SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK

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Newsletter 71:

6 March 2007

SASNET News

• SASNET Report from visit to Kalmar University
On Thursday 15 February 2007, SASNET’s Director Staffan Lindberg and Deputy Director Lars Eklund visited Kalmar University and met researchers involved in the SASNET network. Prof. William Hogland at the Dept. of Technology (Ingenjörshögskolan) presented plans for a new BSc/MSc/PhD programme in Environmental Science and Engineering that is planned for in collaboration with the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand. Prof. Hans Jansson at the Baltic Business School (BBS), a long time specialist on Swedish business in India and China, presented the International research carried out at BBS. Read the SASNET report from Kalmar University.

• SASNET Seminar about Bangladeshi fish production
Dr. Kazi Ali Toufique from Bangladesh and Prof. R. Parthasarathy from India participate in a SASNET seminar about fish production and aquaculture in India and Bangladesh in Lund on Thursday 15 March, 13.15–16.00. Dr. Kazi Ali Toufique is affiliated to Bangladesh Institute for Development Studies in Dhaka, and he will talk about ”Floodplain Aquaculture in Bangladesh: A case of Enchantment or Disenchantment?". Prof. R. Parthasarathy from the Gujarat Institute of Development Research in Gota, Ahmedabad, India, will talk about ”Governance Issues in Natural Resources Management: The case of Fisheries in India”. Prof. Both Dr. Toufique and Prof. Parthasarathy visit Sweden to participate in a three-days workshop on ”Community Management of Openwater Inland Fisheries in Bangladesh and India” being held in Lund 14–17 March (more information below). The seminar is organised in collaboration with the Dept. of Economics, and is part of a SASNET lectures series intended for the Lund University Masters students in Asian Studies as part of their training. Venue: Java Hall, Alfa 1, Ground Floor, Scheelevägen 15 A, Lund.

• Applications for the next round of SASNET planning, workshop and guest lecture programme grants are now invited. Closing date for applications is 15 June 2007. More information.

• More information about SASNET and its activities
See SASNET’s page, http://www.sasnet.lu.se/sasnet.html

Research Community News

• Doctoral dissertation in Göteborg about Pilgrimages in the Himalayas
Andreas Nordin from the Dept. of Social Anthropology, Göteborg University defended his doctoral dissertation titled ”Pilgrimsfärder i Himalaya – interaktion med gudomliga aktörer” (Pilgrimages in the Himalayas – Interaction with Divine Actors) on Saturday 2 December 2006. It focuses upon fundamental regularities in pilgrimages, in the form of ritual interaction with culturally postulated divine actors in the Tibetan and Nepalese Himalayas. Faculty opponent was Prof. Illka Pyysiäinen, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki, Finland. More information about the thesis (with abstract, only in Swedish).

• Thesis about Multicultural Identities in a Swedish–Ugandan–Indian context
Catarina Nyberg from the Dept. of Education, Stockholm University, defended her doctoral dissertation on 7 June 2006, with a thesis titled ”Flerkulturella identifikationer i ett svensk-uganda-indiskt sammanhang” (multicultural identities in a Swedish–Ugandan–Indian context). It is a study of three generations of Hindu and Muslim people of Indian origin coming to Sweden after they were expelled from Uganda in 1972. Dr. Nyberg is now working at Centre for Research in International Migration and Ethnic Relations, CEIFO, an inter-disciplinary research unit at Stockholm University. Its principal aim is to coordinate and develop research in the field of international migration and ethnic relations. Read the abstract of the thesis.

• Evidence of Trust in Bangladesh theme for doctoral dissertation
Minhaj Mahmud from the Dept. of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University, defended his doctoral dissertation titled ”Measuring Trust and the Value of Statistical Lives: Evidence from Bangladesh" on 1 April 2005. The thesis deals with the concept of trust, decreased significantly as the stake size was increased in a trust game conducted in rural Bangladesh. Read the abstract.

• Uppsala Centre for Sustainable Development to be inaugurated
The multi- and interdisciplinary Uppsala Centre for Sustainable Development (UCHU) was launched on 1 January 2007. It is a joint effort by Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) to develop and enhance research within the field of sustainable development in Uppsala. UCHU is an analgamation of three university units that already existed, namely the Baltic University Programme; the Centre for Environment and Development Studies (Cemus); and the Collegium for Development Studies (KUS). The Centre will be formally inaugurated on Wednesday 14 March 2007, from 14.15, with speeches by Anders Hallberg, Vice-Chancellor of Uppsala University, and Lisa Sennerby-Forsse, Rector of SLU. Prof. Alf Hornborg from the Division of Human Ecology, Lund University will lecture about ”Sustainable Development - Environment, Power and Global Justice”. Venue: Hambergsalen, Geocentrum, Villavägen 16 Uppsala. More information about UCHU.

• New web site presents development of the Pakistan - Sweden University
A new web site has now been created to present the development of the Pakistan - Sweden University (UESTP-KTH) that KTH is currently setting up un Sialkot. To improve the quality of higher education to the benefit of society, the Government of Pakistan has invited International cooperation to establish nine new Universities of Engineering Science & Technology in Pakistan (UESTP). Sweden, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, South Korea, China and Japan have been approached. KTH, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, is the Swedish partner to establish UESTP-KTH in Sialkot. Discussions are also in progress between KTH and the University of Jönköping to establish an associated Industrial Park and a Business School, and with another partner about a Medical School. If all pieces in the puzzle come together, the campus will grow into a university town. More information on the KTH Mission to Pakistan web page.

