CENTER FOR

SOUTH ASIAN

STUDIES

University of Michigan Fall 2008 Newsletter

Indian AmbassadorRonen Sen to

Visit MichiganP A G E 1 4

Dear Friends and Colleagues:This Fall we kick off a vigorousnew year of programming atthe Center, with a range oftalks, performances, initiatives,film screenings, and fellowship competitions suitedto the wide variety of interestsheld by all of you. Thinkingabout recent world events, itstrikes me that variable for-mats for discussing and learn-ing about South Asia haveperhaps never been more urgently needed than they are now. In the last severalmonths, multiple suicidebombs have been directed atgovernment targets in the bor-der areas of South Asia that for years now have witnessedall-out—if vaguely defined—war; even more dramatically,civilian populations have beentargeted by bomb attacks inmiddle-class districts of Delhi,Jaipur, Islamabad, and othercities where those kinds of attacks have previously beenextremely rare. Pakistani territory has been unilaterallydeclared part of the US mili-tary’s theatre of operations, despite protests from a newlyemergent government in Islamabad attempting to defend their country’s territo-rial sovereignty. In Nepal, themonarchy has been thrown out and a new government,headed by a Maoist party, has

been resoundingly ushered in. A domino-like string offailures in the US’s investmentbanking and insurance sectors has revealed once again (withgreat clarity) both the inter-connectedness of financial systems worldwide, and theimportance of insuring oureconomies—including, impor-tantly, the economies of SouthAsia—against the vicissitudesof corporate greed and in-equitable multi-national economic agreements andgovernance structures. Theupcoming presidential elec-tions in the United States willhave an impact on the wayeach of these developments is perceived, both at homeand abroad, and on the stylesand goals of engagement thatwill emerge between the USand South Asian governmentsand peoples.

Thinking through theseand other events, and throughthe many ways they fore-ground US/South Asia inter-connectedness in the present,is a central task for the scholars, activists, and con-cerned citizens who form the “community” at the core ofour Center. Several eventsplanned for the upcomingyear approach that task di-rectly. Among them, I wouldhighlight in particular the October 22 visit by His

F r o m t h e D i r e c t o r

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Excellency Ronen Sen, Indian Ambassador to theUnited States, to discussUS/India relations; and also the inauguration of the Trehan India Initiative at theUniversity of Michigan’s firsttheme year, “State, Space, and Citizenship: Indian Citiesin the Global Era,” beginningin early January. There are many other rich topics to beexplored this year, and manyextraordinary scholars andperformers coming to theCenter to explore them withus. You will find a calendar ofthese and other upcoming activities in the pages of thisnewsletter. At the start of anew academic year, let me justconvey how much I and all ofthe staff members at CSASconsider it our privilege tohelp make these opportunitiespossible. It is also our privi-lege to join with you in a mutual effort to build knowl-edge about, and share therichness of, South Asian societies and cultures as an integral part of our lives hereat UM. I hope I will see manyof you often this year; as always, all of our events arefree and open to the public.

Will Glover

U N I V E R S I T Y O FM I C H I G A N

Center for SouthAsian Studies

Fall Lectures 2008

Friday 9/12 ANSHU MALHOTRA

Abduction, Conversion, and a Scandal in Mid-Nineteenth Century Punjab:

Religious Conflict and Syncretistic Culturein Peero's 160 Kafis

Thursday 9/25 AAMIR MUFTI

3222 Angell Hall, 12-2pmOrientalism and the Institution of World

Literatures

Friday 9/26SALONI MATHUR

Contemporary Indian Art and the War in Iraq: On Vivan Sundaram’s Engine

Oil Work

Friday 10/24 THOMAS BLOM HANSEN The Unwieldy Fetish: Desire and

Disavowal of Indianness in South Africa

Friday 10/31K.(SHIVI) SIVARAMAKRISHNAN

Nature, Nationalism, and Public Intellectualism in India

Friday 11/7 • ARINDAM DUTTA Calcutta Coefficients: Styles of State-

Building, Styles of Computations

Friday 11/14 JAWED ASHRAF

Democratic Relations: India and the USin an Age of Economic Cooperation

Friday 12/5 SANJAY KAK

Screening of documentary “Jashn-e-Azadi” and post screening discussion

Unless otherwise noted, all events held at 4:00pm in Room 1636 of the

International Institute/School of Social Work building located at

1080 South University. CSAS website: www.ii.umich.edu/csas

Faculty News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Summer in South Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Student News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Indian Ambassador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

New Staff Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Summer Teacher Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

I N T H I S I S S U E

Cover photo by Hyunmin Han

FACULTY PUBLICATIONSArun Agrawal, Professor,School of Natural Resources& Environment

Agrawal, A. and A. Chhatre.2008. “Forest Commons andLocal Enforcement.” Proceed-ings of the National Academyof Sciences (PNAS)

Agrawal, A., A. Chhatre andR. Hardin. 2008. “ChangingGovernance of the World’sForests.” Science Vol. 320,(issue 5882, June 13): 1460-62

Agrawal, A. 2008. “Patronageor Participation? Community-based Natural Resource Management Reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Developmentand Change.

Tom Fricke, Professor of Anthropology

Fricke, Tom. 2008. “TamangConversions: Culture, Politics,and the Christian ConversionNarrative in Nepal.” Contri-butions to Nepalese Studies.

Fricke, Tom. 2008. “WorkingSelves, Moral Selves: Craftingthe Good Person in theNorthern Plains.” In Elizabeth Rudd and LaraDescartes, eds., The ChangingLandscape of Work and Fam-ily in the American MiddleClass: Reports from the Field:17-39. Lexington Books.

