Article "Situating the Humans Relationship with Nature in the Tangkhul Naga’s Lifeworld" by Franky Varah, CSSP

Situating the Humans Relationship with Nature in the Tangkhul Naga's Lifeworld
by Franky Varah, CSSP
J Hum Ecol, 41(3): 247-254 (2013).

Abstract: The Tangkhul Nagas are intricately bound to nature in their social, cultural, economic, ethical and religious values. The dynamics of Tangkhul's livelihood activities in many ways reflect the complexities of the human and nature relationship. Interactions between human and nature have undergone significant changes during the last century which leaves unwarranted impact on its natural environment. Today increasing scarcity of natural resources is serious in Tangkhul Naga society. Besides other than population pressures, technological intrusion and developmental activities, the arrival of Christianity in the late 19th century proved ominous to the human and nature relations in the lifeworld of the Tangkhuls. The Colonial British introduced Christianity to the Tangkhul Nagas and used as a preliminary strategy to contain the hostile Tangkhuls from fierce rebellion against British dominions in the region. This paper attempts to present the symbiotic relationship of humans with nature in the antecedent lifeworld of the Tangkhuls while arguing for preserving its traditional knowledge system of nature conservation.

Download Full-text PDF

CSDS invites applications for two-month Course on ‘Researching the Contemporary’

Two-month Course on 'Researching the Contemporary'
1 July - 31 August 2013

Venue: Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi

The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) invites applications for its two-month Course on 'Researching the Contemporary'. This cross-disciplinary Course will critically examine the formation of the contemporary and its multiple histories, ideologies, forms and affects. The three courses offered will enable participants to familiarize themselves with concepts, theories and methods that help analyse the contemporary. These include:

• Media and Historical Method
• Religion and State in Modern Indian Thought
• Reading, Writing and the Work of Theory - in lieu of 'Method'

This is an intensive Course with compulsory readings and class discussions. Course materials will be made available. Participants are expected to write research papers which they will share during the Course. A participation certificate will be awarded upon successful completion.
The Course will be conducted over 8 weeks between 1 July - 31 August 2013. Classes will be held at CSDS on week-day afternoons, Tuesday to Thursday, from 3-6 pm.

Applications are invited from M.Phil/Ph.D students as well as independent researchers. As part of your application please submit your C.V. and a 1000-word description of your research question/topic.

Selected out of station participants shall be provided with roundtrip travel expenses (3-tier AC) and a stipend of Rs. 20,000/-

Deadline: 30 April 2013.

Applications may be sent to: teaching@csds.in

For further details check: www.csds.in

Source: http://www.epw.in/system/files/pdf/2013_48/12/Appointments_Programmes_and_Announcements.pdf

Call for Papers for VIII Annual Conference of Forum for Global Knowledge Sharing

Call for Papers for VIII Annual Conference of Forum for Global Knowledge Sharing

Conference Theme: Emerging Technologies and Development

Forum for Global Knowledge Sharing http://FGKS.in

Hosted by: IIT Bombay, and supported by: KU Leuven, Antwerp, Belgium

Conference Dates: October 25–27, 2013

Last date for submission of title of papers and abstracts: May 30, 2013

Last date for full paper submission: July 30, 2013

Send the abstracts and paper to: fgksindia@gmail.com

The conference will mainly deal with Emerging Technologies, International Business and Development. The conference will provide a platform to share conceptual and empirical evidence that addresses ways to better understand and increase the sustainability impacts of economically viable enterprise-based approaches to poverty alleviation and economic development in terms of changes in economic climate, capacity building, environmental and social well-being. The conference will create a bridge between the private and public sector, NGOs and knowledge institutes. The conference welcomes academic research papers, practical workshop papers and public policy papers. Topics include but are not limited to the following issues:

• Emerging Technologies from developing countries like India, China and Brazil
• The role and impact of foreign direct investments in flows and out flows to and from developing countries, in particular India and China.
• Technology spillovers
• Role of in-house R&D units.
• R&D collaborations
• University and industry linkages
• The role of and impact on labour
• Changing profile of management of companies in India
• Social entrepreneurship
• Public Private Partnerships (PPP)
• Base of the Pyramid Poverty Alleviation
• Competitiveness of Indian firms

For details refer to http://fgks.in/event/index.htm

Call for Research Concept Notes: Economics of Natural Resource Use and Environmental Change

Call for Research Concept Notes: Economics of Natural Resource Use and Environmental Change

Deadline: May 31st, 2013

The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) is a regional network that provides research support to South Asian researchers and institutions interested in the inter-connection among development, natural resource use and the environment.

