Warm Aloha to all who attended and presented at the Spring Symposium on South Asian Futures! Please see more about the Symposium below. 

Still looking for courses for summer of fall? You can find course offerings in South Asian Studies and by CSAS affiliate faculty in this newsletter.

We are also happy to showcase another CSAS Alumna –  Irmak Yazici (PhD Political Science, 2022), former CSAS Coordinator, now teaching at Stanford University. If you were a student involved with CSAS during your time at UH, we want to know what you’re doing now! Please email us at csas@hawaiil.edu to be featured in our spotlight! We hope these last couple weeks of the semester go smoothly!

From CSAS,
Anna Stirr, Director
Mari Martinez, Coordinator

---

CSAS News

CONGRATULATIONS!
SPAS Graduate Conference 2024 – Paper Prize Winners!

Congratulations to our paper prize winners from the Center for South Asian Studies! These awards came with a cash prize for students, we wish them all the best!

• Carissa Chew – Best Paper on South Asia at the SPAS Graduate Conference 2024. Paper title: “The origins of “half-caste” as a racialized and sexualized category in East India Company India,” presented on Friday, 5 April, 2024.
• Corwynn Madrone – Honorable Mention in the competition for the Best Paper on South Asia at the SPAS Graduate Conference 2024. Paper Title: “Intersectional Identity & Otherness in the Newar Buddhist Deity Bungadya,” presented on Friday, 5 April, 2024.

The Library of Congress Asian Division – South Asian Digital Collection (SADC)

The Library of Congress Asian Division has launched the South Asian Digital Collection (SADC), which is also the topic of the latest post on LC’s 4 Corners of the Worldblog. This new collection framework wraps around some 900 books, rare books, a few manuscripts, and a couple of serials that have been digitized over the last 10-15 years as part of routine and project-based digitization efforts. All items are open access. With this new framework, SADC will enhance the discoverability of the Library’s South Asian digital holdings and create the foundation for more South Asian digital projects in the future. At launch, SADC includes digitized print and textual material, although it may grow to cross-reference South Asian items from LC’s Prints and Photographs Division (search catalog here) and Geography and Map Division (browse online maps here). Below are a few highlights of the collection at launch: 

• the Library’s 2,000-year-old Gandhara scroll
• a 53-foot illustrated Sanskrit scroll of the Bhagavata Purana with very tiny text (1884)
• a first book of botany for Sinhalese students (1883)
• a major anti-caste Marathi work titled Slavery (Gulāmagirī) by Jyotirao Phule (1873)
• a Hindi study on differential calculus(1886)
• an English-language linguistic study, Notes on the Gán̲wárí dialect of Lohardaga, Chhota Nagpur (1896)
• a 4-part work on Rajasthani history in Hindi titled Vīravinoda (1890)
• two 19th-century illustrated manuscripts with poetic works of Mir Hasan in Urdu 
• the Constitution of India
• selected issues of Bengal Hurkaru

---

Thank you to everyone who helped make our spring symposium a success! 

The CSAS Spring Symposium on South Asian Futures took place in Hamilton Library from April 10-12. Presenters joined us from across North America and further afield, bringing their families and experiencing local hospitality and Hawai’ian culture through visits to the lo’i, and making connections with local scholars and activists. We are grateful to everyone for sharing their work with us, and look forward to continuing the conversations we started over these three days, bringing together multiple ways of imagining the possible, grounding ideas of South Asian futures in perspectives from South Asia and its diasporas. 
The Symposium program, with details of all the speakers and their abstracts, can be viewed here.

If you missed our symposium, you can still check out talks on our Youtube Channel!

If you have pictures of our spring symposium that you would like to share, please send them to csas@hawaii.edu

The following photos are courtesy of Ian Bellows:

---

Alumni Spotlight: Irmak Yazici

---

Harvard College Project for Asian & International Relations (HPAIR)  2024 Asia Conference

We are proud to release the theme for our Harvard Conference 2024 – Reimagining Connectivity: Building Bridges in a Globalized Society. Join us in Bangkok, Thailand this August to hear from world-renowned leaders of all fields of expertise and connect with passionate and motivated delegates from around the world. For over 30 years, HPAIR’s mission has been to connect the global leaders of today with the leaders of tomorrow in a dynamic forum of exchange. We bring together students and young professionals from around the world to engage and learn from government leaders, business executives, social sector pioneers, celebrities, and leading academics.
Form more information & to apply visit: https://www.hpair.org/
DEADLINES:
Scholarship Deadline: May 1, 2024
Early Bird Deadline: May 15, 2024
Regular Deadline: June 15, 2024

2024-2025 SAAH Scholarship

The Society of Asian Art of Hawai’i, Inc. promotes the pursuit of higher education by awarding scholarship grants to deserving Hawai’i college or university students studying Asia-related art courses at Hawai’i institutions of higher learning. The Scholarship Program is funded from contributions from individuals and organizations as well as fundraising activities conducted by the Society. For 2024-2025 the Society expects to award anywhere from $1,000 to $4,000 to each qualified applicant.  

