Area Studies. He/she will be based at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS). The topic of the applicant’s PhD project should be related to geographical areas in Asia relevant for research at the department (China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, Nepal, India, Bangladesh). It is also required that the project is thematically relevant to current research at the Department. The applicant must document relevant language competence and the project should be based on sources in Asian language(s). Applications should be submitted by 1 September 2013. More information.
Educational News
The International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) in Leiden, Netherlands, in collaboration with the Leiden University Institute for Area Studies (LIAS), has taken the initiative to develop a special concentration of MA level courses on Critical Heritage Studies of Asia and Europe. Students with an interest in Asian Studies at MA level, can opt for this MA programme being launched in September 2013 within the specialisation of History, Arts and Culture of Asia. The heritage concentration is inspired and supported by the IIAS Asian Heritages research cluster, which explores the contested character of all representations of culture, the plurality of notions of heritage in Asian and European contexts, and the way distinct and conflicting values of indigenous, local communities and official state discourses are negotiated in terms of historical, ethnic, religious, social, economic, and political values.
The curriculum leads to an MA degree in Asian Studies at Leiden University. It includes special courses in ”Critical Approaches to Heritage Studies”, and ”Heritage: A World of Policy Making”, a number of electives that focus on heritage management, specific subjects and/or regions of Asia, and/or the study of Asian languages. The curriculum is concluded with the writing of an MA thesis. The concentration of courses is supervised by Dr. Adele Esposito (IIAS and LIAS). Guest teacher for one of the courses is Prof. Michael Herzfeld of Harvard University. The successful completion of the curriculum may give access to a second one-year MA study in heritage studies at an Asian University, and after completion of both programmes, students will receive a special certificate for the Double Degree Programme in Critical Heritage Studies, issued by IIAS and the Asian partner institute.
The programme will start twice a year, in September and Febraury. Application deadlines are 1 April for start in September; and 15 October for start in February. More information.
Seminars and Conferences in Scandinavia
”Memory on Trial: Media, Citizenship and Social Justice” is the overarching theme for the third Ørecomm Festival, 13–16 September 2013, a four-day event that brings an inspiring mix of seminars, lectures and conferences to Malmö, Copenhagen and Roskilde. It is jointly organised by Roskilde University and the School of Arts and Communication, Faculty of Culture and Society, Malmö University. Last year’s Festival featured an Indian panel, as a result of a collaboration project entitled ”Memories of Modernity II” between Malmö University and the Srishti School of Art Design and Technology, Bangalore. This experimental project of combined academic and artistic research will now be documented during one of the workshops at the third Ørecomm Festival. Papers will be presented by Nicolas Grandi and Deepak Srinavasan from Srishti, and Jyothsna Belliappa, who recently moved to Azim Premji University in Bangalore. The workshop will be moderated by Oscar Hemer.
A separate workshop will be dedicated to the issue of “Methods of Analysis in Ethnographic Studies of Mediated Memories”, condducted by the Media/Ethnography Group with Annette Markham, S. Elizabeth Bird and Jo Tacchi. Finally, another South Asia related event will take place at the Festival, when Urvashi Butalia, Publisher, Kali for Women in New Delhi, India, will hold a presentation entitled “Difficult Memories: Speaking about Sexual Violence”. More information with full programme.
The 7th Annual Nordic NIAS Council Conference will be hosted by University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in Sønderborg 4–8 November 2013. The theme for the conference is ”The Power of Knowledge: Asia and the West”. It is co-organized by SDU’s Negot in Chinese/Institute of Design and Communication at University of Southern Denmark, and the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS). The conference is divided into two parts, an open conference 5-6 November, and a PhD Course 7-8 November.The conference and PhD workshop will limit itself to Western and Asian experiences, in an effort of bringing the two into a creative and fruitful dialogue. In light of this, area studies and the different disciplines need to come together and share insights and identify theoretical and methodological approaches that might strike a reasonable balance between universal concerns and particular cultural understandings. Keynote speakers include Associated Professor Nandita Chaudhary from Lady Irwin College, Delhi University, India. More information on the conference website.
