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November 3, 2018: Rustgi Undergraduate Conference on South Asia, University at Buffalo (deadline August 1)

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2018 Rustgi Undergraduate Conference on South Asia

Origins of the Contemporary

​November 3, 2018
​University at Buffalo, SUNY​

We inaugurate the first annual Rustgi Undergraduate Conference on South Asia by reflecting upon the great body of historical work done in this field and bringing historical analysis and context to the study of contemporary issues. We invite papers on the theme of “Origins of the Contemporary.” We may think of these origins as fixed dates or as strands of ideas and events buried in the colonial and pre-colonial past. The conference will feature a keynote lecture by Sujatha Gidla, acclaimed author of Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017).

By opening up the conference to both historical and contemporary analyses, we invite undergraduate ​participants from all disciplines, working on any topic. These topics include but are in no way limited to:

  • Modern political movements including Hindutva and New Right in India, ethnic and caste-based parties, leftist and Maoist movements.
  • Independence movements and postcolonial trends in present-day Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
  • New religious movements as well as reform movements and fundamentalisms within Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism.
  • Trends in domestic and international law, including NGO and INGO work.
  • Social issues, human rights issues, LGBTQ issues, gender and caste concerns.
  • Wars, genocides, ethnic or political violence, and refugee issues (in recent or long-standing conflicts).
  • Human migration, population shifts, and environmental issues.
  • Literary genres, artistic movements, new and old technologies, trends in South Asian cinema and pop culture.

While this list of suggestions is by no means exhaustive, we encourage papers that address less commonly researched sociopolitical issues, communities, or theories. We hope to organize panels with presenters addressing similar issues from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.Please visit http://bit.ly/rustgiconferencesubmissions to submit proposals.

Accepted applicants who submit complete proposals by August 1, 2018 may be eligible for a travel subvention of up to $200. Applicants should also seek funding from their home institutions. The conference organizers will assist participants in seeking affordable accommodations in Buffalo.

Format

The conference will be held on Saturday, November 3, 2018 at the University at Buffalo, SUNY​. Students presenters should plan for 15-minute presentations. Each panel will include 30 minutes for discussion.

Deadline

Proposals, including 250-word abstracts and the contact information of a faculty supervisor, must be submitted via the online submissions portal (http://bit.ly/rustgiconferencesubmissions). Those seeking travel subventions must submit their complete application (including a brief justification of expenses and efforts to seek supplemental funding) no later than August 1, 2018. Submissions will be accepted after this date on a rolling basis, space permitting, until September 7, 2018. Applicants will be notified about the status of their submissions and the  availability of travel subventions beginning in late August 2018.

​Inquiries​

Please contact rustgiconference@gmail.com ​with questions or ​for more information about the conference.

The first annual Rustgi South Asian Undergraduate Research Conference is made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Vinod Rustgi and his family.