Fricke. T. and B. Hoey. 2007.“From Sweet Potatoes to GodAlmighty: Roy Rappaport onBeing a Hedgehog.” AmericanEthnologist 34(3): 581-599.

William J. Glover, AssociateProfessor of Architecture,Taubman College of Architec-ture and Urban Planning

Glover, William J. 2007. “Construing Urban Space as‘Public’ in Colonial India:Some Notes from Punjab.” Journal of Punjab Studies 14.2 : 211-224.

Stewart Gordon, ResearchScholar at the Center forSouth Asian Studies

When Asia was the World.2008. Da Capo Press.

Gordon, Stewart. 2008. “Epistemologies Concerningthe Past in Maharshtra. “In Jha, D. N. and Eugenia Vanina , eds., India: Studies inMedieval Mentality. TulikaPublishers.

Gordon, Stewart. 2008. “ATale of Three Cities: Burhan-pur 1400 – 1800.” In KennethHall, ed., Secondary Citiesand Urban Networking in theIndian Ocean Realm, c. 1400-1800. Lexington Books.

Gordon, Stewart. 2008. “Suitable Luxury” AramcoWorld (Sept.-Oct.).

Gordon, Stewart. 2008. “Social Networking in pre-Modern Asian History.” IIASNewsletter (#48).

Christi A. Merrill, AssistantProfessor of Comparative Literature and Assistant Professor of Asian Languagesand Cultures

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Two related books publishedby Fordham University Press,New York:Riddles of Belong-ing: India in Translation andOther Tales of Possessionand A Straw Epic and Other Stories, a translation of thestories of Vijay dan Detha, co-published with Katha Pressin New Delhi.

Robert M. Stern, Professorof Economics and Public Policy, Gerald R. Ford Schoolof Public Policy

Barua, A. and Robert M.Stern (eds.). 2008. The WTOand India: Issues and Negoti-ating Strategies. Orient Long-man, New Delhi.

FACULTY HONORSArun Agrawal was promotedto Full Professor in the Schoolof Natural Resources & Environment.

Ram Mahalingam, AssociateProfessor of Psychology, College of Literature, Scienceand the Arts and Assistant Research Scientist, Institutefor Research on Women andGender.

Ram has been chosen toreceive the “Class of 1923 Memorial Teaching Award.”This is a prize from LSA which recognizes the best teacher among the group offaculty being promoted totenure for the year. The letterfrom Dean Terry McDonald particularly notes the skillwith which Ram teachesclasses that cover controver-sial and difficult topics such asgender, social class, immigration, etc. The reviews and notes of acclaim from his

students paint a picture of adedicated and skilled teacher.

SPOTLIGHT ON FACULTY RESEARCHAradhna Krishna, Isadoreand Leon Winkelman Profes-sor of Marketing, Ross Schoolof Business

Several countries in Asia(e.g., Singapore, Japan, and India), Europe (e.g., Holland,Belgium, and many West European nations), NorthAmerica (e.g., United States)and North Africa (e.g., Mo-rocco, Algeria, Chad, Tunisia),have bilingual populations.Many of these populations arefairly fluent in a “foreign” language (typically English orFrench) as well as at least onelocal or native language. Ad-vertising to these populationsincludes an additional layer ofcomplexity, i.e., the choice oflanguage for advertising. Anumber of options exist: theadvertisements could be in either one of the primary languages or could have abilingual format, containing a mixture of the two languages(e.g., Spanglish, Hinglish or Singlish which combine Eng-lish with Spanish, Hindi andMalay/Cantonese, respec-tively). This issue is becomingincreasingly crucial for multinational corporations (MNCs) who need to weigh the logisti-cal advantages of single language use across markets(e.g., English) versus the com-plexities of communicatingtheir message in the local language or a mixed languageadvertisement. One optionmay be to follow the lead oflocal companies in making

important for MNCs, especiallyfor positioning the product.

Study 2, consequently, wasdesigned to provide deeper insights into the role of lan-guage for MNCs. It attemptedto (a) zero in on the processesunderlying language effectson advertisement evaluations,and (b) extend the scope ofresearch from single languageslogans to mixed language advertising. The results revealed that consumers tend to use the perceptual associa-tions of languages that aremost relevant for evaluating the product category (sophis-tication for luxuries, belong-ingness for necessities). Thestudy reveals that the unex-pectedness of Hindi languagechoice by an MNC focuses a lot of attention (more thaneven the mixed languages) on the language of the adver-tisement, heightening the perceiver’s skepticism as re-flected in increased counter-argumentation, thereby,reducing the advertisement’spersuasiveness. As such, thebelongingness advantage thatis implied by the use of Hindifor necessities might be wipedout for consumers who elabo-rate extensively on the slogan.These data appear to suggest that MNCs should observecaution in the use of local language, even in the domainof necessities (the findingssuggest that use of local language is clearly expected to backfire in the domain ofluxuries). In other words, localization of the advertise-ment language may be a good strategy for necessities(for whom belongingness is important), but MNCs need

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its strongest associations with items that denote belongingness. Study 1 then tests the role of company (local versus MNC) in advertising languagechoice, using single languageads (Hindi or English). The findings reveal that language choice is likely tomatter to a significantlygreater extent to MNCs thanto local companies. As such,across the two product cate-gories tested in the research(detergent for necessities, and chocolate for luxuries), language did not influence advertisement evaluations for the local company. How-ever, English emerged as amore effective choice for luxury goods and Hindi led to more favorable evaluationsof necessities when the company was an MNC. Results of this experimentsuggest that MNCs need to be more cognizant about lan-guage choices in global bilin-gual markets, and it would beill advised for them to simply follow the choices that appearto be working for the local corporations. Thus, the choice of advertising can be extremely

to be cautious about going completely local, and mightbe better off using mixed language advertisements forbilinguals.

