Centre for South Asian Studies Booklet
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THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH Centre for South Asian Studies www.csas.ed.ac.uk | 3 THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH Centre for South Asian Studies Contents Outline of the Centre and its activities 4 History of South Asian Studies in Edinburgh 8 Current Research Projects 11 Centre Members of Staff and Fellows 14 Centre Publications 28 Recent Publications by members of the Centre 30 Summary of Degree Programmes 44 4 | Centre for South Asian Studies, The University of Edinburgh Outline of the Centre and its activities Founded in 1988, the Centre for South Asian Studies (CSAS) is the central academic unit in Scotland dedicated to the study of South Asia. With 24 full-time associated staff in Edinburgh, four honorary fellows, and 18 more staff affiliated across Scotland and northern Britain, the Centre is one of the leading centres for South Asian Studies in the UK. The Centre is particularly strong in the Social Sciences, with four Sociologists, a Geographer, and six Social Anthropologists active in the study of South Asia – more than any other UK University. Although the majority of staff are concerned with modern India, we bring together South Asian expertise across the University to create a lively environment supporting the interdisciplinary study of the subcontinent. Outwith the University, the Centre seeks to relate the study of India and South Asia as a whole to the wider community, through links with the Scottish Parliament, NGOs and major educational and cultural organisations in South Asia and Scotland. Teaching The Centre advises students taking undergraduate degrees relating to South Asia and offers its own introductory undergraduate area studies courses - South Asian Studies 2ah and 2bh. It also assists in the administration of two undergraduate degrees programmes: ‘Sociology with South Asian Studies’ and ‘Social Anthropology with South Asian Studies’. At postgraduate level, an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in South Asian Studies is available to suit the needs of those whose interests do not easily fit into a disciplinary field. There is also an inter-disciplinary M.Sc. by Research in South Asian Studies. This can be undertaken by students from any disciplinary background. The core courses for this degree are: ●● South Asian Studies: Conceptual and Theoretical Underpinnings (20 credits) ●● Contemporary South Asian Issues and Debates (20 credits) ●● A supervised Research Dissertation (60, 80 or 100 credits) on a subject of the student’s choice. www.csas.ed.ac.uk | 5 Finally, an interdisciplinary postgraduate reading group, which examines key introductory as well as novel texts relating to modern South Asian Studies is available to all students. The Centre is currently involved in discussions to introduce taught MSc programmes in Colonial and Post-Colonial Studies, and in South Asia and International Development. Conferences and Seminars Each year the Centre holds a conference and workshops. It also runs a regular and lively seminar programme involving a wide variety of distinguished guest and resident speakers - including postgraduates. Since January 2007 we have hosted (i) a two-day conference on the Himalayas (Jan. 2007); (ii) a major International Conference, alongside a number of public events, to commemorate the Indian Uprising of 1857 (July 2007); (iii) the annual meeting of the South Asian Anthropologists Group (September 2007); (iv) a workshop on Gender and Politics in India (May 2008); (v) a workshop on Adivasi (tribal) Movements in India (June 2008). In March 2009 we hosted the Annual Meeting of the British Association of South Asian Studies; and in September 2009, the Third European South Asia PhD workshop. Research Projects The Centre successfully promotes and supports interdisciplinary research with (for example) a total of £1.3 million being awarded in grants to associate members of the Centre in 2006-07 alone. In any one year there are always one or two externally-funded Nuffield, ESRC or Leverhulme, research fellows attached to the Centre. Publications The Centre produces a variety of publications, including a downloadable series entitled Edinburgh Research Papers in South Asian Studies. The Centre has also a book series commissioned with Routledge Press, entitled Routledge Edinburgh South Asian Studies. The series is edited by Crispin Bates and an editorial committee drawing upon the wide variety of expertise available within the Centre. Fellowships The Centre administers three visiting Fellowships, one junior for India (on behalf of the Charles Wallace Foundation and in collaboration with the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities), one junior (on behalf of the Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust) and one senior (the L.M. Singhvi Visiting Professorship) – which brings a distinguished Indian academic to Edinburgh each year. Recent invitees have included Professor Romila Thapar of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Professor Sumit Sarkar of Delhi University, Professor Gyan Pandey of Emory University and Professor Dipesh Chakrabarty of Chicago University. 