• Time to apply for grants from Sida’s Developing Country Research Council
Grants to support Swedish development research are provided by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida, through its Developing Country Research Council (u-landsforskningsrådet). Applications for 2008 and subsequent years are now open. Last date for submission is 10 April 2007. The decisions of the application round will be announced before the end of November. More information.

• Formas and Sida/SAREC give grants for sustainability research
From 2007, the research council Formas and Sida/SAREC jointly fund a two-year program with the aim to promote participation of scientists from Sweden in sustainability research in developing countries. Last date for applications for this program is 2 April 2007. The main applicant should have a PhD and should be employed at a Swedish university or research institute. The project should have a co-applicant (also PhD), employed by the host organisation, who will actively participate in the research. More information.

• Time to apply for grants from the Swedish Research Council
The Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) provides support for basic research of the highest scientific quality in all fields of science. Several South Asia related projects have been given grants in recent years. Applications for grants for 2008 and subsequent years should be given no later than: 17 April 2007 for projects within Humanities and Social sciences; 19 April 2007 for projects within Medicine; 24 April 2007 for projects within Educational science, and for Research infrastructures; and 26 April 2007 for projects within Natural sciences and Technology. Decisions will be taken in November 2007. Full information on grants currently announced, requirements, instructions etc.

• Swedish Research Links Programme includes special call for research cooperation with India
The Swedish Research Links Programme, funded by Sida but administered by the Swedish Research Council, announces grants for 2008 and and subsequent years. Closing date for applications for Swedish Research Links grants is Thursday 3 May 2007. A special call has (just like in 2006) been given for research cooperation with India, meaning that applications for research and innovation cooperation between India and Sweden are especially encouraged. The objective of this call is to promote interaction between researchers and universities, companies and politicians and other stakeholders in the public sector. Indo-Swedish research collaboration should preferably focus on Biotechnology, ICT and Environmental Technology, but applications in other fields are also welcome.

• More information about funding possibilities
SASNET provides information about research and planning grants available for South Asia related research, provided by other funding agencies in Sweden, the Nordic countries and worldwide on our web site. Go to the funding page.

• Water Scarcity in focus for World Water Day 2007
'Coping with Water Scarcity' is the theme for World Water Day 2007, which is celebrated each year on 22 March. This year's theme highlights the increasing significance of water scarcity worldwide and the need for increased integration and cooperation to ensure sustainable, efficient and equitable management of scarce water resources, both at international and local levels. The World Water Day is administered by UN-Water, the new official United Nations mechanism for follow-up of the water-related decisions reached at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and the Millennium Development Goals. More information about the World Water Day 2007.
In Sweden, the Swedish Waterhouse (SWH) and the universities in Uppsala, Stockholm and Umeå hold seminars and carry out other activities related to the World Water Day 2007 theme on Thursday 22 March. More information.

• Foreword wanted for volume on Edible plants used by East Indians of Trinidad
Chakra Publishing House in Trinidad and Tobago needs someone to write the Foreword for a coming volume about ”Medicinal and Edible plants used by East Indians of Trinidad and Tobago”. The book contains valuable information on 65 plants used mainly – sometimes exclusively – by the East Indian/South Asian community of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. It provides information on the medicinal, edible and other uses of the plants together with data on their botanical names, descriptions, origins and chemical composition. Each plant entry is accompanied by an original drawing for easier identification. Anyone with international expertise, institutional accreditation, and/or research record in ethnobotany, or a related field, is invited to submit his/her name to write the Foreword, that must not be more than 1,000 words long. More information will be provided by Dr Kumar Mahabir, Chairman for Chakra Publishing House. More information about Chakra Publishing House.

• Asian Development Bank offers Internship and Research Fellowship Program
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manilla, the Philippines, offers an Internship and Research Fellowship Program. Internship students must be enrolled in a Masteral- or Ph.D. level program at a registered academic institution in an ADB membership country both prior to and after the internship. Regarding the research fellowships, applicants must be active staff or researchers at one of these registered academic institutions. In both cases they must focus their studies and research in a field directly related to ADB's diverse work (e.g., social infrastructure, agriculture and natural resources, energy, finance, industry, transport, communications, and economics). South Asia related internship project topics for 2007 include ”Among Industrial Performance and Infrastructure Constraints”, examining four to five key industries in India, to discover how poor infrastructure affects their standing, if at all, in the context of global competition. Another project deals with ”Decentralized Management of Public Sector Service Providers with Reference to Irrigation and Water Resources”, a study of decentralization of irrigation and water providers in the public sector, including recommendations for advancements that would have application in Pakistan, Central Asia and other ADB developing member countries. More information.

• Yahoo discussion group on North East India
NorthEastIndia Interest Group is a Yahoo discussion group created in 2003. It aims at promoting and further the cause of professionals and students from the Northeastern parts of India, and create an online society of a professional network and a students’ network. It consists of one subgroup, NorthEastIndia@yahoogroups.com solely dedicated to professionals, while NorthEastIndiaStudents@yahoogroups.com is for the students with special emphasis on their career needs. Like other yahoo groups communication it is based on e-mails, but messages are also available for registered group members through the web page http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NorthEastIndia/

• New blog about Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development
Globe Award Blog is a Swedish blog introduced in February 2007 jointly by Globe Forum, PriceWaterHouseCoopers, and CSR Sweden. It deals with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Development. Experts, students and professionals are invited to share their concepts, and texts in the blog.