In this regard, the findingshighlight an important advan-tage of mixed language messages for MNCs—they are able to capitalize on thefavorable associations of bothlanguages, without drawingexcessive attention to the language choice, and there-fore, present the “safe bet”option for advertising prod-ucts that fall in the category of necessities, in global bilingual markets. Mixed language advertisements, inaddition, might be the mostfeasible (and low risk) option,if a product does not clearly fall in the luxury/necessity distinction, since they arelikely to elicit relevant and favorable associations for both languages. They are alsolikely to be relatively effectivein the domain of luxuries, asstudy 2 demonstrates. It is important to note that the two mixed language forms did not differ from each otherin terms of their perceptualassociations (sophistication,belongingness) as well as overall persuasiveness (sloganevaluation) for the two product categories tested in this research.

An interesting finding fromthe studies is that local firmsdon’t necessarily have to useEnglish to market luxuries inIndia. While this seems to bethe prevailing practice inIndia, the results show thatlanguage choice, even for luxuries, has little impact forlocal firms.

advertising language choices.This research sheds somelight on the feasibility of thisdecision rule.

The results reveal the exis-tence of asymmetric languageeffects for MNCs versus localfirms when operating in a foreign domain, such that thechoice of advertising languageaffects advertising effective-ness for MNCs but not localcompanies. Also, different language formats (e.g., thelocal language versus Englishor a mix of the two languages)are shown to vary in their advertising effectiveness fordifferent types of products(luxuries versus necessities).The results indicate that lan-guage choice for advertise-ments is an importantdecision for MNCs. Also,MNCs cannot mimic localcompanies in their choice of advertising language.

A pilot study establishesthe urban Indian populationas being proficient in both English and Hindi, perceivingboth languages favorably. Additionally, English isstrongly associated with so-phistication, while Hindi has

Meilu Ho will join the Schoolof Music, Theatre, and Danceas an Assistant Professor ofMusicology. A recent graduateof the University of California,Los Angeles, Professor Ho received her Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology in 2006.Prior to her time at UCLA she worked in a variety ofareas, including as a researchassistant on a Smithsonian Institution project, as a free-lance music journalist, and as a Lecturer at the ScienceUniversity in Malaysia. Mostrecently Professor Ho was avisiting fellow at the Centerfor Asian and Pacific Studiesat the University of Iowa. Professor Ho’s research concerns the historical relationship between Hindu temple music and (largelyMuslim-based) Indian classi-cal music. Though her spe-cialty is Hindustani music,

she is also a historical musicol-ogist of the Indian raga systemand a student of contempo-rary trends in Indian music. Professor Ho has received numerous honors and awardsincluding an InternationalScholarship and Music GuildAward from Stanford Univer-sity. From UCLA she has received an International Fellowship, Edna Yu-ShanHan Award, the Clifton WebbAward, a Graduate Distin-guished Scholar Award, and a Chancellor’s DissertationYear Fellowship. She was also awarded a Charles SeegerPrize from the Society forEthnomusicology, and a juniorfellowship from the AmericanInstitute of Indian Studies.CSAS extends a warm welcome to Professor Ho whowill arrive in Ann Arbor andbegin her Michigan career in January.

Sujata Visaria is a develop-ment economist currently visiting the Ford School ofPolicy and the Ross School ofBusiness during the 2008-09academic year. A 2005 recipi-ent of a Ph.D. in Economicsfrom Columbia University, Dr. Visaria’s research usesmicro-level data to study institutional constraints toeconomic development, withspecific reference to India. Examples of her research include her recent examina-tion of the effect of judicialquality on credit market outcomes in India. In particu-lar, she found that the newlyinstituted debt recovery tri-bunals reduce judicial delays,cause borrowers to repayloans more regularly, and leadto cheaper future credit. Another project examines theeconomic factors that may un-derlie the patterns of religiousviolence in Ahmedabad, India.In a recent co-authored paper,she presents suggestive evi-dence that the hiring practicesof textile mills, together

with the long-term tenancy rights created by rent control,may have distorted residentialchoices in such a way that the riots may have also been a territory war. Currently, she and her co-authors arecollecting new data on residential patterns and healthoutcomes in an attempt to examine the riots' effects onsegregation, and socio-eco-nomic outcomes.Dr. Visaria is also interested inexamining the constraints thatsmall farmers face in market-ing their produce. In collabo-ration with colleagues she isrunning a randomized fieldexperiment with potato farmers in West Bengal,where randomly selected villages and farmers are provided daily updates aboutthe price of potatoes in neighboring markets. In pre-liminary results, the authorsfind that this intervention maybe causing small farmers toreceive higher net prices fortheir produce, while largefarmers receive lower prices.

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N e w F a c u l t y P r o f i l e s

S u m m e r i n S o u t h A s i a

Thanks to a special grant made available to the Center for SouthAsian Studies by a generous anonymous donor, six UM under-graduate students had an opportunity this past summer to designand carry out their own programs in India. On October 3, 2008these fellows offered presentations about their projects and internships at a CSAS symposium. There was a wide range ofscholarly disciplines represented by the projects, and the workthe students did was impressive. The symposium gave the CSAScommunity an opportunity to learn about the students’ experi-ences with the NGO’s, the research they carried out, and theincredible opportunities for learning that were offered to them.Below are summaries of their observations.

SASHA PRESTON-SUNIMy work in India was invaluable. It served to both confirm

and undermine generalizations that I had made from collegiatecoursework. I was able to apply insights from courses as well. I completed two internships; one for SVARAJ organization inBangalore, Karnataka, and the second at Byrraju Foundation inHyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Both studied women’s economicand social empowerment, though research at SVARAJ involvedsocial benefits less directly.

