CSAS Fall 2015 Newsletter
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CE N T E R F O R S O U T H A S I A N S T U D I E S Michigan Newsletter Fall 2015 University of Mandira Banerjee Letter from the Director tell my subjective stories of truth using an objective methodology. How do I tell my story (in a limited time span) in a way that most closely approximates my experience of research and filming at the loca- I write this as the summer One of these was by our Hughes of Pakistan, Chicago), Venkat Dhu- tion? How do I convince my audience of its veracity draws to a close, with a sense of Visiting Fellow, Mary John (see p. 15). lipala (University of North Carolina, and its importance? What is the most effective docu- eager anticipation and excitement The CSAS co-sponsored an additional Wilmington), Dilip Menon (University mentary narrative form that I should find to tell this about the year ahead at the CSAS. six lectures, delivered at venues such of Witwatersrand), Rohini Pande particular story? Finally, as a political documentary We have many wonderful things in as the annual South Asia Awareness (Harvard University), Sarah Hodges filmmaker,I sometimes make films on movements store for you, but before touching on Network Conference, organized by our (University of Warwick), Gurminder that I am critical of. How can I make a film that must this year’s activities and events, let undergraduate students. Bhambra (University of Warwick), critique the ideology of that movement, yet be fair me share the Center’s good news: and Sunil Amrith (Harvard University) This year promises to be as robust. A Conversation and ethical towards the filmed subjects who are a in September 2014 we received in our 2015-16 Lecture Series (see Although the year is not explicitly part of that movement? notification that our applications to p. 16 for details). The series will be organized around any themes, two CSAS: How did you come to make the Department of Education (DoE) with Lalit Vachani kicked off by our colleague Madhu- have emerged that push us in new An Ordinary Election? for National Resource Center (NRC) mita Lahiri, on September 11, 2015. directions at the CSAS. In fall, two of status and for Foreign Language LV: I have always wanted to make a documentary our events consider media in South In the pages that follow you’ll find Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships On September 16, 2015, the CSAS wel- A Pennebaker, and to a whole new philosophy and film about anI ndian election. And I have always Asia. On September 16, we host more information on the Center’s CONTENTS were successful. We are honored comes Lalit Vachani to U-M for the screening of training in visual research methods that was in wanted to make a film that focuses entirely on a filmmaker Lalit Vachani and screen activities over the past year as well to be awarded NRC status by the his latest documentary, An Ordinary Election, on marked contrast to the Indian state’s propaganda particular election campaign, from beginning to end. Letter from the Director 2 his latest documentary, An Ordinary as those we have planned for the Department of Education once the Aam Aadmi Party (4:00pm, North Quad Room films thatI had seen. Interview with Lalit Vachani 3 Election (see p. 3). And on October coming year. You’ll also read about I was interested in studying AAP (the Aam Aadmi again; only twelve universities in the 2435). Vachani is an established Indian documen- 2-3, we host a major international research on and engagement with CSAS: Given the emergence of new forms of me- Party, or “Common Man Party”) over the Indian Digital South Asia Conference 4 United States have this distinction tary filmmaker, whose credits include the acclaimed conference on “Digital South Asia” South Asia from across U-M. This dia over the past decade (or more), do you see national elections of 2014. My partner, Srirupa Roy and we are proud that our South The Boy in the Branch and The Men in the Tree. Recalling Democracy (see p. 4); we are grateful to Ranvir year, we are highlighting the work the role of documentary filmmaking changing? (Professor of State and Democracy in Modern India Asia program has received this Vachani’s visit and the screening of An Ordinary Conference 5 and Adarsh Trehan for their support of our colleagues in the School of and Director, Centre for Modern Indian Studies, recognition on the basis of the Election are timed in conjunction with the CSAS’s LV: Yes. More than the need to change forms in U-M Pakistan Conference of this conference. Information (p. 10) and the School University of Göttingen) and I decided to begin work Center’s programs and