Conferences and workshops outside Scandinavia
The South Asia Research Institute, at the Research School of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra hosts a workshop on “South Asian Childhoods: Contemporary and Historical Perspectives”, 18–19 July 2013. Venue: Hedley Bull Theatres 1 & 2, ANU, crossing of Garran Road and Liversidge Street, Canberra.
The workshop aims to provide an interdisciplinary platform for scholars studying diverse childhoods in South Asia, and also to enrich the understanding of contemporary children’s lives through historical perspectives. Convergences, conflicts, and aspects that may have been overlooked by one discipline, but explored in another eill be identified and developed. The inclusion of historical and contemporary scholarly perspectives aims to contextualise and historicise issues. A significant objective of the conference will be to highlight the methodological implications of research into the perspectives and experiences of children. More information.
The Thirteenth Seminar of the International Association of Tibetan Studies will take place in Ulaan Baataar, Mongolia, 21-27 July 2013. Altogether twelve seminars have been held before in a total of nine different countries. The last of these being Canada, where the Twelfth Seminar was hosted by the University of British Columbia in 2010. The other countries are the UK, Germany, Japan, Austria, the USA, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.
Behind the seminars stands the organisation International Association of Tibetan Studies (IATS). The IATS was formally created in 1979 on the occasion of a conference of Tibetan Studies that was organised at the University of Oxford by the late Dr. Michael Aris. The purpose of the Association, as stated in the statutes that were drawn up at this meeting, is primarily to promote Tibetan studies from all disciplinary perspectives such as history, religion, linguistics and art, to cite just four prominent examples, by providing a forum at which both established and aspiring scholars can present original academic research. More information about the Ulaan Baataar seminar
The Indian Mine Labour Protection Campaign Trust (MLPC) based in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, organises a National Seminar on ”The Unorganised Sector in India: Extending the Debate to Mining and Quarrying” on 27–28 July 2013, in collaboration with the Pune based organisation Santulan (Social Animation Towards United Liberative Action), and the Australian National University (ANU). The conference will be held at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in Jaipur. The purpose of the seminar is to discuss the issues and challenges around the unorganised sector in India and extend the debates to unorganised mining and quarrying activities. The unorganised sector has begun to receive intense attention in contemporary discussions on the political economy of India, following the report of the National Commission on the Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS), and the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008.
This seminar aims to extend the debate to one small and lesser-known aspect of the informal/unorganised sector, mining and quarrying, and draws attention to the complex labour, environmental and governance issues of this sector. A diverse range of informal, artisanal and small-scale modes of mineral extraction practices exist in India. Globally, over 20 million people in the world depend on this kind of mineral resource extraction for their living. Estimates vary depending on the precise meaning and definition of what might comprise informal/unorganised mining and quarrying. Just by virtue of the numbers involved, such mining and quarrying is significant, but the enormous amounts of mineral resources they produce are also significant.
The conference invites participation by researchers, social work practitioners, trade union representatives and others. Abstracts should be submitted before 30 May 2013. More information.
The Thirteenth biannual European Society for Central Asian Studies (ESCAS) will be held at Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan, 5–6 August 2013. The Conference will be hosted jointly by Nazarbayev University and the R. B. Suleimeinov Institute of Oriental Studies of the Kazakhstan Academy of Sciences.
It eill fearure panels and round-table discussions related to all aspects of research in the arts, humanities and social sciences on Central Asia; the republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, together with Xinjiang, Mongolia, Afghanistan and adjacent regions of Russia, China, Iran, South Asia and the Caucasus.
Scholars and practitioners of anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art & art history, cinema, development studies, economics & finance, history, musicology, philology, political science, sociology and other related disciplines are encouraged to participate. Panel proposals which will cross disciplinary boundaries, bringing together experts from different fields, are particularly welcomed.
The theme of the 2013 conference is “The Steppe and the Sown”. This is to encourage scholars to explore both the many complexities implied by the concepts of pastoral nomadism and sedentary farming and the complex interaction between peoples typically characterized by these concepts in the course of history. It also reflects important themes in the history of Astana itself. More information.