My initial interest in travelling to India was in general devel-opment and an investigation into the extent to which microfi-nance contributed to rural progress. My desire to be involved inthe empowerment of women arose after a brief and unsettlinginitial internship for what I ultimately judged to be a somewhatcorrupt organization in south India. Even though I had neverstudied women’s empowerment at a collegiate level, genderdeprivations in this organization were ugly and apparent. It became clear to me quickly that the empowerment of women is integral to the developmental process, if not a prerequisite,particularly in India. At UM I had studied the deprivation ofwomen in India, resulting in their staggeringly lower literacyrates and greater childhood mortality. These facts and their social enforcement were particularly more moving when witnessed in person.

Once I moved on to SVARAJ, my research centered on the potential for the establishment of a water treatment plant in villages of Karaikal, Tamil Nadu, owned and operated bywomen’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and financed by a microloan. Field interviews sought the simultaneous presence of water quality problems—facilitating likely high demand andample social as well as economic benefits for citizens—and the business experience and entrepreneurial motivation ofSHGs needed for the plant’s financial viability. Because of somuch prior deprivation, most women were using their loans forpersonal and home use. Few had established their own busi-nesses, and those who did, had not met with much success. An SHG was tentatively chosen for its ability to meet these

criteria, though further market and skills research is necessaryto solidify this choice.

Next, I worked in Andhra Pradesh for Byrraju Foundation. Istudied the economic and social benefits experienced by womenwho had undergone livelihood training. The program had not al-located enough resources to establish the training infrastructurenecessary for surmounting women’s social barriers, and so theconclusion of research was that further investment was impera-tive for real benefits. Because women’s starting position is muchlower than men’s; any program that undertakes to offer employ-ment to women requires much higher levels of investment.

The developmental, aggregate optimism that I derived fromseveral courses was not altogether absent from my fieldwork,but I began to understand the staggering odds associated withnon-profit work, and the difficulty of seeing things from an aggregate perspective when the real changes are witnessed at alocal level. It is also certain that the bright reviews of microfi-nance’s benefits are misguided. The conclusion I can take fromfield work is that any efforts made for rural development mustbe incredibly intensive. Things like microfinance or livelihoodtraining require a massive amount of additional training, rangingfrom business skills to women’s rights awareness. Even financialsuccess will be precluded without the necessary educationalspectrum.

MOUNICA VALLURUPALLIKrishnappa, an elderly flower seller in Veerapura village, sat

hunched over in the shade trying to endure the heat and torporof midday. As we asked him about the well water in the village,he sat with his frail hand precariously supporting the weight ofhis head. His glassy eyes gave us as powerful an answer as hiswords. He told us of the unacceptable condition of the wellwater, of the poor taste and the corrosion it caused on pots andstorage vessels. No, the villagers weren’t drinking the well water;rather, they were spending what little they had to buy drinkingwater. Krishnappa told us that he spends up to 15 rupees forevery 100 rupees he makes to buy fresh drinking water from another village. I wondered where those 15 rupees came from,but it was obvious looking at Krishnappa that it must have comefrom daily sacrifice. Krishnappa, just like the other villagers wespoke to, recognized the inequality of lack of access to cleanwater but felt powerless to do any more.

SVARAJ (Oxfam India) and local activists recognized thevalue of grassroots mobilizing. They had spent years collectinginformation about the Veerapura area and also determined howthe lake water was being polluted by local industries. I, alongwith fellow student Jane Xiao, was able to assist SVARAJ in determining the extent of the pollution of the lake water andwell water. We collected lake water samples, soil samples, andwell water samples and performed chemical analyses at the

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Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). The quanti-tative analysis of the water was supplemented by interviews of local villagers. We determined that lake water contained contaminants from effluent streams being released by the industries. Our research will assist SVARAJ in preventing thecontinued pollution of the area, enabling villagers to have access to better water.

The experiential learning experience funded by the Centerfor South Asian Studies, taught me more than any individualclass at the University of Michigan. Conducting field work andinterviewing the villagers showed me how the environment andsocio-economic status interacted to influence human health. Mywork has also helped me develop new questions that I want toexplore. I hope to continue to work with SVARAJ to determinehow well water and lake water sources are linked, to evaluatethe safety of the systems used for storage of drinking water inthe village and to create an epidemiological map of diseases associated with exposure to non-potable well water. In a futurecareer as a physician, I hope to use science and the humanisticside of medicine to study human health from varied social andcultural perspectives. Understanding the living conditions atVeerapura has helped me envision these future goals as I inte-grated my research background with social activism in order to bring about positive social change.

LAINIE KOKASArt is my passion and helping people is my goal. My work

for the NGO, Dastkar this summer demonstrated the possibilityof uniting these dual desires. Classes that I have taken thus farhave incorporated one or the other, but because Dastkar is anorganization that works to improve the status of craftspeople inIndia, thereby promoting the survival of traditional crafts, thisexperience with Dastkar linked the two.

I began my experience by examining the inner workings ofthe office to gain an understanding of how an NGO of this magnitude can function. I found that even though the Dastkarioffice was a mere fifteen people, the impact that they had onIndia was so great it is immeasurable. I utilized my skills and expanded my understanding of the social sciences and art. Writing and designing informational pamphlets on differentcraft groups taught me about the many crafts that are so uniqueto India, while designing products for the craft groups pushedme to incorporate two very different styles and increase my understanding of both cultures. The most valuable part of myexperience though was my trips into the field.

As the weeks passed, my duties became more and more exciting, and frightening.