6 | Centre for South Asian Studies, The University of Edinburgh Research Links and Exchange Programmes The Centre is committed to fostering research links and exchange programmes with other Universities. These have included a formal link with the University of Colombo (1995- 1998), and a link with Calcutta University, which in 2006-07 saw three Edinburgh students travelling to Calcutta to study for 9 months as part of their undergraduate programme. We have an Erasmus exchange link with the Sud-Asien Institute at Heidelberg University, and approval has recently been secured for the development of multi-disciplinary research collaboration and exchange programmes with Delhi University and with the National Museum of Ethnology (MINPAKU) in Japan. A modest scholarship (the Rafe Bullick memorial fund) enables one or two students each summer to be sent to Seva Mandir, a voluntary organisation working on rural and tribal development issues in and around Udaipur district, in southern Rajasthan. The Centre also assists in promotion of a travel scholarship programme on behalf of the Rajiv Gandhi Trust, which sends 3-4 Edinburgh students to study in India over the summer each year. Members of the centre have personal and research links with staff in the Universities of Delhi (JNU, Jamia Milia and Delhi University itself), Calcutta, Ahmedabad (G.B. Pant Institute for the Social Sciences), Bangalore (Institute for Advanced Studies), Chennai, Peshwar, Lahore, Peradeniya, Kathmandu and Colombo,. The Centre has particularly strong links with South Asianists working elsewhere in Scotland (notably, the Universities of Glasgow, Strathclyde, St. Andrews, Aberdeen, and Stirling) and with centres of South Asian Studies on the continent of Europe. Europe-wide activities include the convening of an annual ‘European Postgraduate Workshop’ in collaboration with the Universities of Leiden, Ghent, Heidelberg, Amsterdam and Oslo (and occasionally also Lisbon and Paris). www.csas.ed.ac.uk | 7 Funding Apart from an endowment to pay for the visiting Singhvi Visiting Professorship, the Centre's core funding consists of an annual grant from the School of Social and Political Science. However, significant but highly variable funds are also earned each year from the overheads on UK research council grants, which enables the Centre to fund workshops, visiting speakers, public lectures, and a variety of outreach activities. Past directors have included Professor John Brockington (Sanskrit), Professor Jonathan Spencer (Social Anthropology), Professor Roger Jeffery (Sociology), and Dr. Crispin Bates (History). Secretarial support is provided by a secretary based in the Chrystal MacMillan Building, 15A George Square, Edinburgh. At present the Centre has no full-time dedicated staff but draws upon teaching expertise from a wide variety of subject areas. This is in accordance with the manner in which the Centre was established, as a grassroots initiative of interested and enthusiastic staff, with the aim of promoting interdisciplinarity and innovation in both teaching and research across the University. Outreach The Centre has an extensive outreach agenda which includes the Indian community throughout Scotland and north Britain. We engage members of the British-Indian and South Asian community as widely as possible by means of newsletters, public lectures, film screenings and cultural events co-sponsored, wherever possible, alongside local community organisations such as the Edinburgh Indian Association. Links have been established and are being further built upon with the Scottish Parliament, NGOs and major educational and cultural organisations in both India and Scotland. 8 | Centre for South Asian Studies, The University of Edinburgh History of South Asian Studies in Edinburgh The recent history of the teaching and study of Indian and South Asian topics is linked to the Centre for South Asian Studies, which was established in 1988 as a sub-unit of what was then the Department of Sanskrit. A major task of the Centre has been to co-ordinate South Asian teaching and research around the University. The Centre's core staff come from the disciplines of History, Sanskrit, Social Anthropology and Sociology within the Schools of History, Classics & Archaeology, Asian Studies, and Social & Political Science. The majority of staff are thus members of the College of Humanities & Social Science but the remit and membership of the Centre extends throughout the University, and includes also Geography, Religious Studies,