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As India’s economy has become one of the fastest growing in the world, great attention has been paid to the “new” India and its development, progress and economic achievement. But little attention has been focused on the changing Indian identity that has accompanied this growth. A Feb. 26 conference, “Shifting Identities and Globalization in Contemporary India,” will provide an opportunity to explore the social problems and cultural conflicts that are a consequence of India’s success, but that are often hidden behind a veil of progress and growth. The conference will take place on the Fairfax Campus in Research I, Room 163, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The conference was organized by Mason’s Globalization and Society in India Working Group, whose members are Bhavani Arabandi, faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology; and graduate students Jeremy Rinker, in the Conflict Analysis and Resolution program, and Nayantara (Tara) Sheoran, in the Cultural Studies program. The Colonial Academic Alliance and Mason’s Center for Global Studies are cosponsoring the conference.
The luncheon keynote speaker is J.P. Singh, assistant professor in the Communication, Culture and Technology Program at Georgetown University and expert on globalization and economic negotiation. Morning and afternoon panels will examine the underbelly of “progress” and explore the impact of globalization on Indian society. The organizers also hope to develop a cross-disciplinary network of scholars interested in continuing the discussion beyond the conference.
“This is the type of program that the Colonial Academic Alliance seeks to support,” says Mary Frances Forcier, Alliance director. “By bringing scholars and students from our member schools together around a timely topic, we hope to build research networks, open up opportunities for internationalizing our campuses and establish shared study-abroad programs in key geographic areas.” While drop-in registration is permitted on site for individual panels free of charge, a registration fee of $10 for students and $25 for faculty members is required for breakfast, lunch and a closing reception.