The outskirts of Delhi are flooded with poverty, but hiddenin homes, alleys and corners of annexed villages are beautiful

crafts whose secrets remain in the hands of their creators. I was assigned to photograph these craftspeople, which often leftme as the only white woman for miles. Each craft group was entrusted with its own products and missions. While some usedrecycled materials, others cherished precious woods and metals.My ability to photograph people candidly and naturally wastested, and I learned not just about the crafts being producedbut about the lives lived by these artisans.

The extraordinary combination of working with Dastkar andvisiting their craft groups offered me unthinkable opportunitiesto grow as a student, artist, humanitarian, and citizen of theworld. I now approach life differently, focusing on what reallymatters. I put life into perspective, not just in the life that I amused to, but in a greater scheme of the world. I appreciate whatI have and understand what I need and what is extraneous. Iwant to commit myself to fulfilling the basic needs of others whohave, by birth place and unfortunate social order, not been givenenough opportunities to live with securities that everyone de-serves. My mission to learn how to do such things during my un-dergrad years has been affirmed, and this new outlook has givenme direction for my senior year.

I found that my dream of living a socially responsible life that incorporates photography, writing and design came true inthis internship position. The information gathered from this tripwill undoubtedly play a vital role in my senior project as I delvefurther into the importance of art related non-profit organiza-tions in developing countries. Most importantly this experiencehas made me a stronger candidate as I apply to graduate pro-grams in Urban Planning.

I would like to thank the Center for South Asian Studies for giving me the most enjoyable and influential experience ofmy life.

HYUNMIN HANInitially I had planned my 2008 Summer CSAS internship

to be focused on the conservation of the Ganges River Dolphin,an endangered, freshwater dolphin native to the waters in BiharState, India, but the logistics and the equipment available at thesites led me to a study focusing on the broader biodiversity ofthe Ganges river.

I conducted this project with the guidance of researchers at UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Science and CulturalOrganization) and at A.N. College in Patna, Bihar. Drs. Wileyand Omair introduced me to the community level biologicalstructure in the Ganges and to the hypotheses that, because of significant human influence, the biological diversity in theGanges river was predicted to be greatly decreased. Howeverup to that point insufficient research had been conducted in the area due to lack of awareness and funds.

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evidence, if present, that would aid SVARAJ in improving thewater quality for the villagers.

The first aim of the study was to evaluate the extent of waterpollution in Lake Veerapura and surrounding village bore wellswhich may be connected to the lake through undergroundaquifers. The lake itself receives water through rainfall andwaste effluent streams from more than 300 industries. The lakeused to provide water for drinking, bathing, and agriculture forthe local village of about 1000 people. Fluid samples were col-lected from effluent streams, the lake, several bore wells, andthe public water supply and analyzed for general water qualityparameters (inorganic and biological) at the Karnataka StatePollution Control Board (KSPCB). Soil samples around the lakewere also collected as they provided a more long term chemicalrecord. We collected and analyzed just two sample sets due tothe time constraints. The results of the analysis indicated:

1) industrial effluent streams violated KSPCB industrialwaste standards,

2) lake water contained contaminants common to effluentstreams,

3) bore well water exceeded ISO drinking water standardsfor hardness.

The effluent streams were extremely acidic and containedexcess levels of heavy metals, which proved that industriesneeded to improve their waste elimination methods. Althoughthe bore well water was very hard, hardness has no known adverse health effects other than being unpalatable and causingcorrosion of water storage containers. Bore well water, used by the villagers for bathing only, was within permissible ISOstandards however many villagers had complained of ailmentsincluding muscle weakness, diarrhea, fever, and skin irritations.The second aim of the study was to find if there was a connec-tion between pollutants detected and the symptoms reported by the villagers. Nineteen families or family representativeswere interviewed in a door-to-door approach. They were askedabout how they obtain water for drinking and bathing, howwater was stored, and their experience with the bore well andlake water. The responses were very similar in their observationsof the water, health problems attributed to poor drinking water,and dissatisfaction with the bore well water. The quantitative results did not correlate with the ailments reported by the villagers. One possible reason was that most villagers purchaseddrinking water from the public water supply, which was assumed to be unpolluted.

Our quantitative results may have been affected by the monsoon rains which may have diluted the second set of collected samples and the small number of data points (n=2). A more effective study could be conducted in the future by sampling several times throughout the year and by comparingbore well locations to a map of underground aquifers as it has

Consequently, the study was redirected to determine zooplankton food web assessment and hydraulic mapping of the Ganges. The food web assessment was done by collectingzooplankton samples in the vicinity of Patna and Bihar to makea compositional analysis and determine hernia rates among the zooplankton to compare with existing data. The hydraulicmapping was done to obtain physical cross-section data on the Ganges River using GPS and fish depth finder as a pre-survey for a Doppler Sonar data collection that University ofMichigan School of Natural Resources researchers plan to conduct next year.

The zooplankton studies on hernia rates revealed that thehernia rates were highest at a large discharge point. Also, thecompositional studies revealed that high eutrophillic zooplank-ton were highly concentrated at the same discharge point. Ofspecial concern was a Rotifer species called Brachionus, which,because they feed heavily on E. Coli, can serve as an indicatorof heavy pollution levels. These results suggest that the zoo-plankton hernia percentage is indeed linked to water quality issues. On this finding, we concluded that filtering programsshould be suggested for these unregulated discharge points, andwe further concluded that it may be necessary to consider a haltto eutrophication activities, such as the depositing of crematedhuman remains into the rivers. Further analysis of the data will be required for final academic assessment.

