From: rajkumar hans <rajkhans@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, Mar 5, 2010 at 11:49 AM
Subject: Fw: Dalit Studies Week at Shimla
To: Palash Biswas <palashbiswaskl@gmail.com>
From: rajkumar hans <rajkhans@yahoo.com>
To: Palash Biswas <palashchandrabiswas@gmail.com>
Sent: Fri, March 5, 2010 11:41:47 AM
Subject: Dalit Studies Week at Shimla
Dalit Studies Week
at
Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla
The interface between dalit activism and academia in the last two decades has given way to a growing body of works on Dalit Studies. It is essentially inter/multi-disciplinary in character for posing and exploring new questions, methods, and paradigms. Dalit as a concept and category has opened up new possibilities of critical understanding around conceptual categories of exclusion and marginality for disciplinary practices. Posing a challenge to the existing order, it propels the initiatives for the creation of an alternative paradigm as well as reconfiguring the contours of everyday life. Caste, religion and land as determinants of relations of power and subordination, as sources of oppression and humiliation are central to the understanding of dalit life-worlds. The establishment of Dr. Ambedkar Chairs and Centres in different universities and educational institutions has played its role in sensitising the academics towards Dalit Studies but even after two decades of Dalit Studies in existence in the academia it is still in an amorphous state, on its cross-roads. It is important that stocktaking is done, reviews are made and a roadmap is sketched for the future of Dalit Studies. A week of intensive presentations, discussions, and reflections by a small group of 20 dedicated scholars is called for that purpose.
Over the last few decades the debate around 'who speaks for the subaltern?' has raised questions of 'representation' and 'authenticity'. While suspicions have been expressed by internal voices against non-Dalits' writings, not even sparing the genuine and sympathetic thinkers, there has also been the conventional mode of patronage and attitude of condescension on the part of the other side. Besides serious work having seen the light of the day in the past there has also been a spurt in the production of knowledge for the sake of promotions as also for the market. A balanced approach demands an open-minded/ended and inclusive reception and participation for a progressive onward journey. The 'exclusions' cannot be countered by 'exclusions'; organic dalit intellectuals could be more aware of the dangers of exclusionary practices. Dalit studies cannot but consciously address the subconscious of not only the oppressed but the oppressor as well. The rethinking and reimagining seem already in place and a week's meeting of minds is bound to trigger new ideas for charting the new road.
--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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