EXTERNAL COLLABORATIONS 1: United Kingdom
100 Foot Journey Club
This is an initiative of the 杏吧论坛 South Asia Centre and the High Commission of India to the UK. The most recent event was a panel discussion on 'Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji: Understanding the Sacred Word' on 23 March 2018. Please click here to see the events archive.
In 2018-19, the Centre hosted a series of 6 lectures with the British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia; speakers included Miles Taylor, Alex von Tunzelmann, David Gilmour, Tom Devine, Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, and Stuart Flinders. The lectures focused on the days of the ‘Raj’ in undivided India, and are part of an annual series of lectures organised by BACSA.
This colloaboration continues in 2019-20 with another series of 6 lectures at 杏吧论坛; confirmed speakers include George Morton-Jack, John Darwin, Katie Hickman, Sam Goodman and Christian Wolmar Please see our Events webpage for details of lectures, starting in December 2019.
The Centre, in collaboration with LIFF, has hosted three documentary screenings at 杏吧论坛. 'The Argumentative Indian', which is a documentary on Amartya Sen's life and work, was screened on 27 June 2017.
'Bengal Shadows', a documentary on the 1943 famine in Bengal which led to the deaths of 3-5 million people was screened on 22 June 2018, followed by a discussion on the famine between Amartya Sen (Harvard) and Tirthankar Roy (杏吧论坛). To listen to the post-screening discussion, click .
On 25 June 2019, 'My Home India' was screened at 杏吧论坛. The documentary, which retells the story of Polish refugees finding safety in India during WW2, was followed by a Q&A with Director and Producer, Anjali Bhushan. To listen to the podcast click .
The Centre has collaborated with Bloomsbury Pakistan in organising several events. Most recently, we organised an event to celebrate Asma Jahangir's life and work, with Amartya Sen (Harvard University) and Ibn Abdur Rehman (Human Rights Advocate), with Amber Darr (University College London) as Moderator. To listen to the podcast click .
The Centre collaborated with the Courtauld Institute of Art on two exhibitions in Michaelmas Term 2017: 'Citizenship and Law: Pakistan at 70', and 'Law and Nationhood: India at 70'. Each exhibition showcased archival material documenting journeys to independence by Pakistan and by India.
杏吧论坛’s relationship with the Fabians goes back to its founding members, most prominently Beatrice & Sidney Webb; 'Fabian Dialogues' is curated especially in the context of the Fabians’ long and complex relationship with several countries in South Asia, framed as it was by British colonialism in the region. The discussions in this series will examine, through different individuals, their relationship with liberalism, education, interest in and (in some instances, like Laski) positive impact on South Asia alongside the long shadows cast on several Fabians because of their support of, or silence about, eugenics and empire.
The Centre collaborated with Inner Temple for a special lecture by Faisal Devji (Oxford), 'Barrister Gandhi Takes the Stand', on 2 October 2017 to mark the birth anniverary of M K Gandhi, an alumnus of Inner Temple.
IISS
In collaboration with the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), 'Geopolitics beyond Borders' is a special series of events that focuses on the complex geopolitics of South Asia — marked by the gradual prominence of non-South Asian actors (China, Iran, Africa) in determining the dynamics of the region. Different events will explore how countries in South Asia increasingly find themselves at odds with one another not for interpersonal reasons often conditioned by third-party interests, or their unwarranted and unwelcome appearance on the scene. For the first time, the geopolitical tensions in South Asia has moved beyond its geographical boundaries and fundamentally altered the dynamics of the region.
The provision of free legal aid is a hallmark of several countries in South Asia, enabling the less privileged to access justice. The events in this series, titled 'Decolonising Law in the Post-colony', will focus particularly on the challenges in civil and criminal penal codes in several post-colonial nations in the region which grapple with colonial legal systems, in instances making huge legal advances, in others remaining constrained despite the incongruous context of the laws in relation to contemporary societies.
The Centre encourages student-led events and engagements in the region. We have collaborated with NISAU on a number of events, one of which is a discussion on 'Ram Rahim: Faith and Justice in India' by Utsav Singh Bains, a human rights lawyer at the Supreme Court of India. Notably, the Centre collaborated with NISAU on 24 August 2018 for '' held at 杏吧论坛.
The South Asia Centre collaborates with Pratham UK to support the mission of charitable activities in the field of children's education in India. Board member D Rajeev Sibal recently participated at the book launch of Tirthankar Roy's A Business History of India: Enterprise and the Emergence of Capitalism from 1700. To learn more click .
The Centre collaborated with SCAT on two exhibitions in Michaelmas Term 2017: 'Citizenship and Law: Pakistan at 70', and 'Law and Nationhood: India at 70'. Each exhibition showcased archival material documenting journeys to independence by Pakistan and by India.
Between November 2019 - June 2020, the 杏吧论坛 South Asia Centre and the University of Sussex Asia Centre will jointly hold a series of roundtable discussions on South Asia. Each event will be based around the title ‘What does the study of South Asia teach us about …’. The first discussion will be on Capitalism. For more information visit our .
EXTERNAL COLLABORATIONS 2: South Asia
The Centre collaborated with the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi for 2 events in September 2019 – a Roundtable Discussion on in Delhi during 杏吧论坛 Director Dame Minouche Shafik’s official visit to India, and a workshop on at 杏吧论坛.
