BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 METHOD:PUBLISH PRODID:-//Telerik Inc.//Sitefinity CMS 15.1//EN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Eastern Standard Time BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20251102T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=1SU;BYHOUR=2;BYMINUTE=0;BYMONTH=11 TZNAME:Eastern Standard Time TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20250301T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=2SU;BYHOUR=2;BYMINUTE=0;BYMONTH=3 TZNAME:Eastern Daylight Time TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DESCRIPTION:Political critique has often revolved around the ways in which the contemporary global order worked to privately benefit the wealthy few and harm the poor many. Now this very order appears imperiled by a renewed embrace of might-makes-right contests between states—where power rewards the strong and subdues the weak. One might then ask: Did \;the earlier public veneration of rules and norms \;merely \;mask \;and su stain a hegemonic global order \;or \;did it also productively sha pe the terms of international dialogue\, critique and engagement in the pu rsuit of justice? \;Are we experiencing a moment similar to the earlie r “imperial \;boomerang” where the streets and institutions of the Glo bal North are under siege by the same violence-sanitizing apparatuses of c ontrol that were tried and tested on Global South populations\, or are oth er public dynamics in play that trouble such Global North/Global South bin aries entirely? \;At a time of growing authoritarianism in the United States\, South Asia\, and across the world\, how might we sustain and cont inue to pursue research\, scholarship\, and creative expression that are v ital to our democracy and public life? Federal support for National Resour ce Centers has eroded and public spaces for democratic engagement are incr easingly policed\, repressed\, and weaponized through ethnonationalist and anti-immigrant policies. When public expression is severely constrained\, what happens to public life itself?This symposium hosted by the South Asi a Center at Syracuse University is dedicated to exploring interconnected q uestions about collective public life and scholarship on South Asia and be yond. The workshop examines the relationships between scholarship\, politi cal practice\, and the cultivation of publics through art\, research\, and creative writing—a conversation that feels especially urgent in the curre nt political climate. The workshop brings together scholars across the U.S . and Upstate New York working across diverse fields and disciplines. Pane lists \;draw from their scholarship to engage with recent political ev ents at home and abroad that may suggest a substantial shift in the role o f the public.Friday\, April 243:00-3:10 \; Welcoming Remarks: South As ia's Publics  Mona Bhan\, Syracuse University3:15-5:15 \; Cultivating PublicsNatasha Raheja\, Cornell University | "A Desi-Pardesi\, \;Borde r-Crossing Approach to Public Scholarship"Nausheen Husain\, Syracuse Unive rsity | "War Counterstories: American Journalists on Post-9/11 Newsrooms"S uvaid Yaseen\, Hamilton College | "Hesitant Discussions: South Asian Publi cs and the (Ir)Relevance of Academia in the Present"Romita Ray\, Syracuse University | "Whither South Asian Art?"Graduate Student Discussants\, Syra cuse and Cornell: Praagya Khand\, Sara Ather\, Shrutika Lakshmi\, \;Eb ad Athar5:30-7:30 \; Keynote Address: \;The Pith of Disgust and Ho w It Has Shaped Ideas of Caste in South AsiaYashica Dutt\, author of \ ;Coming Out As Dalit \;(2019)Saturday\, April 25  9:00-11:00 \; Ca pitalism and Un(Making) PublicsPriti Ramamurthy\, University of Washington | "Why Tell Feminist Stories along and beyond Capitalism? Complicity\, Ve rnacular Conceptions of the Economic\, and Betweenness"Llerena Searle\, Un iversity of Rochester | "Purification and Commodification: Interiors and t he Public in Urban India"Aniket Aga\, \;University at \;Buffalo-SU NY | "On the Necessity and Difficulties of Constructing a Democratic Publi c: Thoughts from India"Farhana Sultana\, Syracuse University | "Environmen tal Publics\, Authoritarian Capitalism\, and the Contradictions of Develop ment"Graduate Student Discussants\, Syracuse and Cornell: Adarsh Raghuram\ , Bramsh Khan\, Poonam Argade\, Parijat Jha11:15-1:15 \; Governing Pub licsAnupama Rao\, Barnard College | "On Names and Events: Impunity at the Intersection of Law\, State\, and Society"Sohini Chattopadhyay\, Union Col lege | "Heterotopic Spaces and the Collapse of the Public: Reflecting on a 1920s Crematorium"Nadine Murshid\, \;University at \;Buffalo-SUNY | "Claiming Space: Lessons from Bangladesh’s July Uprising"Carmel Christy \, Syracuse University | "Sensorium of 'Secular' and Sacred Publics: Cast( e)-Bodies of 'Casteless' Rhetoric"SherAli Tareen\, Franklin &\; Marshal l College | "The Perniciousness of Secular Power in South Asia and Beyond" Graduate Student Discussants\, Syracuse and Cornell: Nikita Agarwal\, Sada m Hussain\, Sadhvi Dash3:00-5:00 \; Closed Event: Building Reflections with Richa Nagar\, Smith College \;Talk | "Salty River &\; 'Padosi Dharma': Stories Flowing in Neighborliness"Participant Provocations | Can Stories Embody an Ethic of Neighborliness?5:00-5:30 \; Closing Reflec tionsThis event has been generously co-sponsored by the departments of Rel igion\, Anthropology\, Women's and Gender Studies\, and Language\, Literat ures\, and Linguistics. DTEND:20260425T213000Z DTSTAMP:20260509T151215Z DTSTART:20260424T190000Z LOCATION: SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Symposium | South Asia's Publics UID:RFCALITEM639139219357859940 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Political critique has oft en revolved around the ways in which the contemporary global order worked to privately benefit the wealthy few and harm the poor many. Now this very order appears imperiled by a renewed embrace of might-makes-right contest s between states—where power rewards the strong and subdues the weak. One might then ask: Did \;the earlier public veneration of rules and norms  \;merely \;mask \;and sustain a hegemonic global order \;or \;did it also productively shape the terms of i nternational dialogue\, critique and engagement in the pursuit of justice?  \;Are we experiencing a moment similar to the earlier “imperial \ ;boomerang” where the streets and institutions of the Global North are und er siege by the same violence-sanitizing apparatuses of control that were tried and tested on Global South populations\, or are other public dynamic s in play that trouble such Global North/Global South binaries entirely?&n bsp\;