SANDEE is currently inviting research concept notes on the Economics of Natural Resource Use and Environmental Change in South Asia.

Concept notes, if accepted, will lead to an invitation to submit a full research proposal.

SANDEE requests research concept notes in three prioritized areas:

Ecosystems Management: Ecosystems provide a variety of provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural services that are being lost at an accelerating rate. Research on ecosystems management will focus on: a) understanding the implications of ecosystem changes for economic and social systems; b) identifying trade-offs, i.e. the costs and benefits to different stakeholders (particularly the poor), from conserving ecosystems services; and c) examining different institutional arrangements to manage ecosystem services.

Economics of Climate Change: With climate change, South Asia is expected to get warmer and witness more extreme events. SANDEE's climate portfolio will support research on: a) valuation of the impacts of climate change; b) evaluation of adaptation and mitigation strategies, particularly those that offer local co-benefits and c) examination of institutions and policies that need to be in place for low carbon growth and long-term adjustment to climate change.

Policies and Instruments for Greener Growth: Governments in South Asia put forward a variety of policies and regulations to manage local to global environmental problems. In order to ensure that these strategies are effective, this thematic area will emphasize: a) programme evaluation of the impacts of environmental policies, regulations and programmes; and, b) assessment of the economic incentives associated with different regulatory and market mechanisms and their contribution to policy compliance.

While SANDEE's focus is on environmental management, proposals have to include a strong economics component. Multidisciplinary projects with a robust economic focus are encouraged. Cross-border collaborations and trans-boundary projects will be prioritized. Institutional affiliation is required for receiving support. Concept notes will be evaluated on their academic merit and policy significance.

SANDEE will collect proposals throughout the year. However, to be considered for our next research competition, please send concept notes by May 31st, 2013. The average grant size in recent years has been 20,000 USD for one to two year projects. Larger grants will be considered if a multidisciplinary team of natural and social scientists are involved and there is a clear identification of roles and tasks. Please upload concept notes on SANDEE's website at www.sandeeonline.org. For any additional queries, please contact at research@sandeeonline.org

Source: http://www.epw.in/system/files/pdf/2013_48/13/Appointments_Programmes_and_Announcements.pdf

Rajya Sabha Fellowships on Parliamentary Studies

Scheme for Instituting Chair in the Name of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and Rajya Sabha Fellowships on Parliamentary Studies

 

Preamble

1. The Rajya Sabha Secretariat has decided to institute a Chair named after Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, the first Vice-President of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, with the objective of promoting an indepth inquiry and research on different aspects of parliamentary democracy, in general, and Indian Parliament and Rajya Sabha, in particular. Two Fellowships to be named 'Rajya Sabha Fellowships for Parliamentary Studies' will also be instituted. This, it is felt, would promote better understanding of the functioning of our Parliament; help document the changing nature and role of our parliamentary institutions and enable appreciation of the challenges faced by these institutions in the era of globalisation. This initiative on the part of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat is, thus, intended to create a critical mass of academic research with a body of knowledge on the functioning of our parliamentary democracy.

 

Part A: Search and Advisory Committee

(i) Composition of Search and Advisory Committee

2. A Search and Advisory Committee shall assist the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, in the selection of the Chair and the Fellows as well as their management.

3. The Search and Advisory Committee shall consist of five members, namely two members of Rajya Sabha – one each nominated by the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha; two prominent academics to be nominated by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha; and Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha.

