Organised by: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and University of Groningen (NL)
Dates: 19-23 March 2018
Venue: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Call For Applications:
With a population of more than 1.3 billion, India is home to some of the major religions of the world such as Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. While according to the recent Census, 80 per cent of India’s population are Hindus, India is also home to second highest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia. Moreover, the history of Christianity in India is much older than Europe. Multiple religions, ethnic communities and cultures have interacted with each other. The result of such interaction has been mixed; while on the one hand it has produced a pluralistic and syncretic culture, it has also sometimes led to religious conflict.
Global events and process of globalization has had a significant influence on the cultural lives of people. Over the years, we have experienced major transformations in religious and cultural values, practices and identities. This winter school (19-21 March 2018) aims to bring together a group of MA/M.Phil Students with interests on religion to discuss some of the major changes in the religious and cultural sphere of India brought about by both domestic and global factors.
Connected to the winter school, the workshop(22-23 March 2018) intents to investigate different fields of religious dynamics in India, to exchange ideas about ongoing research and to look into possibilities and challenges for future studies. As such we intend to include research that is concerned, for instance, with processes of “modernization” or “re-traditionalization” of religious traditions, or that deal with the changes or contestations of indigenous or otherwise subaltern traditions in relation to “mainstream”culture or state policies. Furthermore, we aim to discuss ideologies, institutions and practices that would not easily be associated with “religion” in the strict sense, but that are operative in the name of “education”, “administration” or “development.” As such, courts, schools and political parties are as much in the focus of our interest as are NGOs, Adivasi associations or indigenous communities that negotiate and redefine their religion in the face of changing societal conditions.
Invited Speakers:
Prof. Frank Heidemann (University of Munich)
Prof. Rowena Robinson (Indian Institute of Technology Bombay)
Prof. Piers Vitebsky (University of Cambridge)
Prof. Chad Bauman (Butler University, USA)
Dr. Peter Berger (University of Groningen, NL)
Dr. Sarbeswar Sahoo (Indian Institute of Technology Delhi)
Who can Apply: MA/M.Phil Students of Social Sciences
Requirement: One page proposal on any aspect of religious transformation in India
Last date of Proposal Submission: 15 January2018
Please send your proposal to: winterschool.iitdelhi@gmail.com
http://hss.iitd.ac.in/event/winter-school-workshop-religions-india-transformations-values-practices-and-identities
