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CSSS is organizing a talk by Jenny Rowena

CSSS is organizing a talk by Jenny Rowena

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CSSS is organizing a talk by Jenny Rowena
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Centre for the Study of Social Systems
School of Social Sciences
 
CSSS Colloquium
 
Jenny Rowena
 
 (Assistant Professor, University of Delhi)
 
Will be presenting a paper on
 
 
"I was born a Hindu":  Anti-Caste Discourses and the Nationalist Construction of Hinduism
 
Date & Time: February 21, 2018 (Thursday), 11.00 am
 
Venue:  CSSS Committee Room (No: 13), SSS-II
 
Abstract: Anti-caste discourses today, though they have a complex and heterogeneous history, claim a predominantly political identity based on ideas of backwardness, resource sharing and exclusion. In such a scenario, the question of religion, which is so crucial to the formation of this nation is relegated to the background or vigorously denied as not being important, and the discussion is always brought back to the singular category of caste. In this paper, i want to argue against this trend by reexamining some of the anti-caste debates of the 20th century, which are inadvertently entangled in the articulation of the modern category of 'Hinduism.' The attempt here would be to show how Hindu social reform and anti-caste discourses are caught in a close, combative and complicated relationship, with which they make each other viable, embedded as they are in the larger framework of colonial modernity. 
 
 
Bio:  Dr. Jenny Rowena works as Assistant Professor, Dept of English, Miranda House College, University of Delhi. She has worked on caste and gender issues in popular Malayalam Cinema,  Her PhD thesis is entitles Reading Laughter :The Popular Malayalam Comedy Films of the Late 80s and Early 90s, EFLU, Hyderabad, 2003. She is the author of “Themmadikalum Thampurakkanmarum: Malayalam Cinemayum Aanathangalum” (Rowdies and Lords: Malayalam Cinema and Masculinities), Subject and Language Press: Kottayam, 2011.

A warm welcome to the modified and updated website of the Centre for East Asian Studies. The East Asian region has been at the forefront of several path-breaking changes since 1970s beginning with the redefining the development architecture with its State-led development model besides emerging as a major region in the global politics and a key hub of the sophisticated technologies. The Centre is one of the thirteen Centres of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi that provides a holistic understanding of the region.

Initially, established as a Centre for Chinese and Japanese Studies, it subsequently grew to include Korean Studies as well. At present there are eight faculty members in the Centre. Several distinguished faculty who have now retired include the late Prof. Gargi Dutt, Prof. P.A.N. Murthy, Prof. G.P. Deshpande, Dr. Nranarayan Das, Prof. R.R. Krishnan and Prof. K.V. Kesavan. Besides, Dr. Madhu Bhalla served at the Centre in Chinese Studies Programme during 1994-2006. In addition, Ms. Kamlesh Jain and Dr. M. M. Kunju served the Centre as the Documentation Officers in Chinese and Japanese Studies respectively.

The academic curriculum covers both modern and contemporary facets of East Asia as each scholar specializes in an area of his/her interest in the region. The integrated course involves two semesters of classes at the M. Phil programme and a dissertation for the M. Phil and a thesis for Ph. D programme respectively. The central objective is to impart an interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of history, foreign policy, government and politics, society and culture and political economy of the respective areas. Students can explore new and emerging themes such as East Asian regionalism, the evolving East Asian Community, the rise of China, resurgence of Japan and the prospects for reunification of the Korean peninsula. Additionally, the Centre lays great emphasis on the building of language skills. The background of scholars includes mostly from the social science disciplines; History, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, International Relations and language.

Several students of the centre have been recipients of prestigious research fellowships awarded by Japan Foundation, Mombusho (Ministry of Education, Government of Japan), Saburo Okita Memorial Fellowship, Nippon Foundation, Korea Foundation, Nehru Memorial Fellowship, and Fellowship from the Chinese and Taiwanese Governments. Besides, students from Japan receive fellowship from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.