Through the CSAS 2008 internship, I have come to greatlyappreciate the efforts required for field work in the area of ecol-ogy and evolutionary biology. It was an enlightening experience;before my research in India I was content with the facilities andresourses available around me and did not push toward the ultimate limits. However, working under difficult conditionsalongside colleagues who had a passion for environmental issues, I realized that I had not been offering my best and Ipushed myself beyond my comfort zone. By confirming for methat in spite of the challenges field work can be fun and enjoy-able, this internship in India and the experience I had with Indian friends strengthened my desire to pursue further research in graduate school. And recognizing the presencewithin myself of a desire to look for new academic discoverieshas made the experience all the more amazing.

JANE XIAOThis summer I worked as an intern at the Society for Volun-

tary Action, Revitalization, and Justice (SVARAJ) studying waterpollution near Lake Veerapura. I travelled and worked withMounica Vallurupalli, a fellow University of Michigan student,over the course of one month. Together we designed a study to investigate the reports of uncontrolled waste dumping in thearea and to enquire about health effects observed by the localvillagers. The purpose of the study was to provide quantitative

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been shown that pollutants may spread to bore wells connectedto the lake by underground aquifers instead of spreading radially out from a central point. Another topic for future research includes the method of water storage for the publicwater supplies since data collected from one of the public water tanks had biological contamination.

As a biomedical engineering student, I have had some experience conducting research in the lab facilities of the university. However as a pre-medical student, I was interestedin applying my research skills in a way that would more directlybenefit someone’s quality of life. My trip to India not only allowed me to help SVARAJ in their efforts to obtain safe drink-ing water for the villagers of Veerapura, but it also illuminatedthe importance of the environment on human health. I learnedthat health is interrupted not just by pathogens or genetic aberrations or financial barriers, but also by our natural environ-ments. Biomedical engineering, likewise, isn’t just about makingdevices to fix our bodies inside, but also mediating between ourbodies and the outside environment when the two are incom-patible. I would like to thank the Center for South Asian Studiesand the International Institute for providing the funding that allowed me to have this experience.

GINGER CLINE As a political science major, I believe that education and

healthcare are basic rights to which all people should have access, but of course the reality is that millions are in want ofthem. In India, only 11% of the population is covered by anyform of health insurance, and millions of children never havethe chance to receive a first class education. The Summer inSouth Asia Undergraduate Fellowship gave me the opportunityto learn more about and work in the areas of both women’shealthcare and elementary education.

My purpose in traveling to India was to conduct a healthneeds assessment for the artisans of SEWA (Self EmployedWomen’s Association) in the northeastern city of Lucnow.SEWA-Lucknow is a nongovernmental organization that trainswomen in the art of chikankari, a traditional type of embroidery.The purpose of SEWA is to give women the benefits of self-employment and financial independence. Ashish Chakraborty, a consultant for SEWA told me that “the reason for male domination in society is the economic dependence of women.” Although many of the 7,000 artisans that make up SEWA havegreatly improved their lives by joining the organization, the vastmajority is still very poor. My goal was to help SEWA determinewhich health problems were most prevalent among workers andto provide suggestions on how to get around barriers to care.

I interviewed eleven female artisans about their health, focusing on the areas of eye care, occupational injuries, andfamily planning. These were in addition to seven interviews that

another student had completed in 2006. Some of the stories Iheard were truly heartbreaking. I spoke to women who neededglasses but could not afford them, a woman who could only afford to get half the prenatal shots she needed during her pregnancy, and one whose husband abused and even tried to kill her. Many of the women were struggling so much to pay forfood and schooling for their children that they could hardlythink of their own health needs.

Because the nature of the embroidery work, especially as it is done on the floor, often causes eyestrain, backache, and neckpain, I contacted an organization that provides used glasses tothose in need to see if the women of SEWA could be the recipi-ents of some of the glasses. I also suggested raising the level ofwork to prevent so much strain.

Family planning is another aspect of health that needed attention. Almost all of the women I interviewed said that theywould greatly appreciate it if SEWA could provide contracep-tives free of cost or for a nominal fee. Some stated that they already had more children than they had originally wanted orcould afford to take care of. Many suggested family planningclasses, which could be taught either by local experts or by medical students.

Finally, I asked all respondents about health insurance, andall were in support of it. When asked how much artisans wouldbe willing to contribute to a health insurance plan, answersranged from ten to sixty-five rupees per month. I spoke to a representative from a local insurance company who suggestedthat SEWA act as their own insurer, so that they might deter-mine themselves which services would be covered.

While I came to India to work with SEWA, I stumbled upon another project as well. Along with Beth Norford, a former New York elementary school teacher, I worked on abook-making project for classes six, seven, and eight at AcharyaNavrendra Dava Academy in Lucknow. The goal was to get thestudents to write and illustrate their own stories and to bind anddecorate their own books. To assist with this project I went tothe academy one- to three-times a week to help the studentswith their books. It was a wonderful and challenging experienceto lecture in front of a class of students who had never written astory in their lives and who had very limited English skills. Thefinal products were exquisite and the progress that the studentsmade along the way was impressive.

I am very grateful to have had this opportunity. It has mademe question which career path I will take. I have always enjoyedworking with children and would like to go to law school, possi-bly to pursue a career in child advocacy. However, health care is also something that interests me greatly and I am consideringgoing into public policy to focus in that area. I certainly missIndia and all of the amazing people I had the privilege of work-ing with, and I intend to return someday soon!

