HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

Volume 33 Number 1 Article 20

March 2014

International Conference Negotiating Ethnicity: Politics and Display of Cultural Identities in Northeast . Vienna, 4-6 July 2013

Mélanie Vandenhelsken Austrian Academy of Sciences

Jürgen Schöpf Austrian Academy of Sciences

Bianca Son SOAS, University of London

Shahnaz Leblhuber University of Vienna

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Recommended Citation Vandenhelsken, Mélanie; Schöpf, Jürgen; Son, Bianca; and Leblhuber, Shahnaz. 2014. International Conference Negotiating Ethnicity: Politics and Display of Cultural Identities in . Vienna, 4-6 July 2013. HIMALAYA 33(1). Available at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya/vol33/iss1/20

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. This Conference Report is brought to you for free and open access by the DigitalCommons@Macalester College at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has been accepted for inclusion in HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. hotels close to the old town of the outskirts of Heidelberg for a International Conference Heidelberg. short introduction on the process of Negotiating Ethnicity: Politics and brewing. The first group joined the Display of Cultural Identities in The inaugural session began with a second at Klosterh of Neuburg for Northeast India welcome speech given by Professor dinner at the brewery’s restaurant. Dr Hans Harder, Executive Director Vienna, Austria of SAI, Heidelberg. This was followed Day Three consisted of panels July 2013 by further introductory speeches discussing Ladakh’s history of art and from IALS president John Bray and architecture, the second historical This international conference was conference convenor Dr Juliane perspectives panel, and a panel a collaboration by the Institute Dame. Day One’s panels covered discussing Ladakh’s cultural and of Social Anthropology and the research in urban development, trade connections with neighbouring Phonogrammarchiv of the Austrian climate change and water mountain regions. The Biennial Academy of Sciences, the Doctoral management, political change in General Meeting of the Association College, “Cultural Transfers and border regions, and livelihood took place after the final session, Cross-Contacts in the Himalayan strategies. Keynote speaker and followed by the conference banquet Borderlands,” the Department of head of the SAI’s Department of with South Asian cuisine on the South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Geography, Professor Dr Marcus menu. Day Four’s panels examined Studies of the University of Vienna, Nüsser, gave the final day’s cultural change and contemporary and the Indian Embassy in Austria. presentation entitled Landscape society, health and society, and The main objective was to bring Changes on a Himalayan Scale. Day One language and culture. The panels together young as well as advanced concluded with a welcome drinks were followed by the closing scholars from various disciplines to reception at SAI. ceremony and farewell. examine recent transformations of cultural identities and ethnicity in Day Two’s sessions focused upon The IALS would like to express relation to inter-ethnic and inter- Buddhist studies, the first of two gratitude to the conference convenor state relations, borders, politics, historical perspectives panels, and Juliane Dame and her associates agency, migration and diasporas, presentations examining cultural for the wonderful arrangements globalization, and tourism in change, and identity and belonging. in Heidelberg that ensured the Northeast India (as politically The day ended with a memorable conference’s success. We would defined). site seeing tour of the charming further like to acknowledge the baroque architecture of Heidelberg’s financial support granted by the The majority of scholars travelled old town. One group was given a German Research Foundation, as from India; others came from Europe, city tour of Heidelberg’s old town well as the South Asia Institute North America and Australia. H.E. and the castle perched on the slopes and the Heidelberg Centre for the Mr Ambassador Ramachandran of Mount Königstuhl above the Environment. The IALS plans to Swaminathan, the Indian Ambassador Neckar River. The tour included a publish papers from the conference to Austria, delivered the first cable car ride and a walk down to in the Revue d’Études Tibétaines, the welcome address emphasizing the Old Bridge across the Neckar Tibet Studies journal, and in further the importance of scholarship (where the guide informed those special edition publications currently of Northeast India as well as present that Prague was “seventy under discussion. It has been collaborations with scholars working castles” to the east). A further group proposed to host the Seventeenth in the West. Other welcome addresses trekked along the Philosophenweg IALS Conference in the Western were given by Dr. Phil. Univ.-Doz. or Philosopher’s Way (apparently, Ladakhi town of Kargil in 2015. Michael Alram (Vice President of Goethe’s favourite place for strolling the Austrian Academy of Sciences), and contemplation), and through the Andrea Butcher, University of Exeter Univ.-Doz. Dr. Helmut Lukas forest to enjoy the natural landscape (Vice Director, Institute for Social and scenic views of Heidelberg city Anthropology, Austrian Academy of and the Neckar. The group was Sciences) and Prof. Martin Gaenszle welcomed at a local ecological micro- (the Deputy Head of the Department brewery at Klosterhof Neuburg, a of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist former Benedictine monastery, on Studies, University of Vienna, and