4. Secretary-General will function as the Convener of the Search Committee.

(ii) Functions of Search and Advisory Committee

5. The Search and Advisory Committee shall assist the Chairman in the selection of the Chair and the Fellows. As per the directions of the Chairman, it may be required to draw up a panel of names for the purpose.

6. In addition, the Search and Advisory Committee may be required to perform the following functions:

· Identification of areas of research and study;

· Monitoring and appraisal of the performance of the Chair and the Fellows; and

· Any other matter that may be referred to the Committee by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha from time to time.

(iii) Tenure of Search and Advisory Committee and its Members

7. The tenure of the Search and Advisory Committee shall be two years. Chairman, Rajya Sabha may extend its tenure at his discretion.

8. An existing member of the Search and Advisory Committee, upon its reconstitution, may be re-nominated on the Search and Advisory Committee.

(iv) Admissibility of TA/DA to the Members of the Committee

9. Members of the Committee shall be paid TA/ DA for national and local travel, as per the rules applicable to Members of Parliament or the Secretary-General of the Rajya Sabha, as the case may be, as and when they may be required to travel in connection with the work of the Committee. Members, except Members of Parliament during Session days and the Secretary-General, shall also be paid Rs. 1000/- as a token honorarium for each meeting of the Committee.

 

Part B: Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Chair on Parliamentary Studies

(i) Eligibility

10. The Chair is open to eminent scholars, who have a proven record of scholarship and publications in the study of the Indian political system and parliamentary institutions/systems and their functioning.

(ii) Duration

11. The tenure of the Chair will be for two years.

(iii) Responsibilities

12. The Chair shall be required to provide research output in the form of a book/report in the course of its tenure, in terms of the directions of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha. The Chair shall be required to submit progress report of the research project regularly for the consideration of the Search and Advisory Committee.

13. The Chair would give three/four lectures on the subjects related to the research project during its tenure, which would be organised under the auspices of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.

(iv) Location of Chair

14. The Chair will be located at the institution of choice of the individual holding the Chair.

(v) Mode of Selection

15. The advertisement inviting applications for the Chair shall be published in reputed academic journals and national newspapers. The advertisement will also be placed on the website of Rajya Sabha.

16. The applicant will be required to send in his/her particulars in the prescribed format (Annexure-I) duly filled in, along with the synopsis of his/her proposal.

17. All major Universities and reputed educational research institutions, such as the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR), Indian Council of Historical Research, Indian Institute of Public Administration, as well as reputed think tanks from the relevant areas, are requested to forward names of suitable candidates to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat for consideration by the Search and Advisory Committee.

18. The proposals received shall be placed before the Search and Advisory Committee. The Committee shall consider and recommend a panel of the names to the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, for grant of Chair.

19. The applicant shall be required to produce a 'No Objection Certificate' from his/her institution for taking up the assignment. After selection of the Chair, a letter of acceptance/MOU from the institution, where the scholar wants to be located, would also be required to be produced.

(vi) Research Grant

20. The research grant for the Chair shall be Rs. 7 lakhs for the entire period. The schedule of release of the grant will be as follows:-

(a) 20% of the amount payable at the time of the initial appointment;

(b) 30% of the amount after the submission of the first draft of the book/project report;

(c) 30% of the amount after the submission of the final draft of the book/project report. The final draft shall be submitted not later than three months before the end of the tenure of the Chair; and

(d) the remaining amount shall be paid after approval of book/project report by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha.

21. The entire cost of the research project shall have to be met by the Chair out of Research Grant mentioned above.

 

Part C: Rajya Sabha Fellowships on Parliamentary Studies

22. There would be two Fellowships on Parliamentary Studies. The Fellows selected would work out their research project in consultation with the Search and Advisory Committee, and subject to the approval of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha.

(i) Eligibility

23. The Fellowship is open to academics/experts, who have relevant experience in and aptitude for undertaking research in Indian democratic system and parliamentary institutions and their functioning, particularly of the Rajya Sabha. Due consideration would be given to individual's qualifications, his/her past experience, standard research publications to his/her credit, in making the selection.

