Collaborations, Conflicts, and Dependencies: Transnational NGOs in Bodhgaya, India - SAC

Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, South Asia Center Present: 

Jason Rodriguez, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Collaborations, Conflicts, and Dependencies: Transnational NGOs in Bodhgaya, India

In this talk, Rodriguez draws from fieldwork among NGOs in Bodhgaya, India to explore the collaborations and conflicts that inform governance in the context of transnational NGOs. The NGO he foregrounds was co-directed by local Biharis and Spaniards whose relations were characterized by a lack of trust, concerns about transparency, and divergent agendas. These collaborations were messy, characterized by complex dependencies, and were fraught with conflict over land ownership, finances, and the degree to which faith-based motivations should inform everyday NGO operations. Transnational NGOs offer an important node for understanding how international inequalities manifest in everyday life in the Global South. 

For more information, please contact Emera Bridger Wilson (elbridge@syr.edu). 

Sponsoring Department: South Asia Center, Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, Department of Religion, Transnational NGO Initiatives