In the late 1980s, North American universities were at the centre of debates regarding the critiques of both “Oriental Studies” and “Area Studies.” In some academic departments, the Oriental Studies model has prevailed—rooted in European colonialism— by prioritizing language over discipline while other departments have persisted with the model of Area Studies, rooted in American imperialism, privileging discipline over language. This lecture series is an attempt to unsettle South Asia as a framework within academia by imagining many kinds of dynamic interplay. What is South Asia within the larger humanities and social science disciplinary foci today?
Inaugural Event | Thursday, 4 March 2021 | “They are just like the Adivasis”: Other Indians and the Intersections of Caste, Race and Indigeneity with Nishant Upadhyay (University of Colorado Boulder)
Wednesday, 28 April 2021 | Isolation to Responsibilization: Contradictions of Trans Activism in India during COVID-19 with Ani Dutta (University of Iowa). This event is co-presented by the Centre for Feminist Research at York University.
This series is organized by Vedanth Govi (Social Anthropology, York University) with support from the York Centre for Asian Research.
For more information, contact us at ycar@yorku.ca.