A Seminar on ”The Making of Modern Punjab: Education, Science and Social Change in Punjab c. 1850- c. 2000” will be held at Panjab University in Chandigarh, India, 24 – 26 October 2013. The Seminar is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Ruchi Ram Sahni (1863 – 1948), born barely 14 years after the annexation of the Punjab Kingdom by the British and lived to see India become independent. His life thus covers an important part of Punjab’s and India’s history. The social and religious ferment caused by the British rule and the political responses to it that emerged in Punjab were not autonomous but influenced by developments elsewhere.
The Seminar comprising invited lectures and contributed papers (oral and poster) will focus on all aspects that are related to or an extension of Ruchi Ram’s life and times. All including University and College teachers, research scholars and independent researchers are cordially invited to present their original research at the Seminar. Scholars from and of the Indian sub-continent working abroad are particularly encouraged to participate. All paper proposals will be reviewed by the Programme Committee and the proceedings published.
On-line pre-registration is necessary so that the event can be organized in an economical and efficient manner. Those desirous of attending as audience or as authors of papers should send the following information bye-mail. More information.
The 1st Annual Muslim South Asia Graduate Conference will be held at SOAS, University of London, UK, on 28 October 2013. It is organised by the Muslim South Asia Research Forum(MUSA) – launched at SOAS in May 2013, in collaboration with SOAS Centre for South Asian Studies (CSAS); and the Centre for the Study of Pakistan (CSP). In line with MUSA’s broad objectives, the conference aims to connect scholars and academics researching any aspect of Muslim societies in South Asia, across disciplines. The goal is to provide a platform for connecting emerging scholars on this region and theme and to showcase new and innovative thinking in the field. All papers will be published on the MUSA website in Edited Proceedings. Selected papers may be taken forward for publication in an academic journal.
PhD students and early career researchers from any discipline are invited to apply and present any part of their research. The organisers are interested in identifying the most pertinent themes of current research on Muslim South Asia based on the submissions. Panels will be developed accordingly. Paper proposals from researchers who are basing their findings on primary research are especially encouraged. Abstracts should be submitted by Monday 15 Juy 2013. Full information.
The 2nd Biennial University of Toronto Graduate Student Conference on South Asian Religions will be held 1–2 November 2013 in Toronto, Canada. The theme for the conference will be ”The Methods of Memory”. Graduate students engaged in original research in any field related to the study of South Asian religious traditions (e.g. Religion, Philosophy, Anthropology, History, Art History, Sociology, South Asian Studies, Diaspora and Transnational Studies, Women and Gender Studies, Linguistics, etc.) are invited. This conference will offer a congenial platform for graduate students to present, discuss, and receive feedback on their work from both their peers and faculty in related disciplines. The keynote address will be delivered by Vasudha Dalmia, Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon Professor of Hindu Studies at Yale University.
This conference seeks to continue and expand ongoing conversation on memory with respect to a wide range of South Asian religious phenomena including, but not limited to, the engagement with sacred texts, the creation and veneration of sacred figures and places, the design and performance of rituals, and the projection and transmission of visualized and embodied aesthetic forms. Proposals of no more than 300 words should be submitted by 1 September 2013. More information.
An International Conference on Recent Trends in Communication and Computer Networks (ComNet 2013) will be held in Hyderabad, India, on 8–9 November 2013. ComNet 2013 aims to bring together innovative academics and industrial experts in the field of Computer Science, Information Technology, Computational Engineering, Communication and Network to a common forum. Another goal is to promote scientific information interchange between researchers, developers, engineers, students, and practitioners working in India and abroad. The conference will be held every year to make it an ideal platform for people to share views and experiences in Information, Telecommunication, Computing Techniques and related areas. The CSA conference is organised by the Association of Computer Electronics and Electrical Engineers (ACEEE) and sponsored by the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE). The presented, and registered FULL Papers and SHORT Papers will be published in the IET Digital Library and IEEE Xplore. Abstracts should be submitted before 5 Auugust 2013. More information.
An International Symposium on ”Cities under Restoration” will be held in Kolkata, India, 18–21 November 2013. It is organised by the Centre for Built Environment (CBE). It is a follow-up symposium to another one, entitled ”Cities Under Change”, that was held in October 2012 (more information).
