The study circle will run for 4 weeks, with each week dedicated to a separate region. University scholars and pro-people researchers will take turns in leading the study circle according to their regional specialisation. Each will elaborate upon: (1) the historical geographical traditions/writings of their region; (2) an important theme of their expertise (e.g. on patriarchy in India); (3) their on-going research and political concerns. A full day each week will be set aside for discusson of the expert presentations, and readings. Weekends will be for informal meetings, documentary screenings and fieldtrips. A complete reading list will be circulated to participants beforehand. Hard copies of the most essential readings will be provided on arrival.

Topics covered will include, but not be limited to: adivasis; patriarchy; caste; class; region; ecological processes; approaches to historical-geographical writing. It is the opinion of the organisers that the gathering will be of interest to all concerned for the production of empirically substantiated pro-people studies.

The venue will be Panchmarhi, Madhya Pradesh. This is a cool and scenic hill station, near Bhopal. The locale has been chosen for two reasons. First, it lies at the heart of the subcontinent – spatially and historically. It has a continuous record of settlement from the Stone Age to present. Evidence of different incurring civilisations in India – Megalithic, Vedic, Buddhist, Moghul, colonial, and the post-1947 state formation – are all found layered in this area. Second, the political-geographical location provides an opportunity to meet with scholars, students and activists from the interior parts of India. This will help study circle participants obtain a first hand experience of India, and how scholarship and politics is developing. Many studies coming from the metropolises, including within India, have a certain homogenising tendency with regard to understanding ‘globalisation’. By contrast, in several areas, closer to the political pulse and movements of the country, authentic voices are still heard.

The study circle will be run as a collective. All participants will be involved in deciding upon and performing necessary chores. Private rooms will be provided in clean and comfortable lodges. A registration charge of USD 625 includes all accommodation, meals, reading materials, and transport within India. The study circle is financed by this sum alone. No state or NGO monies are involved.

For further information/registration, please contact critical.india@googlemail.com

The organisers are..:
Simon Chilvers (Honorary Associate, Macquarie University);
K. Chandan Sharma (Associate Professor,Tezpur University);
Dharmendra Kumar (Associate Professor, J.H. College, Betul, Madhya Pradesh);
Fraser Sugden (Research Fellow, University of Stirling);
K. Sanjay Singh (Associate Professor, University of Delhi);
Margaret Walton-Roberts (Associate Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University);
Terah Sportal (Ph.D. Candidate, University of Guelph).

The workshop will focus on the themes of democracy and identity in any part of Asia. Applicants should be researching some aspect of the politics of identity recognition in Asia in recent decades, and the challenges it has posed to practices and understandings of democracy.

Questions to be considered include: How do emerging democracies accommodate group demands? How do historically defined notions of state and nation clash with emerging claims for ethnic, gender, and sexual identity recognition? How is the very meaning of democracy in Asia being reformulated to account for these claims? What kinds of political spaces have allowed the mobilization
of identity-based movements to develop in Asia?

The workshop will take place over two or three days on the campus of the University of Toronto. It will include a small group of students and a few faculty members representing different disciplines and interdisciplinary fields. The costs of the workshop, meals, and accommodations will be covered by the Asian Institute at the University of Toronto.

Travel will be subsidized up to a maximum of CDN$500 per participant. Applicants should seek additional travel grants from their home institutions, and consult with the Asian Institute if travel costs
prove problematic.

APPLICATION DEADLINE is JANUARY 15, 2010:
Applications consist of two items:

1. A current curriculum vitae.
2. An 8 to 10 page double spaced dissertation proposal. Alternatively, if the work is well underway, an 8 to 10 page double spaced description of the specific issues being addressed, the intellectual approach, and the materials being studied.

Workshop participants will be selected on the content of the submitted projects, the potential for useful exchanges among them, and the benefits of including a wide range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches and intellectual traditions. Applications should be sent by email attachment to asian.institute@utoronto.ca. Applicants will be informed whether or not they have been selected for the workshop by January 31st. For further information about the workshop or eligibility, please contact asian.institute@utoronto.ca.