(ii) Duration

24. Fellowship shall be for a duration of one year.

(iii) Responsibilities

25. The Fellow will be required to provide research output in the form of a publishable article/project report in the course of his/her tenure, in terms of the direction of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha. He/She shall also submit a progress report on the work done, after six months, for consideration of the Search and Advisory Committee.

(iv) Location of Fellowship

26. The Fellowships on Parliamentary Studies will be located at the institutions of choice of the individuals selected for the fellowships.

(v) Mode of Selection

27. The Fellows would be selected by the Search and Advisory Committee in consultation with the Chair. The process of selection will be the same as mentioned in the case of the Chair in Part B (v).

(vi) Fellowship Grant

28. The total amount of each Fellowship Grant will be Rs. 3 lakhs for a period of one year. The schedule of the release of the funds will be as follows:-

(a) 20% of the amount payable at the time of the selection;

(b) 30% of the amount after the submission of the first draft of the article/project report;

(c) 30% of the amount after the submission of the final draft of the article/project report. The final draft shall be submitted not later than two months before the end of the tenure; and

(d) the remaining amount shall be paid after approval of article/project report by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha.

29. The entire cost of the research project shall have to be met by the Fellows out of the Fellowship Grant mentioned above.

 

Part D: General Conditions for Chair/Fellowships

(1) Guidelines for submission of proposals of research from Chair/Fellow

30. While submitting the proposal, the format may broadly conform to the following order of points and guidelines:

(i) Title of the Project

(ii) Statement of the Problem: In the opening paragraphs of the research proposal, the problem to be investigated should be stated clearly and briefly. The significance of the problem in the theoretical context of the concerned discipline should be specified.

(iii) Overview of Literature: Summarizing the current status of research in the area including major findings, the project proposal should clearly demonstrate the relevance or otherwise of the findings or approaches for the investigation of the problem at hand.

(iv) Conceptual Framework: Given the problem and the theoretical perspective for investigation of the problem, the proposal should clearly indicate the concepts to be used and demonstrate their relevance for the study. It should further specify the empirical dimension, if any, that needs to be explored for investigating the problem.

(v) Research Questions or Hypotheses: Given the conceptual framework and dimensions of the problem, specific questions to be answered and hypotheses to be tested through the proposed study should be explicitly formulated, compatible with the research design.

(vi) Coverage : In the light of the questions raised or the hypotheses proposed to be tested, if the sampling becomes necessary, full information on the following points should be given:

(a) Universe of the Study,

(b) Sampling Frame, and

(c) Units of Observation and Sampling size.

If the Study requires any control groups, they should be specifically mentioned. An explanation of the determination of size and type of the sample shall also be necessary. Proposals not requiring a sample selection should specify their strategy appropriately and describe the rationale.

(vii) Methodology: A suitable description of the methods of research for the study may be given.

(viii) Data Collection : The different types of data that are proposed to be gathered should be specifically mentioned. The sources for each type and the tools and techniques that will be used for collecting different types of data should be specified.

(ix) Time Budgeting : The project should be broken up in suitable stages and the time required for the completion of each stage of work should be specified.

(x) Bibliography

(2) Undertaking for Chair/Fellowships

31. An applicant selected for the Chair/Fellowship will have to sign an Undertaking and Conditions attached thereto separately (Annexure-IIA / Annexure-IIB). He/she will also have to handover all the data/material collected On the topic of the Chair/Fellowship to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat upon completion of the project/report.

(3) Library Facility

32. The Chair/Fellow may be provided the facility to have access to Parliament Library for consultation.

(4) Publication Assistance

33. If the final output of the Chair/Fellowship is recommended by the Search and Advisory Committee for publication and subsequently approved by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, the applicant shall be required to enter into an agreement with a reputed publisher for the publication of the book and a copy of the agreement may be provided to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.

34. In case publication assistance is granted by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the Chair/Fellow shall supply twenty-five copies of the publication on complimentary basis to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. In case publication assistance is not granted by Rajya Sabha Secretariat or the Chair/Fellow does not seek any assistance and intends to publish it on his own, the Secretariat may invoke the 'Disclaimer Clause' and grant permission for the same. In that case he will supply five copies of the publication to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on complimentary basis. The Rajya Sabha Secretariat will retain the copyright on the publications.