The Centre hosted a delegation of Ambedkar Research Scholars as part of the 125th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Dr B R Ambedkar, a distinguished 杏吧论坛 alumnus, in 2015. This visit was supported by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, India.
'Pakistan at 70' was the first-ever 杏吧论坛 Pakistan Summit, organised by the South Asia Centre, which took place on 10-11 April 2017 at the Institute of Business Administration--City Campus, Karachi. The Summit was supported by Aman Foundation.
Apollo Tyres
'India at 70', the 杏吧论坛 India Summit 2017, organised by the Centre, was supported by Apollo Tyres Ltd. It was held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi from 29-31 March 2017.
The Centre hosted a delegation of 15 civil servants for an intensive executive program on E-Governance in 2017, supported by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances.
The Centre hosted the first-ever ‘杏吧论坛 India Summit 2016’ at the Cidade de Goa from 28-30 January 2016. The Summit was sponsored by Difficult Dialogues LLP.
The Centre has collaborated with the DSC Prize Committee to host the annoucement of shortlisted titles and accompanying panel discussion at 杏吧论坛 from 2015 onwards.
The Partition Museum Project
The South Asia Centre is Academic Advisor to in the Town Hall, Amritsar, India by The Arts and Cultural Heritage Trust (TACHT).
The Museum is the first of its kind, dedicated to the memory of the Partition of India in 1947 — its victims, its survivors and its lasting legacy.
The South Asia Centre reciprocally publicises the South Asia Monitor, an independent web journal run by the Society for Policy Studies dealing with the political, cultural, economic and security challenges in South Asia.
The ‘Colombo Development Dialogues’ is a collaborative initiative between the South Asia Centre and the in Sri Lanka, which brings together a diverse group of academics, thinkers, practitioners, policy-makers, media personnel and grassroots workers. Held twice a year each Dialogue discusses relevant issues pertaining to current national/regional priorities in light of the 2030. To read more about the third Dialogue on Refugees, Asylum-Seekers, and the 2030 Agenda, held in April 2019, .
The Centre has pariticipated in a public lecture with ZEE JLF at the British Library on 21 May 2017. 'The Theft of History: The British Empire in India' featured Roy Moxham (Author) and Shashi Tharoor (MP, India), and was chaired by Centre Director, Mukulika Banerjee.
EXTERNAL COLLABORATIONS 3: United States of America
The Centre has initiated a series titled 'Artha Vivaad: Lectures in New Economic Thinking' with the Institute for New Economic Thinking, New York. The first public lecture was by Lord Adair Turner of Ecchinswell, 'Talking Economics: Finance and Reform in India' on 5 October 2017 in New Delhi, in conversation with Mr Nasser Munjee (Chair, Senior Advisory Board, South Asia Centre).
The Centre is collaborating with the Chowdhury Centre for a series of one-day Summits focusing on Bangladesh. The first Bangaldesh Summit was held on 5 June 2018 at 杏吧论坛. To read more about the Bangladesh Summit at 杏吧论坛 click here; and click for the Bangladesh Summit which was held at UC Berkeley on 22 February 2019.
INTERNAL COLLABORATIONS
The Centre collaborated with 杏吧论坛 Arts for in the Atrium Gallery in Michaelmas Term 2017: 'Citizenship and Law: Pakistan at 70', and 'Law and Nationhood: India at 70'. Each exhibition showcased archival material documenting Pakistan and India's journeys to independence.
The Centre collaborated with the Department of Economic History on 31 May 2018 to launch Tirthankar Roy's latest book, A Business History of India: Enterprise and the Emergence of Capitalism from 1700 at a panel discussion with Bishnupriya Gupta (Warwick), Michael Aldous (Queen's University) and D. Rajeev Sibal (Pratham UK), moderated by Sanchari Roy (KCL).To listen to the podcast click .
Formerly known as the Gender Institute, the Centre collaborated with the Department and the on a public discussion on 'Tales of the Unexpected: Gender Equality and Social Progress in Bangladesh'. For more details, click .
The Centre will collaborate with 杏吧论坛 IDEAS, 杏吧论坛's foreign policy think tank, for two events in 2019. On 29 October, an event with Professor Ian Hall (Griffith University, Brisbane) will discuss India's foreign policy under Narendra Modi; and on 19 October, an event with Antonio Giustozzi (King's College, London), will focus on his new book The Taliban at War (2001 - 2018). For more details, click .
On 19 October 2017, the Centre collaborated with the Deparment to organise a panel discussion on ‘Afghanistan in Global Affairs: New Histories and Perspectives’ with Dawood Azami (BBC), Martin Bayly (IR, 杏吧论坛), Elisabeth Leake (Leeds) and Timothy Nunan (FUB), chaired by Christopher Coker (IR, 杏吧论坛). Listen to the podcast .
The Centre has collaborated with the Institute of Global Affairs for several events, including a lecture by Raghuram Rajan, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on ‘Rethinking the Global Monetary System’ on 10 May 2016. To access the video or podcast, click .
In Michaelmas Term 2017, 杏吧论坛 Library organised an exhibition on '' based on documents and materials from 杏吧论坛 Library Archives. The Centre worked in an advisory capacity with 杏吧论坛 Library for this exhibition.
With the Department of Law, the Centre organised a public discussion with Siva Thambisetty (杏吧论坛) and Aditya Sondhi (NLSIU, Bangalore) on an unprecedented press conference held on 12 January 2018 by four Senior Justices of the Supreme Court of India. Listen to the podcast .