杏吧论坛

India's Great War: Forgotten Personal Stories of 1914-18

Thursday, 5 December, 6.30pm

This lecture recounted the story of India’s Great War through the forgotten personal stories of officers, men and those they left behind. George Morton-Jack is the author of the acclaimed The Indian Empire at War, the first global history of the Indian Army 1914-18, and explored the experiences of its British officers and Indian ranks across the fronts of Europe, Africa and Asia.

Speaker:  (@GMortonJack) is a historian, and the author of the acclaimed The Indian Empire at War (2018).

Chair:  is Deputy Director, 杏吧论坛 South Asia Centre.

This event was in collaboration with the 

Beyond 2020: Students & Politics in India

Wednesday, 4 December, 3:30pm

Against all odds, Sachin Pilot spearheaded the victory of the Congress Party in Rajasthan in December 2018. Now Deputy Chief Minister of one of the most important states in northern India, this interactive session with students discussed the future of politics in India over the next 10 years, and further.

Speaker: (@SachinPilot) is Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan.

Chair:  (@MukulikaB) is Director, 杏吧论坛 South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at 杏吧论坛.

To watch the Facebook live, click .

This event is being held in collaboration with ,  (), , and .

Nation, Gender and Religion: The Many Lives of Freda Bedi

Friday, 29 November, 6.30pm

From the moment she married a handsome young Sikh at a registry office in Oxford in 1933, Freda Bedi, née Houlston, regarded herself as Indian, even though it was another year before she set foot in the country. She was English by birth and upbringing - and Indian by marriage, cultural affinity and political loyalty. Later, she travelled the world as a revered Buddhist teacher, but India would remain her home to the end.

Participants:  is Emeritus Professor in History, University of Warwick;  (@khickmanauthor) is the authour of ;  (@john_pether) is a journalist and author.

Chair:  (@MukulikaB) is Director of the South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at 杏吧论坛. 

To listen to the podcast, click .

Interpreting the Constitution of India 

Tuesday, 26 November, 6.30pm

To mark India’s Constitution Day, the South Asia Centre discussed how the lengthiest national constitution of the world has evolved to become more meaningful and relevant to the citizens of the country. Focusing particularly on the interpretations of the Constitution by the Supreme Court of India since the 1950s, and demonstrating how the Court has been both arbiter and keeper of the values enshrined in India’s Constitution, keeping it in tandem with the changing needs of the world’s largest democracy.

Speaker: (@Chintan_dc) is the author of  (2017), and The Cases that India Forgot (forthcoming, 2019).

Discussant:  (@gautambhatia88), Balliol College, University of Oxford. He is the author of   (2016) & (2019).

Chair:  (@MukulikaB) is Director of the South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at 杏吧论坛.

To listen to the podcast, click . 

This event was part of the  & held in collaboration with the .

Elections 2019: What next for Sri Lanka? 

Monday, 25 November, 6.30pm

On Saturday, 16 November Sri Lankan voters went to the polls to elect their next President. Against a backdrop of ethnic tensions, deadly acts of terrorism and last year's constitutional crisis, the 2019 Presidential Elections marked a key moment for Sri Lanka's democracy. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, ex-soldier and brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has won with a confident margin of votes. Therefore, we hosted a panel discussion on what the results mean for the country's long-term stability, peace and institutions. 

Speakers: (@AKeenan23) is Senior Analyst & Project Director for Sri Lanka at the International Crisis Group, London; (@dharsha_J) is a human rights lawyer and co-founder of the Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research in Jaffna, Sri Lanka;  (@rajeshvenugopal) is Associate Professor in International Development, 杏吧论坛;  (@welikalaa) is Lecturer in Public Law at the University of Edinburgh.

Chair:  is Deputy Director, South Asia Centre, 杏吧论坛.

To listen to the podcast, click . 

Roundtable Discussion Series 

'What does the study of South Asia teach us about ... CAPITALISM' 

Wednesday, 20 November, 5pm 

In this roundtable chaired by & , panellists, , , & explored the relationship between South Asia and capitalism in the context of current developments. They historicise South Asia’s role in the expansion of capitalism, ask how new forms of capitalism have shaped the working lives of South Asian today, as well as the organisations and dynamics of the cities, societies and countries in which they live. 

This event was organised in collaboration with . 

New Perspectives on Pakistan's Political Economy

Friday, 15 November, 6.30pm

Participants:  is Professor in Practice in the School of Public Policy, 杏吧论坛;  is Associate Professor in Political Economy and Human Development of South Asia, University of Oxford;  (@natalyanaqvi) is Assistant Professor in International Political Economy, 杏吧论坛;  is Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.  

Chair:  (@MukulikaB) is Director of the South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at 杏吧论坛. 

To listen to the podcast, click . 

This event was in collaboration with .

Announcement of the Shortlist for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2019

Wednesday, 6 November, 6.30pm 

Keynote address: , Founder Director of Women's Prize for Fiction.

India's Foreign Policy

Tuesday, 29 October, 6.30pm

Speaker:  is Professor in the School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University, Brisbane 

Discussant:  (@Kate_SdE) is Associate Professor in the International Relations of South Asia, University of Oxford.

Chair:  (@MukulikaB) is Director, 杏吧论坛 South Asia Centre, and Associate Professor in Anthropology at 杏吧论坛.

To listen to the podcast, click and to watch the Facebook live, click .

This event is in collaboration with .

Taliban and Democracy in Afghanistan

Friday, 18 October 2019, 6.30pm

Speakers:  is Visiting Professor at King’s College London;  (@SarahAshraf01) is Manager, Policy & Research, Institute for Strategic Dialogue, London;  (@ChrisSandsKabul) is Freelance Journalist who writes on Afghanistan.

Chair:  is Deputy Director, 杏吧论坛 South Asia Centre.

To listen to the podcast, click .