Himalaya Volume 33, Numbers 1 & 2 | 115 Speaker of the Doctoral School/ contributions from Marion Wettstein (History, NEHU, ). The panel, Initiativkolleg, “Cultural Transfers (South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Religious Shift and Identity Formation, and Cross-Contacts in the Himalayan Studies, UVienna) and Mona Chettri chaired by Mélanie Vandenhelsken, Borderlands.” ) (Anthropology, SOAS). included papers by Glen Chua (Socio- Cultural Anthropology, University To open the conference and The panel Arts and Medias, chaired of Toronto), Ketholenuo Mepfhu-o emphasize the main tropes, Prof. by Alban von Stockhausen, included (Historical Studies, JNU, in absentia) Sanjib Baruah presented the keynote contributions by Teiborlang T. and by Philippe Ramirez (Centre address on the scholar Christoph Kharsyntiew on “Fashion Subculture” d’Études Himalayennes, CNRS). von Fürer-Haimendorf who was in Gangtok and Shillong, Akshaya In the panel on Separatism and a Viennese and London educated Tankha on “Visual Culture and Insurgencies, chaired by Sanjib Baruah, anthropologist and one of the Governmentality in Nagaland” contributions were delivered by first scholars to work among the and Iris Odyuo on “The impact Townsend Middleton (Anthropology, Naga. Two introductory papers of Globalization on Naga Art.” University of North Carolina), Rakhee were also presented by Bianca Son The panel Narratives, Myths, and Kalita (Cotton College, Guwahati, in who discussed the construction of Oral Traditions, chaired by Guntram abstentia), and Sanjoy Hazarika (Jamia identities during the colonial era and Hazod, included papers by Ilito Millia Islamia University, New Delhi). Sara Shneiderman who examined Achumi (Sociology, JNU, New Delhi), the existing and changing concept of Alban von Stockhausen, (South Jürgen Schöpf chaired the panel, “ethnicity.” Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, Language and Identity Formation, which UVienna), Faguna Barmahalia included contributions by Mark Turin Over three days, forty-three papers (Folklore Research, Guwahati on “Linguistic Identities and Mother on thirteen panels were presented. University) and Rekha Konsam Tongue Attachment in Northeast The first panel, chaired by Satyabrat (Sociology, Delhi University). India,” Serdihun Beypi on “Language Sinha examined the role of Change in Karbi (Assam),” Pascale migrations, trans-border networks Philippe Ramirez chaired a panel on Dollfus and François Jacquesson on and solidarities in identity changes cultural identities, which addressed Sherdukpens’ (Arunachal Pradesh) in various areas of Northeast India, the main themes of the conference. strategies of survival, and Tim Bodt namely (contribution by Presentations were delivered on the Momba of Arunachal Pradesh. Duncan McDuie-Ra), Sikkim (Uttam by Lavinia Mawlong (Centre for The last panel, Ethnic and Indigenous Lal) and the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Studies, Berlin), Erik Politics and Cultural Identities Changes,” (Farhana M. Hoque). de Maaker (Cultural and Social chaired by B.G. Karlsson, included Studies, University of Leiden), Timour A panel chaired by Martin Gaenszle contributions by Sanjay Barbora Claquin (Anthropology, Université on the Sacralisation of Culture; Ethnicity on the “Politics of Autonomy in Lumière Lyon 2), and Dolly Kikon and Rituals, included papers by Assam,” Kaustubh Deka on Bodoland, (Anthropology, Stanford University). Meenaxi Barkataki-Rusheweyh on Cornelia Günauer on “The Art of Duncan McDuie-Ra chaired a panel Rangfraism amongst the Tangsa Electioneering in Meghalaya,” on the interactions between tourism, of Assam, and Jenny Bentley on Mitul Baruah on “Floods, Riverbank development and its impact on ritual practice within the Lepcha Erosion, and the (Re-)Production of cultural identity changes, which community in Sikkim and West Hazardous Geographies in Assam,” included contributions by Mirza Bengal. A panel on colonial and and N. William Singh on the Young Rahman on tourism and development post-colonial knowledge of Northeast Mizo Association (YMA) in Mizoram. in Cherrapunjee and Mawlynnong India in the building of identities and Rune Bennike on the influence The conference also included two chaired by Bianca Son included of the colonial past in shaping the photo exhibitions. Chin in Mizoram two contributions discussing the present position of Darjeeling. was presented by Steven Rubin. colonial construction of ethnicity Shahnaz Leblhuber exhibited photos and kingship in Northeast India by A panel on gender and identity of the Mizo in Mizoram. A screening Debojyoti Das and Milinda Banerjee. was chaired by Shahnaz Leblhuber; of a documentary film on boat clinics A panel on Display and Performance of presentations were delivered by on the Brahmaputra River in Assam Cultural Identities in Northeast India, Soibam Haripriya (Sociology, Delhi by Sanjoy Hazarika, an American war chaired by Erik De Maaker, included University) and Rusievan Shangpliang propaganda film of 1943 presented