• Manifestation in Stockholm for Indian Dalits
On Saturday 14 April 2007, the Dalit Solidarity Network - Sweden organises a demonstration in Stockholm in favour of Dalits and their struggle for human rights in India. The manifestation is scheduled to be held at Norrmalmstorg in central Stockholm at 13.00. More information (as a pdf-file).

• More information about South Asia related research at Swedish and Nordic universities
See SASNET’s page, http://www.sasnet.lu.se/research.html

Educational News

• Foreign researchers dealing with sensitive issues get their visas for India delayed
During February 2007, the Indian Express newspaper in New Delhi has published a series of articles highlighting how foreign scholars are stranded – their visas for India delayed, and many even asked to change their subjects. The issue of approvals for foreign research scholars has become a matter of concern over the past two years with cases of American Fulbright scholars waiting for clearance for periods ranging from six to 21 months. Among the proposals that were rejected were “Left politics in Maharashtra” and “Muslim women’s perceptions of their role”. In August 2006, when the scholars should already have been in India, 93 of the 100 Fulbright visa applications were pending. Eight of these applications are still pending. In an article published 15 February, the paper now reports that the Indian government is planning a green channel for categories of research and institutions that can be approved without going through the harrowing process of clearance. But there will still be a red channel that will basically be defined by the scholar’s nationality, the home institution, the participating institution in India and, significantly, the nature of research.

• Academic Standards may still be going down in Pakistan
Spending on higher education in Pakistan has gone up extensively in recent years, but critics say academic standards are still going down. Shailaja Neelakantan, a freelance writer based in New Delhi, has written an article – cover story in The Chronicle of Higher Education (published from Washington D.C.) on 19 January 2007, titled ”In Pakistan, the Problems that Money can bring”. Neelakantan, a graduate of Columbia Journalism School, has more than 15 years reporting experience in India and the U.S. The article includes information about the nine engineering universities that are now being constructed across the country, in collaboration with Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden (KTH), and other countries, in order to fix the country's acute shortage of engineers. Read the article.

• Karlstad University offers Hindi language training during their India Programme in Varanasi
Every year, Karlstad University in collaboration with the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi, India, offers students at the university’s C/D-level courses at the departments of History of Religions and Geography and Tourism the opportunity to spend one full semester in Varanasi, this year 12 September–22 December 2007.
The 20 credits India Programme begins with a 5 credits preparatory course (conducted in Karlstad during the last two weeks in May and last two weeks in August), a course that includes research methodology. After arrival in Varanasi, a 5 credits seminar series on the ”Multi-Cultural Aspects of Banaras” follows, and finally 10 credits consisting of an Individual Study Project. Qualified academic advisors, often affiliated with BHU, serves as local experts for the students, and the final result of the “Individual Study Project” is a C/D level essay.
In a formal agreement with the Dept. of Linguistics and Philology at Uppsala University, it is since last year possible to conduct Hindi studies for 10 Swedish points (15 ECTS), simultaneously with studies in History of Religion or Cultural Geography. All eight students in the 2006 group enjoyed these lessons, held in an outdoor courtyard, and attained 10 extra university credits. The basic Hindi studies were of great benefit in everyday situations on the streets, in the bazaar and during field work studies. The Hindi language training is given by Dr. Virendra Singh.
The students are accommodated at Ganga Mahal, the Swedish Study Centre rented by Karlstad University in a ”palace” on the bank of the Ganges River. Applicants must be qualified for admission to the C/D levels of History of Religion or Cultural Geography at Karlstad University. Last date for applications to the India Programme 2007 is Monday 2 April 2007, but an information meeting is already held on Wednesday 14 March 2007, at 15.00. Full information about the India Programme 2007.

• The Dept. of Religious Studies in Göteborg University organises a study tour to India
The Dept. of Religious Studies and Theology at Göteborg University will organise a study tour to India in December 2007 – January 2008. Students on C- and D-level are invited to participate in the tour that cover different places in North India but will concentrate on Varanasi. Each student is required to do a project work that will be equivalent to a 5 credits course in their studies. Students who are interested to participate should register before 1 August 2007. More information (as a pdf-file)

• Overseas Development Group offers short courses for development professionals
The Overseas Development Group (ODG), a charitable company wholly owned by the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, regularly organizes short courses for development professionals, some of them during the Spring–Summer 2007, on subjects like ”Practical Facilitation Skills for Development Professionals and Practitioners” (2–13 July, course tutor: Sarah Gelpke); and ”Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Activities” (16 July–10 August). More information about the ODG professional courses.

• More information about South Asia related education at Swedish and Nordic universities
See SASNET’s page, http://www.sasnet.lu.se/education.html

Conferences and courses

• Lund Workshop about Community Management of Openwater Inland Fisheries in Bangladesh and India
A three-days workshop on "Community Management of Openwater Inland Fisheries in Bangladesh and India" will be held at Lund University 14–17 March 2007. The workshop is organised by Dr. Alia Ahmad at the Dept. of Economics, and is the result of a major Swedish Research Links project carried out since 2004 (more information about the project). The participants include Mr. Muzaffar Ahmed and Dr. Nurul Islam from WorldFish Center in Bangladesh; Dr. Kazi Ali Toufique from the Bangladesh Institute for Development Studies, BIDS, in Dhaka; and Prof. R. Parthasarathy, Gujarat Institute of Development Research in Gota, Ahmedabad, India. Besides Alia Ahmad, the Lund University representatives are Dr. Ellen Hillblom from the Dept. of Economic History, Iftekharul Haque, student at the Masters Programme in South Asian Studies; and Prof. Staffan Lindberg from the Dept. of Sociology (also SASNET’s Director).