35. The following text shall be prominently printed on the back of the inner title page of the book for which publication grant has been provided by the Secretariat:

"The publication of the book has been financially supported by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. The responsibility for the facts stated or opinions expressed is entirely of the author and not of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat".

 (5) Decision of the Chairman

36. The decision of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha will be final in all matters concerning the Chair/Fellowships.

Further Details: http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/fellowship/fellowship_scheme.htm

Download Application Form: http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/fellowship/application.pdf

Lok Sabha Research Fellowship Scheme 2013

Lok Sabha Research Fellowship Scheme

 

Hon'ble Lok Sabha Speaker Smt. Meira Kumar has constituted the Fellowship Committee of the Lok Sabha to consider proposals for grant of Research Fellowships to interested scholars with a view to better understanding the functioning of the Parliament, to identify the changing nature of roie of Parliamentary institutions and to suggest alternatives in the light of the experience of the other democratic countries,

Download: Rules Relating to Award of Lok Sabha Fellowship

 

List of themes/topics of research

Role of Parliament

(i) In facilitating economic stability, especially in the context of economic liberalization and globalization.

(ii) In mitigating conflict-situations and facilitating national integration.

(iii) In ensuring environmental protection.

(iv) As agents of social change, equity and inclusive growth.

(v) In taking initiatives to address the scourge of terrorism.

(vi) In the protection and rehabilitation of vulnerable groups.

(vii) Contemporary challenges to parliament and its functioning, including frequent disruptions and adjournments.

(viii) Relationship between parliament and other organs of the state, including judiciary.

Parliament and People

(i) Parliament and the people: reinforcing democracy through accountability.

(ii) Parliament and women's empowerment.

(iii) Parliament and human rights.

(iv) Parliament and sustainable development.

(v) Parliament and the media: facilitating greater partnership towards strengthening democracy.

(vi) Parliament and millennium development goals.

Parliamentary Committees

Role of parliamentary committees in strengthening accountability mechanisms.

Parliamentary Forum  

Functioning of parliamentary forums in policy making and knowledge sharing.

Parliamentary and International Affairs

Parliamentary diplomacy and global peace including comparative studies of parliament of india with other foreign parliaments.

Parliament and its Heritage

(i) History of parliament of India.

(ii) Different aspects of heritage nature of parliament.

(iii) Comparative studies of parliament of India with other foreign parliaments with regard to its heritage nature.

 

More about LS Research Fellowship

Since 1996, two annual Research Fellowships, one each in Hindi and English and Fellowships for writing Monographs are being awarded by the Lok Sabha Secretariat with a view to promoting original studies on matters of parliamentary interest in one of the following fields, viz. (i) Parliamentary Institutions/ Systems (including State Legislatures) - Evolution and Development; (ii) Parliamentary Rules, Practices and Procedures; (iii) Committee System; (iv) Communication between Parliament and People; and (v) Modern Techniques of Service and Support Systems of Parliament.

A Fellowship Committee appointed by the Speaker invites applications, scrutinizes them and makes recommendations for the award of Fellowship. The Committee is assisted in all its work by the Press and Public Relations Wing. Since 1996, Seven Fellowships for writing books have been awarded in English and Hindi, to the scholars/media persons as detailed under : (i) Communication between Parliament and the People (in Hindi); (ii) Coalition Politics and its Impact on Parliamentary Institutions (in English); (iii) Role of Committee System of Indian Parliament in Development (in English); (iv) Impact of Live Telecast of Parliamentary Proceedings (in Hindi); (v) Intra - Governmental Relations in India (in English); (vi) Dynamics of Federalism in India (in English); (vii) Consensus or Confrontation - The Role of Parliament's Departmentally-Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) (in English).

Since 2001 three Fellowships for writing Monographs, in English and Hindi, on the following subjects, viz. (i) Lessons from the Stormy Debates in Indian Parliament (in English); (ii) The Role and Responsibility of Parliament in Nation Building (in English); and (iii) A Study of the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) in Himachal Pradesh (in English).

