INDIAN INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDY Rashtrapati Nivas, Shimla
in collaboration with
Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research (CNESPR),
Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi
and
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati
National Seminar
on
‘Cultural Ecology of the Brahmaputra’
at
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
(8-9 March 2015)
What is the role of rivers and especially the Brahmaputra in the modern history of the North-eastern region and its neighbourhood? How does a river shape destiny of a surrounding landscape? Or do how humans and non-humans adapt to a river and its environment? We know that rivers have been essential to the foundation, growth, prosperity, development of human societies and the rise and ebb of civilisations everywhere around the world. Humans have considerably altered rivers and created their own hydraulic regimes. Humans and rivers across the world form a symbiotic—and sometimes mutually destructive—relationship. Rivers also illustrate the limits of human authority and that their capacity to inspire humans is as strong as humans’ ability to pollute them. Rivers perform a variety of fundamental functions for the human civilisations, providing transport, energy, food, drinking water, a place for aquatic life as well as music, song, and dance forms which have enriched generations over the centuries and provided livelihoods, renewed cultural thought and practice as well as provided creative opportunities for intellectual engagement.
Rivers also have a social life: it acts a site of pilgrimage, becomes symbol of cultural identity, and acts as marker of territorial identity. Rivers have inspired humans to imagine and dream.
The proposed conference will examine the place of Brahmaputra in the history of India and explore the complex links between history, culture, and ecology. The proposed conference looks at the above questions from a deep, cultural perspective — recognising the nuances of social diversity, and interdependence that the river and its tributaries might have nurtured over centuries. Not something that is too instrumentalist, technology driven and restricts itself entirely to issues like flood control, power, dams and similar ‘engineering solutions’ and the responses thereof. The crucial entwining of culture and ecology, and a recognition that it might be sometimes difficult to distinguish between the two, is key. While technology cannot be wished away, it is the meshing of future and ecology that the conference will focus on the reality that often it is not possible to divide the latter for they are perhaps joined at birth.
Proposals are invited for 20-minute papers working on various aspects of the cultural ecology of the Brahmaputra.
The conference will consist of single-session discussions; full written papers (5000 words maximum) will be pre-circulated in order to promote dialogue.
A limited number of participants will be invited for the Conference. Those interested in participating should send title and a synopsis (700 words) of the proposed paper along with their brief C.V. to:-
1.Professor Sanjoy Hazarika, Director, Centre for North East Studies and, Policy Research, Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi . (Mobile): 09958836412 Email: sanjoyha@gmail.com
- Dr. Arupjyoti Saikia, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. (Mobile): 09435557483 Email: arupjyotisaikia@gmail.com
- Shri Kamal Sharma Academic Resource Officer, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Rashtrapati Nivas, Shimla – 171005. Tele.: 0177-2831385: 094184-50024 (Mobile) Email: aroiias@iias.ac.in
The last date of submission of title/synopsis of paper alongwith abstract is 5 January 2015. The Institute intends to send an official invitation letters to selected participants by 16 January 2015. It is the policy of the Institute to publish the proceedings of the seminars it organizes. Therefore, all invited participants will be expected to submit complete papers to the Academic Resource Officer, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla – 171005 by 28 February 2015.
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