BASAS Annual Lecture 2009

THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES

ANNUAL LECTURE 2009

Professor Kanti Bajpai of Oxford University

"The Study of South Asia's International Relations: Towards an Agenda?"

Thursday 12th November 2009, from 1730, a reception will be held after the event

at the British Academy, Carlton Terrace, London

Lecture overview:

South Asia's international relations seem to garner much less scholarly attention than its domestic politics. This is worrisome for various reasons- first, because the region's international relations is consequential for international politics more broadly, especially in Asia; second, because external relations and domestic politics are mutually affecting; and third, because the region is a potential laboratory for testing the utility of various ideas, theories, and methods in international relations. Those who study South Asia need to begin to lay out an agenda for research. What are some of the key puzzles, problematiques, and policy issues in South Asia's international relations? Can we begin to lay out some key priorities and a roadmap? This talk will attempt to answer those questions in an effort to stimulate discussion and debate.

Please RSVP basas@basas.org.uk

The BASAS Annual Lecture is co-sponsored by the Politics of South Asia Specialist Group of the Political Studies Association.

BASAS AGM 2009

BASAS members are invited to attend the BASAS AGM which will be held at the British Academy on Thursday 12 November 2009 starting at 5 p.m.

HE Academy funding available for South Asian Studies Teaching and Learning

The Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies welcomes bids of up to £3,000 for pedagogic research or materials development projects in languages, linguistics and area studies. The remit of LLAS is to support teaching and learning of languages, linguistics and area studies in UK higher education.

These guidelines have been produced to help potential bidders decide whether or not their proposed project is likely to be considered. Proposals are welcome in any aspect of teaching and learning in languages, linguistics or area studies, but the following themes have been identified as priority areas.

* Language/area studies projects relating to specific languages/regions - we would particularly welcome bids from the following languages/area studies: Africa, the Americas, South East Asia (e.g. Indonesia, Malaysia etc), South Asia (e.g. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan etc)
* Student experience in linguistics including employability
* Interdisciplinarity within LLAS subjects and with other disciplines (e.g. the linguistics of foreign languages, languages and area studies for business)
* The foreign language needs of Postgraduate graduates students in non-language disciplines (including linguistics and area studies where applicable)
* Teacher training in less widely taught languages
* British Sign Language

Full details at http://www.llas.ac.uk/projects/3324

Dr John Canning
Senior Academic Coordinator
Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies University of Southampton Southampton
SO17 1BJ
Tel: +44 (0) 23 8059 4814
Fax: +44 (0) 23 8059 4815

Follow LLAS on Twitter! http://twitter.com/HEA_LLAS

The Area Studies Network list is run by the Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies, www.llas.ac.uk. LLAS is now a Subject Centre of the Higher Education Academy, www.heacademy.ac.uk

Punjab Research Group - next meeting 31 Oct 2009

The next Punjab Research Group meeting will take place on 31st October 2009 at De Montfort University, Leicester.

Speakers include:
Kathryn Lum, European University Institute, Florence, Italy
‘A community at a crossroads: A case study of the Ravidassia Sangat in Barcelona’

Navtej Purewal, University of Manchester
‘Articulations of Caste through Religion: Codes of Hegemony and Invisibility in West Punjab’

In the past few months, the issue of caste in Punjab has been making the headlines for a number of reasons. Therefore, it seems that this would be a good opportunity to discuss the issue of caste in contemporary/historical Punjab(s). If you are currently working in this area and would like to share your research findings with the PRG then please contact me. Please could you also circulate this note to anyone else you think might be interested in presenting a paper.

If you would like to attend please email me: pvirdee@dmu.ac.uk

Finally, do have a look at the PRG web-blog for the latest news, events, publications, vacancies etc. www.theprg.co.uk

Book Review - Not Exactly Shangri-La by Martin Moir

Martin Moir, former lecturer at University College London, has written a book entitled Not Exactly Shangri-La, which is due to be published in Septmber 2009 by Rupa in India. If anyone is interested in reviewing Martin's soon-to-be published work, please contact Martin directly (mzmoir@googlemail.com).

Further details of the novel:

ABSTRACT OF NOVEL

NOT EXACTLY SHANGRI-LA

By Martin Moir

Timothy, a diffident young British academic, and Huma, a feisty young woman from India, are two ‘foreign experts’ invited to Kalapur, a remote and apparently peaceful Himalayan country, to advise on the preservation and editing of an important monastic chronicle. But far from being a harmless academic project, they soon discover that the publication of the chronicle is being used by the authoritarian regime in Kalapur to suppress knowledge of a past that threatens its own legitimacy. Moreover, far from being peaceful, Kalapur turns out to be riven by a secret resistance movement led by guerrilla fighters known as the migos, named after the yetis or wildmen still believed to survive in the remoter parts of the country. Encouraged in their historical quest by a sympathetic but enigmatic local abbot, Huma and Timothy face some terrifying experiences before finally discovering what really happened in the recent past, and in the process deepening their own relationship.

At once adventure story, orientalist romance, psychological study and serious enquiry into different views of the past, “Not exactly Shangri-la” explores a fictional world that is deeply strange but strangely familiar, sinister yet funny

Martin Moir
(Note: To be published by Rupa, the Delhi publisher, late Sept 2009)
Email mzmoir@googlemail.com

International Congress of Bengal Studies

International Congress of Bengal Studies
2010 25th-28th February
2010 University of Delhi, India

Papers are invited for the International Congress of Bengal Studies, 2010. The theme of the 2010 Congress is ‘Bengali Literary Studies’. History of Bengali Literary Studies, Sociology of the development of the Discipline, Philosophical Orientation and Ideological Contestations involved in the development of the Discipline, Cultural Politics of Syllabi and Research Agenda, are some of the sub-themes on which papers may be proposed. Papers on other areas of Bengal Studies, including, but not limited to, Literature and Criticism, Comparative Literature, Linguistics, Folk Literature and Popular Literature, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, History, Economics, Sociology, Fine Arts, and, Philosophy, are also invited. Papers should be either in Bengali or in English.

Last date for submission of paper proposal/abstract (300-500 words) is 15th November, 2009. Proposals may be submitted to the convener through post or email. Proposals would be scrutinized by independent referees. Decision of the referee would be communicated to the scholar within twenty days of the receipt of the proposal. The completed paper should reach the Convener by 30th January, 2010. Papers presented in the Congress and selected by the board of referees would be published in the proceedings of the Congress, to be released during the next Congress, scheduled to be held in Dhaka.

For any other information or clarification, please feel free to contact the convener.

Amitava Chakraborty,
Convener,
International Congress of Bengal Studies,
2010 Department of Modern Indian Languages & Literary Studies
University of Delhi
www.du.ac.in
Email: amitavaz@yahoo.com, achakraborty@mil.du.ac.in

Course - The Aga Khan University – Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations

The Aga Khan University – Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations is offering a short course titled, ‘Exploring Muslim Cultures Level 1’. This course will be held from 20 October to 12 November, 2009 every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6.15 pm to 8.15 pm.

The course is ideal for those seeking a comprehensive non-specialist introduction to the multi-faceted nature of Muslim cultures. It will explore spiritual, ethical and intellectual traditions in Muslim history as well as those aspects of culture such as art, poetry and architecture, which bring out the diversity of Muslim societies.

The application deadline is October 12, 2009. Detailed information about application process, course fee, speakers and sessions is also available from the AKU-ISMC’s website: www.aku.edu/ismc/shortcourses.