116 | Himalaya Fall 2013 by Jürgen Schöpf, and an animation practitioners, scholars, and scholar- and Chinese prohibition texts and film of a Naga folktale by Tara practitioners meet. Scholars from the the movement of renshen through Douglas were also included. Several humanities, who form a large part of the body, she took the audience conference participants also toured the researchers attending IASTAM on a journey through her personal the Phonogrammarchiv, a research conferences, tend to contribute discovery of the magic of the past institute for audiovisual archiving critical perspectives and awareness in the present, giving examples and restoration. about the historical process of the of how her integrative academic medical practices, which medical approach resonates in her practice. The conference was successful in practitioners sometimes lack and She emphatically concluded that “if that it was interesting, informative often appreciate. “At IASTAM we deny that experience we deny the and thought provoking. Future conference I learn what was not power of the medicine.” collaborations among several scholars taught in the TCM curriculum are planned. Therefore, another The Korean Society of Medical back home,” was the answer of an conference on Northeast India is History along with IASTAM proved Australian acupuncturist to my planned by the Centre for North East itself a generous host, providing a question of why she attends IASTAM Studies and Policy Research (C-NES) professional venue at the Samsung conferences. “They fill the gaps in New Delhi for early 2015. Human Resource Development about history and social contexts Centre in the green and hilly area that inform our day-to-day practice, Mélanie Vandenhelsken, of Sancheong, three hours drive but are not taught,” she concluded, Austrian Academy of Sciences south of Seoul. A dedicated group summing up what many practitioners Jürgen Schöpf, of volunteering Korean medical seem to have felt: that the conference Austrian Academy of Sciences students tirelessly cared for the is not an “epistemological carnival” Bianca Son, endless needs of the more than one as some critics predicted in the past, SOAS, University of London hundred participants. but has surfaced as a major get- Shahnaz Leblhuber, together that pushes contemporary South Korea well exemplifies how University of Vienna debates on Asian medicine forward. government structures can actually This became evident from the level support diversity in traditional IASTAM (International Association of presentations by the distinguished medical practice. Standardization for the Study of Traditional Asian key-note and plenary speakers, but and strict government quality control Medicine) Conference: Beyond also in the seven panels running of traditional Korean medicine does Integration: Reflections on Asian parallel over the four fully-packed not necessarily lead to a reduction Medicines in the 21st Century conference days. of diversity or a homogenization of medical practice. As Volker Scheid, IASTAM provides the platform in the previous IASTAM president, Sancheong, South Korea which academics also learn from or commented during the closing September 2013 even are active medical practitioners, ceremony: “Korea has strong where people share how their Since its conception in 1979 and institutions that do not strangle theoretical analysis of the past still through the initiative of key members diversity of medical practice.” such as Charles Leslie, Joseph Alter, has meaning in present practice. An Ken Zysk, Paul Unschuld, and others, inspiring example of this combination Korean medicine, which at previous IASTAM has developed into a forum is Vivienne Lo, IASTAM council IASTAM conferences was still only in which medical practitioners and member, who gave the Basham Medal marginally represented, came to the scholars meet to create a platform for Lecture. There she openly sketched an forefront, not only through the many a fruitful debate on Asian medicine. auto-ethnography, which she called presentations and medical practice In its “antagonistic pluralism,” to “An Archaeology of Medical Time,” exhibits at the venue (e.g. facial use Volker Scheid’s term, IASTAM on how her study of Chinese medical rejuvenation acupuncture), but also conferences encourage discussions history informs her acupuncture through the conference field trip to on the often contentious and political practice and how the former lets the World Traditional Medicine Fair aspects of traditional Asian medicine, her discover the past in her present & Festival in Sacheong and the tour to which finds naturally fertile practice. Taking the example of Kiom, an R&D venue that creatively ground to instigate ideas where the development of “lucky hours” seeks to combine traditional Korean

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