Download: Rules Relating to Award of Lok Sabha Fellowship

A web-based course “Science, Technology & Society” developed by IIT Guwahati/ NPTEL is now freely available

A web-based course "Science, Technology & Society" (http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/109103024/), developed by IIT Guwahati under the Indian National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), is now freely available to lifelong learners.

This course contains eight modules, namely:  

• Science as Culture Social Context of the Production of Scientific Knowledge
• Organisation of Production of Scientific Knowledge and Professionalisation of Science
• Society and Culture: Resources and Legitimation of Knowledge
• Perspectives on Science-Technology Relationship
• Science in Colonial and Post-colonial India
• Emerging Technologies
• New Ethical Codes for New Technologies: Responses of the Civil Society Discussion and Forum
• Science: From Public Resource to Intellectual Property

Further Details: "Science, Technology & Society" (http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/109103024/)

CfAs: Tejeshwar Singh Memorial Fellowships for 2013

The Tejeshwar Singh Memorial Fellowships for 2013

Theme for this year: POVERTY

Last date for receiving applications is 31st March 2013

 

 SAGE India (www.sagepub.in) invites applications for the award of The Tejeshwar Singh Memorial Fellowships for 2013 in the following categories:

• Social Sciences
• Business & Management
• Media & Communication Studies

 

Starting this year the fellowships will have a central theme.

This year's theme is POVERTY.

SAGE instituted The Tejeshwar Singh Memorial Fellowships in 2009 to honour Tejeshwar Singh, Managing Director of SAGE India for 25 years and doyen of the publishing industry in South Asia.

Fellowships for 2010 in the respective categories have been awarded to the following:

• Social Sciences: Ms Mehreen Zahra-Malik, Assistant Editor, The News International, Pakistan
• Media & Communication: Dr Santanu Chakrabarti, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA
• Business & Management: Dr Ajai S Gaur, Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick, USA

PRESIDING PANEL: T N Madan, Surendra Munshi, and Romila Thapar

DURATION: One year

A stipend of Rs. 50,000 a month (50,000 X 12) with an additional amount of Rs. 50,000 can be claimed for travel during the tenure of the fellowship. Total value of the Fellowship is Rs. 6,50,000.

 

ELIGIBILITY: Open to nationals of South Asian (SAARC) countries, including those currently resident overseas. Candidates must be below 40 years of age as on 1 April 2013.

 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Applicants are invited to submit their curriculum vitae, a research proposal and a 5000 word sample of their writing. The last date for receipt of applications is 31st March 2013.

AWARD OF FELLOWSHIP: The applications for each fellowship will be vetted by a jury of four experts including one representative of SAGE.  The award of the fellowships will be announced on or before 30th June 2013.

 

SCOPE OF THE FELLOWSHIPS

Proposal Presentation:

The proposal must be understandable with clear aims and scope.The proposed methodology must be sound.

Substantive Merit:

There must be conceptual and theoretical clarity. Relevance to South Asia. It must make a potential contribution to the concerned subject area.

Publication Potential:

The proposal must be such that the required research can be completed in a year. It should have the potential to be published as a book. The final book manuscript can be completed in 12 months subsequent to the end of the Fellowship. The book may be published by the scholar's choice of publisher with due acknowledgement to the Tejeshwar Singh Memorial Fellowships for supporting the research.The fellowships for 2011 and 2012 were not announced due to unavoidable reasons.

All applications should be addressed to:

Ms Smrithi Sudhakaran

SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd,

B1/I1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area

Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044. Tel: 4053 9222, Extn: 256; email: pr@sagepub.in

Source: http://www.sagepub.in/2K13/TSMF-PDF.pdf

Call for Applications: "Social Innovation in a Digital Context" a Swedish Academic Scholarship Program

Call for Applications: "Social Innovation in a Digital Context"

Academic Scholarship Program for Social and Digital Innovators from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia

(September 2013 – September 2014)

Social Innovation in a Digital Context (SIDC) is a one year academic scholarship program with practical and theoretical components focused on the relationship between digital technology and socio-political change, and how change makers can harness this relationship to build better societies.

