January 16, 2021
On Monday, November 19, Arsalan Khan (Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Union College) joined the South Asia Center for a virtual manuscript workshop. Khan shared his latest research on the politics of piety in the Pakistani Tablighi Jamaat, opening up a lively conversation with faculty and graduate students across multiple disciplines. The discussion explored the politics
October 26, 2020
On October 20, 2020, the Tasveer South Asian Litfest (TSAL) kicked off with a virtual keynote discussion between Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, an award-winning Indian American author, and Prof. Sunila Kale, Director of the UW South Asia Center. Their conversation explored gender, power, and meaning in Indian epics, which Divakaruni’s works re-think from the perspectives of women
September 14, 2020
Following more than 10 years of service, South Asia Studies Librarian Deepa Banerjee was recently promoted from Associate Librarian to Librarian at the University of Washington. She spoke with our graduate student assistant, Shelby House, about her career as a librarian and her experience at UW. Read their full conversation below to learn more about
June 16, 2020
The UW South Asia Center congratulates the 2020 graduates of the International Studies (South Asia) MA program, as well as those with a focus on the study of South Asia from affiliated graduate programs. Marshall Azad Degree: MA in South Asia Studies, Jackson School of International Studies Research interests: Bangladesh, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Elder Care, Domestic
June 14, 2020
On May 27, 2020, sixteen high school teachers from across Washington State joined the South Asia Center and the Brown University Choices Program for a webinar on the Choices curriculum unit, The United States in Afghanistan. The Choices Program draws on scholarship from Brown University to produce innovative curricula and videos that make contested international
May 15, 2020
On Thursday, May 7, the Block Museum at Northwestern University held a virtual screening of the 1971 film Badnam Basti, followed by a Q&A with Professor Sudhir Mahadevan (UW Cinema & Media Studies) and Simran Bhalla (Ph.D. candidate, Screen Cultures, Northwestern University). Badnam Basti, considered one of the first LGBTQ films in Indian cinema, was long thought to be
April 3, 2020
May 2021 update This page was updated in May 2021 to reflect the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Asia. In addition to the organizations listed by country below, there are many volunteer-compiled resources for fundraising to support those affected. Fundraisers and volunteer-compiled resources: Ongoing Fundraisers Related to COVID-19 Distress in India (http://bit.ly/MutualAidIndia)
January 30, 2020
Professors Radhika Govindrajan and Cassie Adcock (Washington University in St. Louis) recently co-edited a special issue of South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies focused on bovine politics in India. Featuring essays by Adcock, Sahana Ghosh, Shaheed Tayob, Kathryn Hardy, Aarti Sethi, and James Staples, the issue provides new perspectives on religion, law, and ethics in South
January 27, 2020
Professor Heidi Pauwels (Asian Languages & Literature) was recently awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to work on her book, The Voice of India’s 18th-Century Mona Lisa: Songs by Rasik Bihari of Kishangarh. Pauwels’ project explores the poetry of an 18th-century woman known as Bani-thani or Rasik Bihari, who was a court performer and favorite of
January 15, 2020
On January 9, the South Asia Center invited two distinguished scholars for talks and a panel discussion on “Caste, Gender, and Citizenship in Contemporary India.” Professors K. Satyanarayana (EFLU-Hyderabad) and Charu Gupta (University of Delhi) shared their insights on a range of critical issues, from student movements to Dalit literature and inter-religious marriages. Talks were followed