• 9th Jaina Studies Workshop to be held at SOAS in London
The 9th Jaina Studies Workshop with the theme ”Jainism and Modernity” will be held at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, UK, on Wednesday 21 March 2007. The Annual Jain Lecture will be held by Prof. Lawrence A. Babb from Amherst College. He will talk about ”Jainism and the culture of trade”. Among the participants are Prof. Olle Qvarnström from the Dept. of History and Anthropology of Religion, Lund University, who will present a paper on ”The Dancing Indra: Jain Cave Paintings from Ellora”. Venue: Centre of Jaina Studies, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London. More information.

• Silk Road Studies Program organises one day forum in Uppsala about Nepal Water Security
The Silk Road Studies Program at Uppsala University arranges a one day forum entitled "Nepal Water Security Forum" on Tuesday 27 March 2007. It is organised by Dr. Fiona Rotberg, Director for the Environmental Security in Asia Project at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute/Silk Road Studies Program, and Prof. Ashok Swain, Dept. of Peace and Conflict Studies, Uppsala University. Six renowned international researchers will share their views on the important issue of Water Security, a topic of great concern in South Asia today. Presentations and discussion during the day will include: Nepal today: Challenges and opportunities for addressing water security, water conflict; Legal and institutional challenges of sharing water resources across borders; The intersection of water security, resource scarcity and conflict and cooperation; and The future role of the international community in water security issues. The participants in the forum are Mr. Ajaya Dixit, founder of the Nepal Water Conservation Foundation, Kathmandu, Nepal; Dr. Ashok Regmi, Research Associate at the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, Indiana University, USA; Dr. Ganesh Shivakoti, Professor of Agricultural and Natural Resources Economics at the School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand; and Dr. Bishnu Raj Upreti, Regional Coordinator of the National Centre of Competence in Research’s (NCCR) Programme North South, Kathmandu, Nepal. More information (as a pdf-file).

• Tor Halfdan Aase keynote speakar at the 2007 BASAS Conference
The British Association for South Asian Studies, BASAS, invites for its Annual Conference & AGM 2007, to be held 28–30 March 2007 at St Catharine’s College in Cambridge, UK. The conference wil be organised by Dr Bhaskar Vira at the Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. The 2007 Nirman Foundation Lecture will be given by Prof. Tor Halfdan Aase, Dept. of Geography, University of Bergen, Norway. He will speak about "Local Responses to Globalisation in the Himalayas". More information.

• Copenhagen conference about Religion in Security Politics
A conference about ”Religion in Security Politics: New Themes and Challenges” will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, 29–30 March 2007. The conference, organised by Ravinder Kaur at the Institute for Society and Globalisation (ISG), Roskilde University, and Dietrich Jung at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), aims at exploring the construction of religion, mainly ‘other’ religions that are framed in violence, as a civilisational threat within the current security politics discourse; and how security politics is itself being shaped anew through incursions into fields of theology, sociology, and philosophy that home religion otherwise. It also aims at exploring the politics of passion as witnessed in the Middle East and Asia, and also the frequent use of past traditions, historical events, religious prophecies, myths, folktales etc. to construct a fluent narrative of the present conflicts and disagreements. Venue: Auditorium, DIIS, Strandgade 71, Copenhagen. More information. (as a pdf-file)

• Professor Jyoti Puri participates in Focus Asia Seminar in Lund
The Centre for East and Southeast Asian Studies at Lund University invites to another Focus Asia seminar 17–18 April 2007. It includes a workshop titled ”The intersections between Desires and Violences” that partly focuses on South Asia. The purpose of the workshop is to examine the contingent intersections between symbolic as well as manifested forms of desires and violences in Asia and at a more general level. One of the participants is Associate Professor Jyoti Puri (photo), Dept. of Sociology and Women’s Studies, Bombay University, India (but currently affiliated to the Gender/Cultural Studies (GCS) program at Simmons College, Boston University, USA). She will talk about "Sexuality/State/Biopolitics: Notes from New Delhi". Dr. Puri is particularly interested in the ways that the constructions of gender and sexuality are being shaped within a transnational context. Her book, ”Women, Body, Desire in Postcolonial India: Narratives of Gender and Sexuality”, was published by Routledge in 1999. Venue for Focus Asia 2007: Hotel Lundia; Knut den Stores Torg 2, Lund. More information.

• Washington symposium about Women Movers in the Indian Subcontinent
A Symposium about ”Patronage and Power: Women Movers and Shakers in the Indian Subcontinent” is held at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, USA, on Friday 20 April 2007. The symposium is jointly organised by the Asian Division of the Library of Congress, the Asian Division Friends Society (ADFS), and the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. Panels are devoted to ”Women and Religion”, ”Begums and Maharanis”, ”Women leaders in India's Independence Struggles”, and ”Women and Art”. More information.