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S u m m e r i n S o u t h A s i a

S t u d e n t N e w s

Neha Sami, PhD student in Urban and RegionalPlanningAs I came out of Bangalore’sHAL airport, the first thingthat met my eye was a hugebillboard announcing “RG Villas – India’s most exclusivegated community” – an Italianthemed community with luxury villas, an internationalschool, malls, movie theatres,an equestrian and polo center,swimming pools, a ‘villagesquare’ and a Jack Nicklaussignature 18-hole golf course– all located on Bangalore’speriphery. RG Villas and othersimilar developments are invarious stages of constructionin several Indian cities. Theyrange from private enclaves or gated communities spreadover 30 to 40 acres of land to large integrated townships

to link UM students with students internationally, andparticipation in the Global Intercultural Experience forUndergraduates Program(GIEU). Jennifer’s disserta-

that are sprawled over 3000acres of land. The building of these projects, particularly inthe Indian context, is accom-panied both in rhetoric andphysical design by the aspira-tion to become ‘global’ or‘world-class’. Intended to belargely self-sufficient, they include large tracts of residen-tial and office space as well as shopping and entertain-ment complexes, schools, hos-pitals and hotels. Some alsoprovide physical infrastructuresuch as roads and dedicatedwater and power supply.

For my doctoral research I am studying large projectslike these and the processesbehind their development. I will be looking at one or twoprojects each in Bangalore,Kolkata and Pune. I am particularly interested in the

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tion focuses on the well-beingand masculinity ideologies of Asian American male college students, particularlythose of South and SoutheastAsian descent.

Vandana Baweja defendedher dissertation on May 6,2008 in the doctoral programin Architecture. She has a newappointment as Visiting Assis-tant Professor of Art at Ober-lin College where she wasawarded the Michigan-Ober-lin Exchange Postdoctoral fellowship for 2008-09.

Eric Eide, a graduate studentin the Department of Sociol-ogy was awarded a junior fellowship to carry out hisproject, “Industrial Upgradingin India's Information Tech-nology Enabled Service Industry.”

Chandan Gowda receivedhis PhD in sociology last summer. He is presently anAssociate Professor at theCentre for the Study of Lawand Social Exclusion, NationalLaw School of India Univer-sity, Bangalore, India.

Azfar Moin is a PhD studentin History, working on earlymodern South Asia and theMughal Empire. He receivedan American Institute of Pakistan Studies fellowship to do research in the UK anda Fulbright Doctoral Disserta-tion Research Award to do archival work in India for this academic year.

Kirk Thomas Ott will be ad-vancing to candidacy to workon his dissertation on 19thcentury Tamil Saivism andDravidian identity politics.His English translation of a19th century Tamil journal article (with the help of Dr.

Karunakaran) is being printedin India, and will be availablefor purchase at Shaman Drumbookstore in Ann Arbor.

Sudipa Topdar received theBarbour Fellowship for the2008-09 academic year.

Jane Lynch, having spentthe summer in India, intern-ing with Fabindia in theirDelhi offices and studyingHindi in Rajasthan, returns to Ann Arbor to begin her second year in the doctoralprogram in anthropology. Thissummer, she was the recipientof an International InstituteIndividual Fellowship and aSummer FLAS Fellowship.She has been awarded aFLAS Fellowship for the2008-2009 academic year forher further study of Hindi.

Jennifer Young Yim, a for-mer CSAS master’s student,has recently entered a two-year position as Director ofthe Global Scholars Pilot Program at the University ofMichigan’s Program on Inter-group Relations. Jennifer willbe working half time duringthe Fall 2008 semester whileshe completes her doctoralprogram in Psychology andWomen’s Studies at UM. The Global Scholars Pilot Pro-gram, which is currently in thesecond year of its three-yearplan, focuses on social justiceissues using intercultural ex-change via on-campus dia-logue classes with inter-national and domestic students, video conferencing

Graduate Student Research

and Field Work

Experiences

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role that the changing urbanpolitics in post-liberalizationIndia plays in this process andthe key players who drive the development.

Developments such asthese constitute a departurefrom the way Indian urbaniza-tion had been taking placesince India’s independence in 1947 to the early 1990s.Earlier, townships and largehousing projects built in andaround Indian cities werelinked to state-sponsored industrialization projects.They were built and designedby government agencies at thenational or regional level. Theprojects being built today arelargely designed, built andsold by private developers, increasingly targeting theupper income groups. Manyof these projects are beingbuilt in collaboration with international investors as wellas with architects and design-ers from abroad. This haschanged the dynamic in In-dian real estate development.

Indian cities are seeing aflurry of real estate develop-ment. Although several largeprojects have been proposed,not all of these have begunconstruction or even acquiredland, as I found out on my recent field trip this summer.Some have been stalled as aresult of political outcomes(like the lack of a state gov-ernment in Karnataka) while others have faced oppositionfrom the community. As a result, those projects that doget built tell a fascinating taleof how real estate develop-ment is taking place in India.

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The construction boomthat India is witnessing rightnow has been building upsince the late 1990s. As theeconomy opened up and the corporate sector grew, the demand for housing, especially high-end housing increased. In the case of Bangalore, the growth of the IT industry in the city is undeniably connected withthe growth of real estate development. As neighbor-hoods like Electronic City and Whitefield emerged as IT hubs, they also attractedlarge developments.

In Bangalore, these proj-ects are usually developed inthe following manner. Afterthe project is conceptualized,the developer acquires theland outright or enters into a joint venture with theowner(s) of the land. Afterland is acquired, a master planis drawn up based on appro-priate density, type of devel-opment and projected landuse. Typically the master planis conceptualized and devel-oped by a well known interna-tional architect or firm. Thisarchitect or firm continues tobe a part of the project in asupervisory role, but once theplan has been created and approved by the company,local architects do the actualexecution of working drawingsetc. Similarly, construction isoutsourced to individual contractors – for water, elec-tricals, and civil engineering.

