18th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies
held at Lund, Sweden, 6–9 July 2004

Conference impressions and expressions!

Friday 9 July
– The Final Day

The 18th European Conference for Modern South Asian Studies terminated successfully on July 9. The conference’s final day included 12 panels focused on international relations and South Asia; Dalits in literature; history; religions and traditions; marginalized groups; social structural bases; institutions and agricultural development; globalization; medicine and disease; Diaspora studies; and federalism in South Asia.

According to several high-ranking scholars who participated in the conference (being the largest ECMSAS conference so far) it had been a most successful academic gathering on Modern South Asian studies.
At the end of the day the Business Meeting of the conference was held in Academic Society Building (AF), trying to find a candidate university to arrange the next ECMSAS conference to be held in 2006. No decision could however be made, but suggested candidates include universities in the Netherlands, France and United Kingdom. The EASAS board will continue to negotiate and come out with a final decision before 1 October 2004.

The participants finally joyfully attended the Conference Dinner at Friday night. It was arranged in the AF’s Stora Salen and consisted of a delicious buffet served by Restaurant Tegnérs. The conference general Professor Staffan Lindberg, also Director of SASNET, expressed his satisfaction about the conference and appreciated the guests and organizers, who were also thanked by the chairman of EASAS, Prof. Dietmar Rothermund, Heidelberg University. The Conference Dinner was followed by the presentation of Lundagillet, a Swedish Folk dance group which displayed the Swedish traditional music and afterwards invited all the guests to take part in a frolic ring dance. A jolly final to the conference.

         Behnoosh Payvar, (text and photo)
Masters student of South Asian Studies, Lund University