• Arun Gandhi keynote speaker at the 2007 World Peace Conference in Santa Fe
The 2007 World Peace Conference with the theme "Building a Culture of Peace" will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, 16–17 May 2007. This working conference will call together up to 500 local, national, and global peace leaders for inquiry and strategic thinking on the question: “What would it take to transform the current culture of violence in our societies to a true culture of peace?” The key speakers include Arun Gandhi, Director of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence in Memphis, Tennessee (and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi); and H.H. the Dalai Lama, 1989 Nobel Peace Laureate, spiritual leader of Tibet and international speaker on nonviolence and compassion (by video). More information.

• Tashkent conference about University – Business collaboration
An International conference titled ‘University – Business Collaboration: Models for Sustainable Development in Transition Economies’ will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Thursday 17 may 2007. It is hosted by the Westminster International University in Tashkent, and guests from both higher education and business and industry are invited to propose papers on the issues of university and business collaboration. The focus of the conference will be looking at models which strengthen cooperation between these two partners particularly in the context of transition economies in which universities are having to rapidly adapt to the changing needs of the market. Papers can relate to any of the following themes: • Identifying the skills business needs and closing the skills gap; • The knowledge economy – the role of the university; • Corporate Social Responsibility and Education; and • Bringing employers and graduates together. Deadline to submit a paper proposal is 31 March 2007. More information.

• Development as Justice theme for graduate students conference in Oxford
The 2007 Oxford University Students for Development conference will be held on 23 June 2007. This annual one-day conference, organised since 2002 by graduate students at Oxford's Department for International Development (Queen Elizabeth House), has an aim to bring together students from the United Kingdom and beyond to stimulate fresh and novel thinking in the field of development. The theme for the 2007 conference will be 'Development as Justice'. It is open for students, practitioners, and anyone concerned by global inequality and injustice. Deadline for submission of abstracts is 15 April 2007.

• International Conference on Sustainable Landfill Management in Chennai
An International Conference on Sustainable Landfill Management will be held 5–7 September 2007 in Chennai, India. The conference provides a forum to share ideas and experiences in this field where leading experts present their research activities and discuss new concepts and technologies for Sustainable Waste Management. It is organised by the Centre for Environmental Studies, Anna University, in association with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand, and with financial support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida. Prof. William Hogland from the Dept. of Technology, Kalmar University, is a member of the organizing committee. Venue: Muthian Auditorium, Centre for Environmental Studies Anna University, Chennai. More information.

• Religion and the Body in Indian Religions theme for 2007 Albion Conference
The Conference on the Study of Religions of India (CSRI) invites proposals for its annual meeting at Albion College in Albion, Michigan, USA, 13–16 September 2007. The conference theme is “Religion and the Body in Indian Religions.” CSRI is a forum of exchange for scholars engaged in the academic study of the religious traditions of India in both native and diasporic contexts. Only scholars with terminal degrees in religious studies or related academic disciplines (like Anthropology, Art, Ethnomusicology, History, Philosophy, Theology, Women Studies) researching and/or teaching in the area of religions of India are eligible to present, attend, and participate in the conference. Albion College serves as the host institution for the conference. More information.

• Melbourne conference about Democracy, Development and Civil Society in India
The University of Melbourne arranges a conference titled 'Democracy, Development and Civil Society in India', 20–21 September 2007. The conference, that will will address some of the challenges facing India, is organised by Dr Salim Lakha, School of Anthropology, Geography & Environmental Science (SAGES); and Dr Pradeep Taneja, Department of Political Science. Keynote speakers include Prof. Zoya Hasan from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, and Prof. Ashutosh Varshney from University of Michigan, USA. Venue: The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. More information.

• 8th International Conference on Asian Youth and Childhoods to be held in Lucknow
The 8th International Conference on Asian Youth and Childhoods 2007 will be held 22–24 November 2007 in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh in North India. It is being organized by Circle for Child and Youth Research Cooperation in India (CCYRCI) & JNPG Degree College, Lucknow. The Conference is an official event of the Research Committee of Youth (RC:34) & Research Committee of Childhood (RC:53), of the International Sociological Association, ISA. Over the last decade, International Conference on Asian Youth has established a reputation as a focal point for new ideas and new practices in social sciences and humanities research and teaching. The previous Conferences were held in Macao, Shanghai & Beijing in 2005, 2004 & 2003 respectively. The theme for the 2007 Conference will be ”Asian Youth and Childhoods across the World”. Last date for submission of abstract is 31 March 2007. More information.

• Asian Security in focus for Second Annual Nordic NIAS Council (NNC) Conference
The Second Annual Nordic NIAS Council (NNC) Conference, titled ”Culture and the Configuring of Security: Using Asian Perspectives to Inform Theoretical Direction”, will be held in Höör, north of Lund, 6–9 November 2007. Researchers (including doctoral students) and other specialists with particular interest and insights into Asian security aspects are invited to participate in the conference, that aims to break new theoretical ground by exploring a plurality of discourses and practices of security, and discussing ways of theorizing their embeddedness in social and cultural matrices. It is organised by the Nordic NIAS Council (NNC), a Nordic network comprising of universities and research institutions working on Asia, in partnership with Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen University and Lund University. More information.

