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Politics and Display of Cultural Identities in Northeast India. Vienna, 4-6 July 2013 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 India. 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 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya Recommended Citation Vandenhelsken, Mélanie; Schöpf, Jürgen; Son, Bianca; and Leblhuber, Shahnaz. 2014. International Conference Negotiating Ethnicity: Politics and Display of Cultural Identities in Northeast India. 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, Shillong). 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 Meghalaya (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
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