1. Society of Asian Art of Hawai’i Scholarship Fund
2. Susan Burghardt Scholarship Fund

The SAAH Scholarship Committee will determine the amounts based on the availability of funds. Note: to assure that applicants actually enroll in the courses they have selected, half of the scholarship amount will be given in September 2024, and the remaining half will be given in January 2025, after the fall transcript for 2024 completed courses and the spring 2025 course registration form have been submitted electronically to the email listed on the application form.
For more information and application to apply visit: https://www.saahhawaii.org/scholarship-application
Questions? Contact: saahscholarship@gmail.com
Application Deadline: June 30, 2024

Transform Your Dissertation into a Book  Workshop

This workshop is sponsored by the American Institute of Indian Studies with the American Institute of Pakistan Studies, American Institute of Bangladesh Studies, and American Institute of Sri Lankan Studies. Part  of the Annual Conference on South Asia at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, this workshop aims to help a select number of recent PhDs to re-vision their doctoral dissertations as books.
For more information visit: https://www.indiastudies.org/book-prize/dissertation-to-book-workshop/
Workshop: October 29-30, 2024
Application Deadline: July 31, 2024

---

EVENTS

[In Person]

[Online]

Time-Saving Appliances and Educational Pitfalls: Evidence from Pakistan

Abstract: This study investigates whether access to time-saving appliances (TSA) aids children, especially girls in overcoming educational pitfalls, particularly during the challenging transition from primary to secondary and upper secondary schools in South Asia, marked by high dropout rates. Despite established evidence linking TSA access to increased educational enrollment, we focus on its specific impact on reducing dropout rates and their transition from one schooling level to another which is marked by the highest dropout rates. Utilizing instrumental variable methodology to address endogeneity, our findings reveal a causal relationship between owning freezers and washing machines and successful transitions for both genders. The village-level ownership of these appliances among childless families serves as a crucial instrument. Additionally, we analyze the mechanisms through which time-saving appliances influence upward transitions and assess result heterogeneity based on maternal decision-making authority, parental educational aspirations, and sibling gender composition within households. This nuanced exploration provides valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners addressing educational challenges in the region. 
WHEN:  Wednesday, April 24, 2024
9:00AM – 10:00AM HST
WHERE: Virtual
TO REGISTER: https://eastwestcenter.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Zpj4Uja5RyKxJTVNQzvk9A#/registration

---

SUMMER & FALL COURSES

Summer and Fall Course offering on South Asian Studies and by South Asian Studies Faculty!

SUMMER:

• ANTH 301 – Culture and Health (Jan Brunson)
• ANTH 315 – Sex and Gender (Jan Brunson)
• ASAN 466 – Transpacific Youth Pop Culture (Jade Lum)
• BSU 315 – Global Management and Organizational Behavior (Dharm Bhavuk)
• CL/REL 211 – Understanding Ancient Religions (A R Candens)
• GEO 102 – World Regional Geography (Pallavi Gupta)
• HIST 354 – Intro to Islamic History (A. Karim Khan)
• REL 150 – Intro to the World’s Major Religions (Jonathan Pettit)
• REL/WGSS – 149 Intro to the World’s Goddesses (A R Canden)

FALL:

• ART 400C – Special Topics: Life of the Buddha (Paul Lavy)
• ART 791 – Seminar in South and Southeast Asian Art History (Paul Lavy)
• ASAN 150 – Intro Asia Research & Writing (Anne McCarrey)
• ASAS 202 – Intro to Asian Studies: South & Southeast Asia (Ben Moseley)
• ASAN 303/DNCE 301/IP303 – Bollywood Dance, Music, & Film (Sai Bhatawadekar)
• ASAN 305 – Careers Pathways in Asian Studies (Cathryn Clayton)
• ASAN 310 Studying Asia Culturally (Anna Stirr)
• ASAN 654 – South Asia Now (Anna Stirr)
• ASAN 689 – International Relations in Asia
• ENG 463 Studies in Film – Postcolonial Narrative Cinema (S Shankar)
• GEO 102 – World Regional Geography (Pallavi Gupta)
• HNDI 101, 201, 301 – (Sai Bhatawadekar)
• HIST 354 – Intro to Islamic History (A. Karim Khan)
• IP 374 – Classical Hindu Mythology (Jesse Knutson)
• REL 149 – Intro to the World’s Goddesses (Amanda Canden)
• REL 150 – Intro to the World’s Major Religions (multiple sections w/ multiple instructors)
• REL 207 – Understanding Buddhism (M Mohr)
• REL 209  – Understanding Islam (C Y Karam)
• REL 308 – Religion, Politics, and Society (Ramdas Lamb)
• REL 475 – Seminar on Buddhism (Tibetan Buddhism) (K L Tsomo)
• REL 495 – Seminar in Religion: Classical Tibetan (G Kinkley)
• REL 602 – Study of Religion in Practice (Ramdas Lamb)
• SNSK 101 – Intro to Sanskrit (Jesse Knutson)
• SNSK 685 – Advanced Readings in Sanskrit (Jesse Knutson)
• SOC 218 – Intro to Social Problems (Nandita Sharma)
• SOC 609 – Seminar on Qualitative Research (Nandita Sharma)
• PLAN 310 – Introduction to Planning (Priyam Das)
• PLAN 600 – Public Policy and Planning Theory (Ashok Das)
• PLAN 604 – Qualitative Methods Planning (Priyam Das) 
• WGSS 151 – Intro to Women’s Studies (Monisha Das Gupta)
• WGSS 418 – Gender and Work (Monisha Das Gupta)

---

WWF Nepal

WWF Nepal, the global conservation organization leading international efforts for a living planet, seeks applications from qualified Nepali candidates for the following full-time position. If you think you are an achiever and willing to work within a diverse team in a multicultural environment with commitment and passion for what you believe in, you are highly encouraged to apply.
For More information: https://www.wwfnepal.org/get_involved/careers/
Deadline: April 21, 2024

Faculty Position in the History of Asia at the University of São Paulo

The Department of History at the University of São Paulo is seeking to appoint a tenure-track faculty member in History of Asia, whose research focuses on the Asian spaces rather than the European presence in Asia.
For more information visit: https://tinyurl.com/2za2zpxe
Deadline: April 22, 2024 at 5pm (Brasilia) (or 8pm UTC)

Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad (FRA) Fellowship Program

The Fulbright-Hays Program awards grants to individual U.S. K-14 pre-teachers, teachers and administrators, pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral faculty, as well as to U.S. institutions and organizations. This program supports research and training efforts overseas, which focus on non-Western foreign languages and area studies. It is funded by a Congressional appropriation to the U.S. Department of Education and is one of the few Fulbright Programs that supports group projects abroad.
For more information: https://www2.ed.gov/programs/iegpsfra/applicant.html
Application Deadline: April 23, 2024

Southern Methodist University – History

The William P. Clements Department of History at SMU invites nominations and applications for a two-year appointment to begin Fall semester 2024. They are seeking a teacher-scholar in the field of South Asian history, in any area or period, to fill this position.
For more information visit: https://apply.interfolio.com/129501
Deadline: May 1, 2024

United States Naval War College – Strategy & Policy Policy

U.S. Naval War College seeks a professor of strategy and policy.  Expertise in North, East, Central, and/or South Asia is particularly desirable, but not required. 
For more information: https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=67128
Deadline: May 10, 2024

The Center for Global Asia at NYU – Center for Global Asia Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Center for Global Asia at NYU Shanghai is pleased to announce the availability of two research positions for the study of intra-Asian interactions, starting fall 2024.
For more information: https://apply.interfolio.com/143845
Deadline: May 15, 2024

University of Pittsburgh – Full Time Faculty Professor,  History

The Department of History at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for the Amundson Professorship of British History, to begin in Fall Term 2025. Applicants should have outstanding research records and be acknowledged leaders in British history broadly defined. This may include the British Isles, the British Empire, the Commonwealth, connections with or within the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic, Africa, Asia, continental Europe, or beyond. Appointment will be at the associate or full professor level.
For more information: https://tinyurl.com/mupy5vk7
Deadline: July 11, 2024

Marymount Manhattan College – History and International Studies

Marymount Manhattan College seeks applications for a Visiting Assistant Professor of History and International Studies to begin Fall 2024 pending final budget approval. For more information visit: https://www.mmm.edu/offices/human-resources/faculty-positions.php
Deadline: August 1, 2024

---

To submit content for future CSAS newsletters, 

please send information in the following format to csas@hawaii.edu in the body of an email. 

News/Opportunity/Event Title (and subtitle if applicable)
Organizing Entity
Relevant Date + Time + Location
Short Description, links for further information
Image (.jpg or .png, minimum 1200 pixel on the long side)

For all inquiries, please send an email to: csas@hawaii.edu