• Indian Traditions of Language Studies to be discussed in Potsdam 2008
The Eleventh International Conference on the History of the Language Sciences will be held in Potsdam, Germany, 28 August – 2 September 2008. The conference, organised by Universität Potsdam, includes a separate workshop on ”Indian Traditions of Language Studies”, to be convened by Jean-Luc Chevillard from CNRS – Université Paris 7, and Emilie Aussant from Université de Bordeaux III, France. More information.

• Other conferences connected to South Asian studies arranged all over the World
See SASNET’s page, http://www.sasnet.lu.se/conferences.html#conf

Important lectures and workshops

• Oslo seminar about ”Emerging India? Challenges and Prospects”
A one-day seminar about ”Emerging India? Challenges and Prospects” will be held in oslo on Friday 9 March 2007, 10.30–17.30. The seminar is organised by the Dept. of Culture Studies and Oriental Language (IKOS), Oslo University, as part of its ongoing research project about ’Political culture in South Asia’. The seminar will focus on the preconditions for India’s economic growth; its effects on social and cultural change, as well as on the environment; and which challenges the state will face in order to secure continued growth. Among the lecturers are SASNET’s Director Prof. Staffan Lindberg, who will talk about 25 years of rural change in Tamil Nadu; Prof. Pamela Price, University of Oslo, about voters preferences, poverty and development; Sten Widmalm, Uppsala University, about decentralization and development; Alf Gunvald Nilsen, Univerity of Nottingham, UK, about social movements and "the reinvention of India". Prof. Hans Blomkvist, Uppsala University, will talk about the challenges that India faces regarding energy security and energy supply; Hal Wilhite, University of Oslo, about changes in consumption patterns – challenging the environment; Anne Waldrop, Oslo University College, about women and political mobilisation; and finally Arild Engelsen Ruud, University of Oslo, about India’s problematic relations to its neighbouring countries. More information.

• Uppsala lecture about Category of Evidentiality in South Asian Languages
Prof. Elena Bashir, Dept. of South Asian languages and literatures, University of Chicago, USA, lectures at Uppsala University on Wednesday 14 March 2007, 14.15–16.00. Prof. Bashir will talk about ”The Category of Evidentiality in South Asian Languages”. The lecture is organised by the Dept. of Linguistics and Philology, Uppsala University. Venue: Engelska Parken, room 2-0024.

• Elena Bashir lectures about Language and Identity Issues in Pakistan
Prof. Elena Bashir, Dept. of South Asian languages and literatures, University of Chicago, USA, lectures at Uppsala University on Monday 19 March 2007, 14.15–16.00. Prof. Bashir will talk about ”Language and Identity Issues: Case Studies from Pakistan”. The lecture is organised by the Dept. of Linguistics and Philology, Uppsala University. Venue: Engelska Parken, room 2-0024.

• CPAS Seminar about Russian-Indian-Israeli Defence Industry Co-operation
The Center for Pacific Asia Studies (CPAS) at Stockholm University invites to its 2007 CPAS Seminar on Tuesday 20 March 2007, 13–15. Dr. Eugene Kogan, Defence industry analyst, and currently guest researcher at CPAS, will lecture about 'Co-operation in the Russian-Indian-Israeli Aerospace & Defence Industry and its Implications for China'. The starting point is that China is the largest buyer of Russian arms and India the second (43% of Russian arms exports went to China, and 25% to India in the period 2001-2005: SIPRI Yearbook 2006). Israel also provides high-tech weapon systems to India, and there is a complex defence industrial cooperation among Russia, India and Israel. Venue: CPAS, Kräftriket 4B, Stockholm University (0.8 km south of Metro 'Universitet'/Stockholm University Frescati; 'Albano' by Bus 40 or 70). More information.

• Stockholm lecture about India’s Economy
The journalist and writer Bo Kage Carlsson lectures about ”Indiens ekonomi – snabb tillväxt och växande klyftor” (India’s Economy – fast growth and widening income gaps) at Stockholm University on Wednesday 21 March 2007, 15–17. The lecture is is organised by the Center for Pacific Asia Studies (CPAS), being part of the weekly CPAS wednesday public lectures series. Venue: Aulan, Department of Oriental Languages, Kräftriket 4, Stockholm.

• Chapal Khasnabis presents UN Policy for Community Based Rehabilitation
The Association for Rehabilitation in Developing Countries (Föreningen för re/habilitering i utvecklingsländer, FRU) invites to a seminar about ”Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities - the new UN Policy for Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR)” on Saturday 24 March 2007, 10.00-16.00. It is organised in collaboration with the Swedish Development Forum (FUF). Mr. Chapal Khasnabis from the WHO Disability and Rehabilitation Team in Geneva is one of the participants. He will present the UN Report on the issue, and talk about experiences from fieldwork in India. Venue: Akademiskt Forum, Kulturhuset, Sergels Torg, Stockholm. More infomation (only in Swedish) http://www.fru.se/handelse.asp?kalenderID=33