With support from
Academy of Well Being Society, Udaipur
Aishwarya Education Society,
Udaipur, (Raj.)

Under the auspices of
Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur
Rajasthan, India

THEME
The theme of Women. Work and Health Conference 2010 “Gender and the Changing World of Work and Health” is devoted to understand the enormous impact of the economic globalization on women’s work and health. The conference aims to find strategies for a sustainable economic development that incorporate women and enhance their health and well-being as well as to incorporate gender perspective and gender budgeting in the general outlines of the working conditions, empowerment and support for women to take action in decision-making bodies at all levels of society.

SUB-THEMES

• Feminisation of poverty
• Occupational safety and health
• Gender as a vital component in legislation policies
• Violence against women
• Women Leadership skills
• Women’s rights and wellbeing
• Any other relevant issues on “For Women By Women” profile

Call for papers:

The abstract maximum 250 words typed in A4 size paper on any topic related to the principle theme or sub themes may be sent in duplicate to the organizers. The abstracts of research paper should highlight objectives, methodology and main findings of the study. A soft copy of abstract (MS word) may also be mailed to conference chairperson when an abstract is selected, the concerned participant will be informed and they will be requested to forward the full paper (maximum 5 pages).

Registration Fee

Delegates from Abroad: : $200
Outstation Indian Delegates : Rs. 2000/-

Local Delegates
Life members of Academy of Well Being : Rs. 1000/-
Non-Members : Rs. 1500/-
Research Scholars/Students : Rs. 800/-

Email: vlugcudr@yahoo.in, vijayshree.chouhan@gmail.com

For Accommodation and Travel Assistance, please contact
Mr. Kamal Bhandari http://www.jaisamand.com/

Registration fee includes kit, accommodation and food only for conference days.

However, many of the biofuels that are currently being supplied have been criticised for their adverse impacts on the natural environment, food security, and land use. The challenge is to support biofuel development, including the development of new cellulosic technologies, with responsible policies and economic instruments to help ensure that biofuel commercialization is sustainable. In order to access the broad opportunities and challenges of sustainable biofuel development in Canada and India, the Centre for Canadian Studies Development Programme (CSDP), Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla is organizing a three day national seminar during Oct/Nov 2009. The CSDP invites papers from academics, policy makers, analysts practitioners and researchers for presentation in the seminar. There will be encouragement for young reserchers and professionals. The papers would be subject to peer review before acceptance for presentation. The seminar papers based on a further review, would be brought out as an edited volume. The centre will provide local hospitality and Iind AC return fare to outstation participants.

The indicative topics are:

• Major market trends in biofuel industry, Canada and India
• Food security vs. energy security , Canada and India
• Sustainable Biofuels and the issues of climate change and energy supply
• Government policies and economic instruments in biofuel development, Canada and India
• Socio-economic aspects of biofuels development
• Environmental aspects and criteria for sustainability

We would like to include papers which deal with international comparisons of biofuels development in Asia, Europe and North America. Abstracts must reach us by 15th December 2009 and the full paper by 15th January 2010 to the addresses given below. The papers would be rigorously vetted and the decision would be communicated to you in the last week of September

Important Dates

• Submission of Abstracts: 15th December 2009
• Submission of final draft: 15th January 2010
• Final Acceptance of Papers: 15th February 2010
• Date of the seminar: 16-18 March 2010

Prof. K K Kaushik
Director CSDP, H P University
Summer-hill, Shimla-171005

Professor Satish K Sharma
Department of Sociology
H P University, Shimla-171005

The University of Victoria has forged a unique partnership with the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) to create and deliver this program. The MACD-I is founded on the assumption that effective collaboration is required to foster transformative leadership, and that theoretical foundations of community development must be complemented by practical insights from experts in the field. For more information please click here.

Proposed papers required by December 15, 2009.