The programme is carried out in cooperation with Lund University.

SIDC focuses on the relationship between digital technology and socio-political change, and how change makers can harness this relationship to build better societies. It contains both practical and theoretical components and is designed to support social and digital innovators to pursue work in the fields of digital technology, new media, and social and political change.
The aim of the programme is for participants to develop creative and viable individual projects that help strengthen human rights and democracy building in their home countries, as well as boosting understanding of the use of digital tools for sociopolitical change.

Who can apply?
Innovators from the Middle East, North Africa or South Asia that want to engage in innovative project work can apply to SIDC. You should have an existing outreach platform in your home country and want to bring a project proposal from idea to reality or want to further develop an existing project. The project should be directly connected to your home context and be based on the work and movements that you're engaged in, as well as your personal skills. It is important that the project is tied to digitalization/digital technology to some extent.
For this year's programme we are particularly looking for applicants with knowledge of and skills in computer technology and Internet security. You might for example have a background in law, IT, entrepreneurship, sociology or political science. The aim is to recruit individuals from a broad range of disciplines, professions, and backgrounds and it is important that you both have academic competence as well as practical skills.
SIDC suits innovators who intend to return home upon completion of the programme and launch the projects they have developed in Sweden in their home environments.

Deadline for applications: March 20th, 2013

Further Details: www.si.se/sidc

LSE India Observatory / Asia Research Centre invites applications for Fellowships

London School of Economics and Political Science

The LSE India Observatory was set up in partnership with the Reserve Bank of India and State Bank of India. The Centre is multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary. It works in partnership with Departments and Centres across the LSE, and the research reflects the School's social science orientation. Its role is to support, facilitate and promote vibrant intellectual engagement between the UK and India, and to participate in wider international inter-disciplinary research and programmes with partners in Asia and beyond.

The LSE India Observatory / Asia Research Centre invites applications for the following Fellowships:

Sir Ratan Tata Fellowship 2013-14

The Fellowship will be for a period of up to eight months in the academic year 2013-14.  Applicants should have experience of social science research on South Asia. The Fellow will be expected to engage in social science research on a topic under the following themes: Growth and Inclusion; Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability; Social and Human Security; Population and Development; Governance and Democracy. Preference will be given to topics that focus on contemporary social, political and economic concerns of South Asia. This Fellowship is open to candidates from South Asia, that is, the SAARC region which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Fellowship is supported by the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

Subir Chowdhury Fellowship 2013-14

The Fellowship will be for a period of three months in the 2013-14 academic year. Applicants should have experience of social science research on Bangladesh and/or India. The Fellow will be expected to engage in research examining the impact of people quality and behaviour on the economies of Asian nations prioritising, but not restricted to, India and Bangladesh. This Fellowship allows for any scholar to participate in the programme regardless of ethnicity or national origin. The Fellowship is supported by the Subir and Malini Chowdhury Foundation.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND APPLICATION PROCESS

All Fellowships are based at the Asia Research Centre, LSE. Fellows receive a monthly subsistence allowance, the exact amount depending on qualifications. Shared work space is provided together with access to research facilities at the School.  Applicants for the Fellowships should have completed a PhD - the Fellowships are not intended for students registered for a degree or diploma, nor are they intended for senior academics. All Fellows will be expected to finish a piece of research of publishable quality during their stay and make a presentation at a seminar or lecture arranged by the Asia Research Centre. Further information can be found at: www.lse.ac.uk/AsiaResearchCentre.

Applications should be addressed to The Fellowships Selection Committee, Asia Research Centre, London School of Economics & Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK, and may be submitted through the post or emailed to arc@lse.ac.uk. Applications will not be accepted via fax under any circumstances. Applications should include a covering letter of no more than one page, a curriculum vitae of no more than three pages and an outline of proposed research of no more than three pages. Please use A4-sized plain paper only. Applicants should also give the names and addresses of two referees, familiar with their work, to be contacted by the Committee.