• Seminars in connection to Afghanistan exhibition in Stockholm
- ”3 X Afghanistan, Three photographers, Three meetings, Three decades”, an exhibition of photos taken in Afghanistan by Kärsti Stiege, Maria Söderberg, and Eva Wernelid, is shown at the Museum of the Mediterranean (Medelhavsmuseet) in Stockholm, 20 March - 1 April 2007. The exhibition documents three Swedish lady photographers' encounters with Afghanistan during three decades, the 1970s, 80s and 90s. See photos from the exhibition. A photo by Kärsti Stiege to be seen to the right. Venue: Bagdad Café, Medelhavsmuseet, Fredsgatan 2, Stockholm. More information.
- A public seminar is held on Wednesday 21 March 2007, 17-20. The three photographers whose photos are exhibited, will be present. Carl Schönmeyr and Jenny Anderberg from SCA will talk about the development assistance work carried out in Afghanistan, and finally, Johan Mårtelius, Professor of Architectural History at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) will lecture about ”Architecture, towns and villages in Afghanistan”. Venue: Medelhavsmuseet, Fredsgatan 2, Stockholm. More information.
- The Stockholm based Media and Consultancy company Global Reporting invites to a seminar titled ”En svensk tiger i Afghanistan” (A Swedish Tiger in Afghanistan) on Friday 23 March 2007, 16.30. It is organised in collaboration with Maria Söderberg and the Museum of the Mediterranean, and focuses on the Swedish involvement in the ISAF force, and the discussion whether Sweden also should send its JAS jetplanes to Afghanistan, or instead withdraw all troops from the country. Among the participants are Bengt Kristiansson, General Secretary for the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (and a member of SASNET's board); and the writer Gösta Hultén, previously engaged in the Swedish Guantanamo Group. Venue: Medelhavsmuseet, Fredsgatan 2, Stockholm. More information.
- A seminar and panel discussion with the theme ”Images of Afghanistan - Past and Present” is held on Sunday 1 April, 13.00-14.50. Maria Söderberg will present her photos and tell about experiences from journeys to Afghanistan she made as a journalist and photographer during the years 1982-92. Börje Almqvist and Björn-Åke Törnblom from SCA will speak about the current situation in the country, and together with Maria they will discuss the changes that have taken place in Afghanistan, and where the country is now heading. Venue: Bagdad Café, Medelhavsmuseet, Fredsgatan 2, Stockholm. More information.

• EU Seminar in Hässleholm about India and China
The Olof Palme International Center organises a so-called EU Forum as a half-day seminar in Hässleholm on Tuesday 27 March 2007. The theme for the seminar will be ”The European Union and China/India”. Among the invited speakers are the former Swedish Ambassador to China, Börje Ljunggren; and Prof. Masako Ikegamo from the Center for Pacific Asia Studies (CPAS), Stockholm University, who will lecture about ”China and India – Energy, Security and Impact on EU”. SASNET’s Director, Prof. Staffan Lindberg, will talk about ”Growth, Poverty and Democratization in India”, and Mr. Robin Sukhia, representative for the Sweden India Business Council (SIBC), will talk about ”Trade and Labour rights in India”.

• Lecture about Kolkata city landscape at Global Cities in Asia seminar in Lund
A one day seminar focusing on ”Global Cities in Asia” is held at Lund University on Monday 2 April 2007. The seminar, open to the public, is organised by the Centre for East and South East Asian Studies (ACE). The four speakers come from different disciplines, such as architecture and architectural history, urban studies, and cultural studies, and their lectures focus on the rapid developments that have dramatically changed the cityscape and social and economic life in Asian cities. Professor Swati Chattopadhyay, University of California in Santa Barbara, currently a visiting scholar at the Swedish Collegium of Advanced Studies in Uppsala, will talk about "Bourgeois Utopias? The rhetoric of globality in the suburban landscape of contemporary Calcutta"; and Dr. Marie Thynell, Dept. of Peace and Development Studies, Göteborg University, will talk about "City growth and sustainable urbanisation in Asia – some comments". Venue: Java Hall, Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Scheelevägen 15 C, Lund. More information.

• Indian Industry in focus at Lund workshop on Globalization of Innovation
A workshop on Globalization of Innovation: A Deeper Look into India and China is held at Lund University on Thursday 12 April 2007. The workshop, jointly organized by the Lund Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning Economy (CIRCLE) and the Nordic Institute for Asian Studies, brings together well-known scholars working on India and China to present, discuss and compare the scope and depth of the move from cost-competition to more knowledge intensive activities in a selection of sectors in China and India. Professor Rakesh Basant (photo) from the Indian Institute of Management (IIT) in Ahmedabad, talks about Indian Software Industry (with Cristina Chaminade as discussant). Prof. Basant also talks about the Indian autoparts and automotive industry (Jan Vang being discussant). Associate Professor Mark Lorenzen from the Dept. of Industrial Economics and Strategy (IVS) at Copenhagen Business School talks about the Indian film Industry (Björn Asheim being discussant). Venue: Dept. of Social and Economic Geography, Room 126, Sölvegatan 10, Lund. More information (as a Word document).

• Vibha Arora lectures in Uppsala about the worship of Mt. Kanchenjunga in Sikkim
Dr. Vibha Arora from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), New Delhi, India, lectures at Uppsala University on Tuesday 24 April 2007, 14.15–16.00. Dr. Arora will talk about ”Identity, Indigeneity and Belonging in the Sacred Landscape: Worshipping Mt. Kanchenjunga in Sikkim”. The lecture is part of a seminar series organised by the South Asia Seminar at Uppsala University. Venue still to be announced.

