We are accepting abstracts for the Indian Association for South Asian Studies (IASAS) International Conference, which will take place at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha from June 21-22, 2024. Researchers and scholars from across the disciplines will participate in this two-day conference that will be concentrating on South Asian studies. The central theme for the above is ‘Subalterns in South Asia:.
The term "subaltern," popularized by Antonio Gramsci, conceptualized subaltern groups as those excluded from hegemonic power, encompassing peasants, workers, and other marginalized factions. However, in Subaltern Studies led by Ranajit Guha, the term broadens to denote the quality of being subordinate in South Asian society, irrespective of its manifestation in class, caste, age, gender, or office.
The collective, initially comprising scholars such as Shahid Amin, David Arnold, Partha Chatterjee, David Hardiman, Gyanendra Pandey etc., aimed to give voice to the historically marginalized. Subaltern Studies encompassed diverse subjects, including history, politics, economics, and sociology of subalternity, along with associated perspectives, ideologies, and belief systems. The initiative aimed to counter elitist historiography by allowing subaltern voices to emerge within its pages, representing and amplifying the voices of the oppressed.
The theory posited that the elite in India did not merely have a hegemonic role but played a dominant one, enabling the subaltern to be seen as independent historical actors. This perspective countered the notion that the subaltern were passive recipients of elite guidance, emphasizing their independent agency within the political system.
In line with the subaltern understanding, this conference extends a warm invitation to panels and paper submissions that specifically emphasize non-elite discourses. The conference aims to spotlight and explore narratives, perspectives, and voices that have traditionally been marginalized or overlooked in favour of dominant, elite perspectives. Connecting historical studies to disciplines like gender studies, cultural studies, sociology, economics, demographics, politics, psychology, and others are also welcome. By prioritizing non-elite discourses, we aspire to create a space for critical discussions and insights that challenge established norms and contribute to a richer understanding of the diverse, often unheard, voices in South Asian societies.
The conference hopes to be able to encourage more research by generating new perspectives by exploring new as well as alternative and evolving research ideas and methods.
IASAS 2024 conference welcomes panels and papers in English or in Hindi on any theme of South Asian Studies employing interdisciplinary and theoretical perspectives inspired from History, Philosophy, Political Science, Anthropology, Ethnography, Sociology, Psychology etc. Hence, the conference aim is to bring historians and social scientists into conversation with each other. We encourage submissions from research students, early career scholars, faculty members, and independent social scientists whose research falls under the spectrum of South Asian Studies. The conference hopes to generate new perspectives by exploring new as well as alternative and evolving research ideas and methods.
In the Subject window of your e-mails, please type the following words: IASAS Bhubaneswar 2024.
Email: iasasconference@gmail.com
Delegates fees:
For paper presenters:
- Faculty Members: 6000 INR (with hostel room accommodation single occupancy for two days)
- Faculty Members :5000 INR (without accommodation)
- Research Students:5000 INR (with hostel room accommodation single occupancy for two days)
- Research Students : 4000 INR (without accommodation)
- Guests and Listeners: 2500 INR
Note:
- The organizing committee is not in a position to provide participants with financial support.
- All participants are advised to seek funding through their respective institutions or other sources.
- The venue of the conference is Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Centre for Alternative Studies in Social Sciences, New Delhi
Indian Association for South Asian Studies, New Delhi
Email: iasasconference@gmail.com