The final date for receipt of applications is Monday, 13^th May 2013. Late applications will not be accepted. The successful candidate will be informed of the decision by the end of July 2013.

New India Foundation: Applications Invited for Fellowships

The New India Foundation: Applications Invited for Fellowships

In the six-and-a-half decades since In­de­pend­ence, there has been a large body of work produced by In­dian his­to­ri­ans and social sci­en­tists. Tak­en sin­gly, many of these studies are very im­pres­sive; viewed cu­mu­la­tive­ly, they add up to much less than what one might expect. The chief reason for this is the de­ter­mining influence on scholarly practice of that single date: 15th August, 1947. Historians rarely look beyond the attainment of Independence, where­as other so­cial scientists don't look back at all. We have solid stud­ies of the Con­gress under Brit­ish rule, with books writ­ten about its op­er­a­tions in different parts of In­dia, yet there are no sys­tem­atic stud­ies of this most in­fluen­tial of po­lit­i­cal par­ties in the post-independence pe­ri­od. Again, there are numerous eth­nographic ac­counts of the caste system.Yet, we have no analytical over­view of caste since Independence.

We have had po­lit­i­cal scientists con­duct­ing field studies of every sin­gle elec­tion since 1952. But we have no com­pre­hen­sive anal­yses of changes over time in voter behaviour, elec­tion prop­a­gan­da, or elec­tion finance.

These examples could be mul­ti­plied manifold. The Republic of India is a Union of twenty-eight states, some larger than France and Germany. Yet not even the biggest or most important of these states have had their histories written. Again, there are no serious bi­og­ra­phies of some of the key figures in our modern history: such as Sheikh Abdullah or Master Tara Singh or A. Z. Phizo or (to take figures from very different fields) Pandit Ravi Shankar or Dhirubhai Ambani.

It is this lack that the New India Foun­dation seeks to address, by spon­soring work of quality on mod­ern India.

The New India Foundation invites applications for the seventh round of the New India Fellowships. Open only to Indian nationals, these Fel­low­ships will be awarded for a pe­ri­od of one year, and will carry a stipend of Rs 90,000 a month. Fel­low­ship holders shall be expected to write original books. Proposals should be oriented to­wards final pub­lication, and out­line a road map towards that des­ti­na­tion. The Foun­dation is ec­u­menical as regards gen­re, theme, and ideology: the only requirement is that the pro­posed work contribute to the fuller un­der­standing of in­de­pend­ent In­dia. Thus Fellowship holders may choose to write a mem­oir, or a work of re­port­age, or a thickly foot­noted ac­a­demic study. Their books could be oriented to­wards eco­nom­ics, or pol­itics, or cul­ture. They could be high­ly specific–an ac­count of a sin­gle dec­ade or a sin­gle region–or wide-ranging, such as a coun­try­wide over­view.

Since 2004, a total of twenty-eight New India Foundation Fellowships have been awarded, for books to be writ­ten on such topics as the social history of Telugu films, the re­form of personal laws, refugee pol­i­tics in north-eastern India, the history of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, debates on the death pen­alty in India, and the science and politics of biodiversity conservation.

The books emanating from the New India Fellowships have been published by prestigious presses such as Penguin, Permanent Black, Palgrave Macmillan, Oxford University Press, Random House and Harper Collins. Nine books have appeared so far; these have been widely acclaimed and received several awards.

Applicants for the New India Fellowships for 2013-2014 are invited to sub­mit their c.v., book proposal, and a writing sample of at least 5000 words (published or unpublished) to the Managing Trustee, The New India Foundation, 22 A, Brunton Road, Bangalore 560025, before 30 June 2013. These may be sent by post or courier. Email applications will not be entertained. However, specific queries may be addressed to newindiafoundation@gmail.com

The fellowships will be decided by a jury whose members are André Béteille, Ramachandra Guha, Niraja Gopal Jayal, Nandan Nilekani, N. Ravi, and Srinath Raghavan.

Further details about the Foun­da­tion may be found at www.newindiafoundation.org