Swedish Business and Politics related to South Asia

• Swedish trade delegation visited India and the Götheborg ship in Chennai Harbour
A Swedish trade delegation led by Maud Olofsson, Swedish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Enterprise and Energy, visited India in the last week of January 2007. The visit coincided with the much publicized two weeks visit to Chennai harbour by the Swedish ship Götheborg (the replica of a 250-year-old original East Indiaman ship), and this formed the highlight of the delegation’s tour. In New Delhi, Maud Olofsson also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Congress Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and several other politicians. The India tour otherwise focused primarily on visits to telecom- and automobile industries (including Ericsson, Sony Ericsson – that has recently decided to manufacture mobile phones from Sriperumbudur near Chennai – and Volvo). The delegation also participated in an India-Sweden Business Forum, where Ms Olofsson in a keynote presentation said India and Sweden could jointly work in areas such as information, communication and technology, biotechnology and environment. The ship Götheborg visited Chennai on the route from China back to Sweden, and it created lots of publicity in Indian media. During the stopover in Chennai, the Swedish embassy organised a so-called “Sweden Comes to Chennai” programme, including the business seminars mentioned above, but also a seminar on sustainable city planning, being jointly organised by IIT Madras and the city of Göteborg. There were also a number of exhibitions and the public was invited to visit the ship. On the culture front, the Swedish jazz fusion group Mynta performed in Chennai, a Swedish food festival was organised at the Taj Coromandel, and a Swedish film festival was held. More information about Götheborg’s visit to Chennai (only in Swedish).

• World Bank Report about doing business in South Asia 2007
Web based regional report for South Asia, prepared by the World Bank. The report, released on 13 February 2007, covers eight countries in the World Bank’s South Asia region and examines 12 major cities in India, six in Pakistan, and four in Bangladesh. Doing business became easier in India and Pakistan in 2005-2006, according to the report. Within India, Hyderabad has the most business-friendly regulations. Mumbai is in 11th place, ahead of Calcutta. Karachi is at the top in Pakistan, while Dhaka ranks best in Bangladesh. Entrepreneurs in South Asia face large regulatory obstacles to doing business: A standard company in India pays 81% of commercial profits in taxes, and in Pakistan it takes 560 hours per year to comply with all tax regulations. More information about the World Bank’s Report.

• More information about South Asia related business and politics in Sweden
See SASNET’s page, http://www.sasnet.lu.se/polbuss.html

South Asia related culture in Scandinavia

• Anna Laine involved in artistic project on Kolam art tradition in South India
Besides a doctoral dissertation project at the Dept. of Social Anthropology, Göteborg University, PhD candidate Anna Laine is also engaged in an artistic project – a form of Visual Anthropology dealing with the Kolam art tradition in South India. Anna, as a photographer and film maker, collaborates with a Kolam maker in Tamil Nadu, S. Malathi, as well as with the Swedish artist Kristina Matousch, based in Malmö, and Dr Alka Pande, Consultant Arts Advisor and Curator for the Visual Arts Gallery at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. Dr. Pande has a PhD degree from Punjab University, Chandigarh, and later spent time as a post-doc at the Goldsmith College in London, UK. She has been engaged in the promotion of Indian art, culture and philosophy worldwide for many years, and in December 2006 the French Government awarded her the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, an order formed to pay tribute to the outstanding contributions of artists and personalities in the field of arts, to their nations and to the world. More information.
The artists will exchange knowledge and experiences from a period of working together in India. The aim behind this project is to challenge culturally constructed categories, to investigate particularities and commonalities in our respective backgrounds. The resulting art works will be presented as images and performances at the Indian Habitat Centre in October 2008. In a later stage, the works will be presented at an art institution in Sweden. More information.

• Debashish Bhattacharya gives concert in Lund
The world’s leading Slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya (photo to the right) performs in Lund on Sunday 25 March 2007, 18.00. Bhattacharya hails from Kolkata, India, was awarded the ”President of India Award” already in 1984, and has also frequently played with Western musicians like John Maclaughlin och Bob Brozman. He has been invited by Lunds Teaterförening, and will perform at Bredgatan 3.

• Mynta on hectic Swedish tour – after completing their Indian tour
Mynta, the Indo-Swedish group including the Indian musicians Fazal Qureshi (brother of Zakir Hussain) and Shankar Mahadevan has returned from another Indian tour. During three weeks in January-February Mynta performed in six metropolitan cities, including a spectacular show on board the Swedish ship "Götheborg" in Chennai Harbour on 1 February 2007. The group offering an exciting mixture of Indian and African music mixed with Arabian clang, jazz and Swedish folk songs will now make a hectic Swedish tour during the month of March, performing at 20 locations from Simrishamn and Lund in the south to Avesta and Skutskär in the north. More information.

• More information about South Asia related culture in Scandinavia
See SASNET’s page, http://www.sasnet.lu.se/culture.html

New and updated items on SASNET web site

• Swedish departments where research on South Asia is going on:
Constantly added to the list of research environments at Swedish universities, presented by SASNET. The full list now includes 205 departments, with detailed descriptions of the South Asia related research and education taking place! Go to http://www.sasnet.lu.se/environment.html

ƒ Dept. of Business Administration, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University

ƒ Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University

 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, Scheelevägen 15 D, SE-223 70 Lund, Sweden
Visiting address: Ideon Research Park, House Alfa 1 (first floor, room no. 2040), in the premises of the Centre for East and South East Asian Studies at Lund University (ACE).
Phone: + 46 46 222 73 40
Fax: + 46 46 222 30 41
E-mail: sasnet@sasnet.lu.se
Web site: http://www.sasnet.lu.se
Staff: Staffan Lindberg, director/coordinator & Lars Eklund, webmaster/deputy director