Dear colleagues,

Please find below & attached details for a summer school, to be held
in Madhya Pradesh, India.

With best wishes,

Simon

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India Study Circle
June 19th – July 17th 2010: Panchmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, India.

This interdisciplinary study circle brings together scholars, students
and social movement activists concerned with better understanding the
dynamics of various regions of India.  Established authorities on
Central India, North India, the Deccan & South India, and the
North-east will lead the study circle.  The purpose of the study
circle is to arrive at a useful understanding of India that makes
sense of its geographical complexity.  A textured approach is deemed
essential, since the subcontinent is remarkable for its distinctive
regional formations, wherein many so-called 'secular' trends, social
relations, et cetera, exhibit important spatial variation.  The
organisers posit that there can be no definitive all-India
perspective/history, without an indulgence in reductionism.  An
emphasis will thus be upon comprehending the dynamics of significant
territorial swathes of India that are relatively marginalised in
existing scholarship.  (Eastern and Western India are hence absent
from this programme, as developed research exists on these zones.)

The study circle will run for 4 weeks, with each week dedicated to a
separate region.  University scholars and pro-people researchers will
take turns in leading the study circle according to their regional
specialisation.  Each will elaborate upon: (1) the historical
geographical traditions/writings of their region; (2) an important
theme of their expertise (e.g. on patriarchy in India); (3) their
on-going research and political concerns.  A full day each week will
be set aside for discusson of the expert presentations, and readings.
Weekends will be for informal meetings, documentary screenings and
fieldtrips.  A complete reading list will be circulated to
participants beforehand.  Hard copies of the most essential readings
will be provided on arrival.

Topics covered will include, but not be limited to: adivasis;
patriarchy; caste; class; region; ecological processes; approaches to
historical-geographical writing.  It is the opinion of the organisers
that the gathering will be of interest to all concerned for the
production of empirically substantiated pro-people studies.

The venue will be Panchmarhi, Madhya Pradesh.  This is a cool and
scenic hill station, near Bhopal.  The locale has been chosen for two
reasons.  First, it lies at the heart of the subcontinent – spatially
and historically.  It has a continuous record of settlement from the
Stone Age to present.  Evidence of different incurring civilisations
in India – Megalithic, Vedic, Buddhist, Moghul, colonial, and the
post-1947 state formation – are all found layered in this area.
Second, the political-geographical location provides an opportunity to
meet with scholars, students and activists from the interior parts of
India.  This will help study circle participants obtain a first hand
experience of India, and how scholarship and politics is developing.
Many studies coming from the metropolises, including within India,
have a certain homogenising tendency with regard to understanding
'globalisation'.  By contrast, in several areas, closer to the
political pulse and movements of the country, authentic voices are
still heard.

The study circle will be run as a collective.  All participants will
be involved in deciding upon and performing necessary chores.  Private
rooms will be provided in clean and comfortable lodges.  A
registration charge of USD 625 includes all accommodation, meals,
reading materials, and transport within India.  The study circle is
financed by this sum alone.  No state or NGO monies are involved.

For further information/registration, please contact
[log in to unmask] and provide some details of your
research interests and why you would be interested in participating in
the study circle.

The organisers are..:

Simon Chilvers (Honorary Associate, Macquarie University); K. Chandan
Sharma (Associate Professor, Tezpur University); Dharmendra Kumar
(Associate Professor, J.H. College, Betul, Madhya Pradesh); Fraser
Sugden (Research Fellow, University of Stirling); K. Sanjay Singh
(Associate Professor, University of Delhi); Margaret Walton-Roberts
(Associate Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University); Terah Sportel
(Ph.D. Candidate, University of Guelph).