the quality of conference on “Digital South Asia,” being held on documentary filmmaking and storytelling, I feel 2015 6 of Public Health (p. 11). on the Delhi assembly elections of 2013, almost our faculty. Our NRC grant allows us In Winter 2016, we will host a series October 2-3, 2015 (see p. 4). that documentary filmmakers have to learn to as a pilot project for the later research project. We The Future of Pakistan Studies to continue our outreach work and of three lectures on science in South I would like to take this opportunity use the new media to gain larger audiences and Earlier this summer, the CSAS engaged Vachani in never got the grant to study AAP in the national Conference 7 to support our language program Asia. The series is organized by our to thank our staff, faculty, and stu- maybe, niche audiences. Web streaming is an a conversation about his practice. elections, but we were able to study the campaigns In Memoriam: through initiatives such as the colleague Jeff Wilson A( ssociate dents for their support of the CSAS exciting way of reaching newer audiences and in three constituencies in the 2013 Delhi Assembly Sabeen Mahmud 7 introduction of Bengali in 2015. Our Professor, Department of Earth & in all of our endeavors this past year. CSAS: How did you get drawn into as technologies change further, we will have to elections, one of which was filmed by me.A nd that FLAS award will allow us to distribute Environmental Sciences, and Associ- I would also like to thank Matthew documentary filmmaking? selectively embrace some of these new tech- Faculty News 8 was the RK Puram Assembly constituency in South approximately $1.3 million of funding ate Curator, Museum of Paleontol- Hull, Associate Professor of Anthro- nologies to tell the stories that we want to tell. LV: I was a graduate student at the Annenberg Delhi, which had Shazia Ilmi as the AAP candidate. Global Information Engagement ogy), who will give the first of the pology, for serving as Interim Direc- Serialization and episodic storytelling of longer to students over four years. School for Communication at the University of Program 10 three lectures on his research in India tor of the CSAS for 2015-16. I hope documentaries may be a way forward. AAP was very open to the media, to academics and The good news from the DoE in Pennsylvania from about 1986-1989. We had a School of Public Health 11 on dinosaur extinction (see p. 9). you’ll join him for what promises to filmmakers interested in doing research and docu- September 2014 marked the begin- Documentary Filmmaking Theory and Production The second lecture will be delivered be a wonderful year! mentation. The access to the RK Puram campaign Graduate Student News 12 ning of a wonderful academic year at class, and quite unexpectedly I fell in love with the by Mark Wilkinson of the Natural was possible only because Shazia Ilmi gave me that the Center. 2014–15 was bookended Farina Mir documentary film form as a means of doing ethno- FLAS recipients 13 History Museum, London, on biodi- access. I know her from her days as a student at the by conferences—we opened the Associate Professor, graphic research and of storytelling using reality Summer in South Asia versity in India. Peter Molnar of the Mass Communication Research Centre at Jamia year with Recalling Democracy: Department of History forms. I say “unexpectedly,” as I had only had previ- Fellowships 14 University of Colorado will deliver Millia Islamia University in Delhi, as I was a lecturer Lineages of the Present (see p. 5) and Director, ous exposure to some Films Division documentary the third lecture, on a new theory of at the Centre at the time. CSAS Hughes Fellow 15 ended the year with two back-to-back Center for South Asian Studies films as a school student inI ndia—films that you the Indian monsoon. This mini- conferences on Pakistan (see p. 6-7). were usually forced to see before the entertainment I found that all the AAP volunteers were incredibly Library News 15 series promises to be immensely In between these events, we hosted feature film was screened at cinema theatres in open to talking, and to being filmed. Then, it was CSAS Lecture Series 2015-16 informative to both scholars in CSAS: What is the most vital aspect of docu- 16 lectures by eleven eminent scholars India. These documentaries were usually excruciat- just a case of following the story of the campaign these fields and laypersons, alike! mentary film as a form for you? and public intellectuals, including ingly painful to watch. At the Annenberg School, and I never anticipated that it would be quite We also look forward to welcoming Arundhati Roy and Vikram Chandra.