CBE is a registered non-profit professional society, and an umbrella organisation with architects, urban designers, planners and envionmental engineers, from the government, unversity, private organisations and institutions. Its programmes include study research, training, organising lectures and conferences, presentations at international conferences, publications etc. It provides technical guidance to the students and others.
Abstracts should be submitted before 31 August 2013. More information.
An International Conference entitled “Cultural Heritage: Environment, Ecology and Inter-Asian Interactions” will be held in the city of Rajgir in Bihar State, India, 6–8 January 2014. It is jointly organised by the brand new Nalanda University, and the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) in Leiden, Netherlands. Papers that investigate the role environmental/ecological and historical factors have played in the changing significance of sites in Asia and/or how these factors (continue to) influence the maintenance and conservation of these sites are invited. Deadline for paper proposals is 31 July 2013. Venue: Rajgir Convention Center, Rajgir, Dist. Nalanda (Bihar), India.
Keynote speakers include Frederick Asher, Dept. of Art History, University of Minnesota, USA; Robin Coningham, Dept. of Archaeology, Durham University, UK; and Akira Matsui, Director, Center for Archaeological Operations, Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Japan. Rajgir promises to be an exceptionally interesting location for this conference given its proximity to the ancient site of Nalanda University (a prime example of inter-Asian connections) as well as many other important historical and religious sites such as Bodh Gaya, where Buddhism finds it origin. More information.
An International conference on ”Evidence Based Practice in Nursing” will be held at Wardha in Maharashtra state, India, 6–7 Februay 2014. It is jointly organised by Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed University) – DMIMS; Smt. Radhikabai Meghe Memorial College of Nursing, Sawangi (Meghe); and the Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health, Science, and Technology, Karlstad University, Sweden. The purpose of this conference, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), is to share research findings and experiences of evidence based practice in nursing, and heed to nurse researchers, nurse teachers, clinical nurses, and nursing leaders and administrators all around the globe. It marks the end of a three year long Partner driven Swedish-Asian collaboration project on evidence-based practice in India and Sweden.
Professor Elsy Athlin from Karlstad University will hold one of the keynote presentations, entitled ”Collaboration between academy and clinical practice to promote EBP in Indian and Swedish health care contexts- similarities and differences”. Deadline for submitting abstracts is 13 September 2013. Read the Conference Announcement.
The fourth annual Young South Asia Scholars Meet (Y-SASM) Workshop, supposed to be held in Zurich, Switzerland, in September 2013, has been postponed till July 2014. The reason is that is that the European Conference on South Asian Studies (ECSAS) will take place in Zurich from 23 to 26 July 2014 (more information), and so it will be convenient to schedule the Y-SASM workshop just before it – on 21–22 July.
The theme for the 2014 Y-SASM Workshop, to be hosted by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, will be ”Intersectional Knowledges – Rethinking Inequality in South Asia”. The Y-SASM workshops have the declared aim of providing young scholars working on South Asia with a platform for presenting their own research and interacting with scholars from various disciplines. Thereby, it offers an opportunity to establish research networks across the German-speaking region and beyond. Read the Call for Papers.
More information on the Y-SASN blog page
The Board of the European Association for Asian Art and Archaeology (EAAA) invites to its first EAAA conference to be held at Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic, 25–27 September 2014. It will be jointly organized by the EAAA and the Department of Asian Studies (KAS) at Palacký University. The conference is generously supported by Palacký University, as the 8th conference of cultural anthropology of South and Eastern Asia.
Palacký University in Olomouc is the second oldest university in the Czech Republic and one of the oldest in Central Europe. Drawing on more than 400-year tradition of higher education it is nowadays a renowned centre for teaching and research. Olomouc is the capital of the region of Central Moravia and belongs to the oldest cities of the Czech Republic. The conference aims to open a dialog between scholars of Asian art and archaeology and to offer a platform for the presentation and discussion of recent research, and form new research approaches and methods in Asian art and archaeology. Papers on art and archaeology of China, Japan, Korea, South and Central Asia, as well as papers on art theory and methodology, are invited. Deadline for submissions is 15 November 2013. More information.
Have a nice summer,
Lars Eklund
Deputy director/webmaster
SASNET/Swedish South Asian Studies Network