SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK

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Visit to the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore
November 24–25, 2007

Web page: http://www.isec.ac.in

Sweden has many links to ISEC. Dr. Neelambar Hatti from the Department of Economic History at Lund University has collaborated with ISEC for many years, and for a few years students from Lund University’s Masters programme in South Asian Studies (organised by the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies) spent part of their South Asian fieldwork training at ISEC.

In 2007, the Nordic Centre in India (NCI) university consortium organised summer courses on “Society and Environment” for Nordic students in collaboration with students at ISEC.  Two more courses (on “Society and Environment” and “Research Methodology” respectively) will be held at ISEC in the summer of 2008. More information about the NCI summer courses.

On Saturday, November 24 we managed to meet the Director of ISEC, Dr. N. Jayaram, who described the background of the Institute and its ongoing activities. Dr. Jayaram is a sociologist who became ISEC’s Director in December 2006.

ISEC is a highly-respected research institute. It was founded in 1972 in order to cultivate multi-disciplinary research and training in the social sciences. Located in Nagarabhavi, on the outskirts of Bangalore, it has a beautiful campus, a well-equipped guest house (where we stayed), library, computer room, auditorium, seminar halls – and a beautiful garden, large enough for brisk morning walks.

The main mission of ISEC is to be a centre of excellence in the field of social sciences at the international level. However, its endeavours to combine this with local, applied research for social relevance.

ISEC is involved with several international programs other than its collaboration with Sweden and other Nordic countries. Thus, the Institute has organised workshops for the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, D.C., hosted scholars from abroad, and over the years has sent many of its faculty members and Ph.D. students abroad.

At the local level, ISEC brings together scholars and practitioners in different fields with a common goal of applying research in the specific problems of the region, such as agricultural development, population research, environmental development, and health-related issues. ISEC also plays a major role in assisting and advising the local government of Karnataka and the central government of India.

The Government of Karnataka and the Government of India are the main sources of support for the ISEC, which has 8 divisions, approximately 40 faculty members, and 60 Ph.D. students.