At a time of growing authoritarianism in the United States\, South A sia\, and across the world\, how might we sustain and continue to pursue r esearch\, scholarship\, and creative expression that are vital to our demo cracy and public life? Federal support for National Resource Centers has e roded and public spaces for democratic engagement are increasingly policed \, repressed\, and weaponized through ethnonationalist and anti-immigrant policies. When public expression is severely constrained\, what happens to public life itself?

This symposium hosted by the South Asia Center at Syracuse University is dedicated to exploring interconnected questions about collective public life and scholarship on South Asia and beyond. The workshop examines the relationships between scholarship\, political pract ice\, and the cultivation of publics through art\, research\, and creative writing—a conversation that feels especially urgent in the current politi cal climate. The workshop brings together scholars across the U.S. and Ups tate New York working across diverse fields and disciplines. Panelists&nbs p\;draw from their scholarship to engage with recent political events at h ome and abroad that may suggest a substantial shift in the role of the pub lic.

Friday\, April 24

3:00-3:10 \; Welcoming Remarks: South Asia's Publics  

Mona Bhan\, Syracuse Univ ersity

3:15-5:15 \; Cultivating Publics

Natasha Raheja\, C ornell University | "A Desi-Pardesi\, \;Border-Crossing Approach to Pu blic Scholarship"
Nausheen Husain\, Syracuse University | "War Counters tories: American Journalists on Post-9/11 Newsrooms"
Suvaid Yaseen\, Ha milton College | "Hesitant Discussions: South Asian Publics and the (Ir)Re levance of Academia in the Present"
Romita Ray\, Syracuse University | "Whither South Asian Art?"
Graduate Student Discussants\, Syracuse and Cornell: Praagya Khand\, Sara Ather\, Shrutika Lakshmi\, \;Ebad Athar< /p>

5:30-7:30 \; Keynote Address: \;The Pith of Disgust and How It Has Shaped Ideas of Caste in South Asia

Yashica Dutt\, author of& nbsp\;Coming Out As Dalit \;(2019)

Saturday\, A pril 25  

9:00-11:00 \; Capitalism and Un(Making) Publi cs

Priti Ramamurthy\, University of Washington | "Why Tell Feminist Stories along and beyond Capitalism? Complicity\, Vernacular Conceptions o f the Economic\, and Betweenness"
Llerena Searle\, University of Roches ter | "Purification and Commodification: Interiors and the Public in Urban India"
Aniket Aga\, \;University at \;Buffalo-SUNY | "On the N ecessity and Difficulties of Constructing a Democratic Public: Thoughts fr om India"
Farhana Sultana\, Syracuse University | "Environmental Public s\, Authoritarian Capitalism\, and the Contradictions of Development"
G raduate Student Discussants\, Syracuse and Cornell: Adarsh Raghuram\, Bram sh Khan\, Poonam Argade\, Parijat Jha

11:15-1:15 \; Governing Pu blics

Anupama Rao\, Barnard College | "On Names and Events: Impunity at the Intersection of Law\, State\, and Society"
Sohini Chattopadhyay \, Union College | "Heterotopic Spaces and the Collapse of the Public: Ref lecting on a 1920s Crematorium"
Nadine Murshid\, \;University at&nb sp\;Buffalo-SUNY | "Claiming Space: Lessons from Bangladesh’s July Uprisin g"
Carmel Christy\, Syracuse University | "Sensorium of 'Secular' and S acred Publics: Cast(e)-Bodies of 'Casteless' Rhetoric"
SherAli Tareen\, Franklin &\; Marshall College | "The Perniciousness of Secular Power i n South Asia and Beyond"
Graduate Student Discussants\, Syracuse and Co rnell: Nikita Agarwal\, Sadam Hussain\, Sadhvi Dash

3:00-5:00 \; Closed Event: Building Reflections with Richa Nagar\, Smith College \ ;

Talk | "Salty River &\; 'Padosi Dharma': Stories Flowing in Ne ighborliness"
Participant Provocations | Can Stories Embody an Ethic of Neighborliness?

5:00-5:30 \; Closing Reflections

This event has been generously co-sponsored by the departments of Religion\, A nthropology\, Women's and Gender Studies\, and Language\, Literatures\, an d Linguistics.

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