Although there are severalcity and state level agenciesinvolved in the developmentprocess, they are steppingaway from actual construction

and are adopting a more regulatory stance. The fewcases in which they are still involved in construction havebeen stalled due to bureau-cratic and political delays. The relationship between thegovernment and the real estate sector has also under-gone subtle changes. In thelast state election in Karnataka(May 2008), about half of thecandidates, independent ofparty lines, were actively in-volved in real estate develop-ment. That there was a strongreal estate lobby was alwaysknown and was no surprise.However, what is interesting is that the members of thislobby now have political aspirations themselves. Another fascinating trend is

the growth of what JamesHeitzman calls ‘the thirdforce’ (Heitzman 2004). Thereare a number of non-govern-mental organizations involvedin the process of urban gover-nance and development. Theyalmost seem to be acting asconsultants to governments,acting as liaisons between government, the corporatesector and civil society.

Through my research, Ihope to highlight the relation-ships between the differentplayers in real estate and alsounderstand the processes bywhich these projects get built.

Heitzman, J. (2004). Network City: Planning the Information Society in Bangalore. New York, Oxford University Press.

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The Indian segment wasaccomplished with a summerresearch grant from my aca-demic department. I visited pilgrimage shrines in north-western India to acquireHindi-language devotional lit-erature. What I ascertained isthat literature from these sitestends to emphasize personaltransformation through step-by-step instruction, throughausterities, vow-keeping, de-votion, and so forth. However,I observed that the most pop-ular instructional material

for the average pilgrim nowseems to be the religious devotional CD video, which I intend to use in research as well. This may prompt me to take a fresh look at some of my previous Bollywood studies.

During this journey, I observed three kinds of trans-formation in ritual, a subjectthat I had explored in recentcoursework. First, transforma-

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G R A D U AT E ST U D E N T R E S E A RC H A N D F I E L D WO R K E X P E R I E N C E S

tion of the deity, in a villageceremony in the Kullu-Shimlaarea, in which the deity is carried about and rituallygiven a new mask, shaken, andsubjected to a priest’s incanta-tions while away from thetemple. Second, I observedtransformation of the religiousspecialist, in which mediumsgo into trance at semi-annualdevotional gatherings for the“naga” (serpent) deity, rituallyflagellating themselves withchains, and channeling thevoice of the deity on matters

of importance to the village. And third, I observed trans-formation of the non-specialist religious pilgrim, where devotees afflicted with mental disease are subjected to violent exorcism with spiritualcounseling in the presence ofthe image of the deity, to theaccompaniment of drummusic. In addition, at certainkinds of shrines devoteesmake wishes at auspicious

Jeremy Saul, PhD student in Asian Languages and Cultures

Over the summer I traveled for one month in Myanmarand two and half months inIndia. During my trip, I madeuse of Hindi, Tamil and otherIndian languages while alsostudying Burmese for onemonth in Myanmar, as manypeople are descendents ofcolonial-era migrants. I arrived in Myanmar on theevening of June 1, the day be-fore the cyclone hit. Nobodymentioned anything about astorm coming as I took a bus

out of Yangon that evening as the rains got heavier. I spentmost of my time looking at an-cient historical sites inRakhaing region, adjacent toBangladesh, and observingfestivals. When I came back to the Yangon area to leave I could see the destruction, as trees had been uprootedeverywhere. Everyone assumed I must have come for some kind of United Nations relief work.

A transformation ritual from Himachal Pradesh in the Himalayas.

A “wishing tree” festooned with strings at a goddess shrine in Himachal Pradesh.

A goddess ritual from Himachal Pradesh.

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Huzefa Khalil is a first yearPhD student in Political Science. He completed hisundergraduate work at theUniversity of Mumbai with a degree in Engineering.Huzefa has lived in Ann Arborfor the past three years wherehe has completed his Master’sdegree in Engineering. Hisparticular interests are in the intersection of religion,and identity and politics.Huzefa ultimately hopes toconduct research on Muslimpolitics in India.

Ranjanpreet Nagra beginsher pursuit of a Master’s degree in South Asian Studiesthis Fall. She graduated fromCalifornia State University inBakersfield with a Bachelor of Arts in Literature. She also studied at the Universityof Central Lancashire inNorthwest England for oneyear and traveled in Englandand Scotland. Ranjanpreet left Punjab, India and movedto the United States when she was 15. She enjoys long distance running, playing badminton, reading novelsand cooking in her leisuretime.

Stuart Strange is originallyfrom Virginia, where he didhis undergraduate work in Anthropology at Mary Wash-ington College. He lived in

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Sri Lanka for a year between 004 and 2005 before returningto the US to complete hisMaster’s degree at the Univer-sity of Chicago. Stuart is beginning the PhD programin Anthropology this Fall. Hewas most recently employedat a non-profit doing homeless outreach in Brooklyn, New York and has done fieldworkin Haiti, Ghana, Suriname, Sri Lanka, and New York City. His interests include the Caribbean South Asian diaspora; popular Hinduism;interethnic interaction andtransculturation; Afro-Atlanticreligion and Maroon studies;Creole linguistics; the culturalimpacts of indenture and slavery; morality; cosmology;spirit possession; ideology andMarxist social theory.

Stephen Tyndall joins thePhD program in Linguistics.He is from Atlanta, Georgia

and completed his Bachelor’sdegree in Latin and his Master’s degree in HistoricalLinguistics at the Universityof Georgia. Stephen has studied Sanskrit and Avestanfrom an Indo European perspective. His interests include Proto Indo Iranian,Proto Indo European, andSanskrit Philology.

Lia Wolock earned her Bachelor’s degree in SouthAsian Studies and English atthe University of Michigan in 2007. She returns this Fallto begin her Master’s degreein South Asian Studies with a FLAS fellowship for thestudy of Hindi. Her research interests include analyzingcross-cultural art, literature,and performance pieces tounderstand how they write,negotiate, and interpret religious and gender identity.

trees while tying sacred ribbons on their branches. Iwas able to take at least a fewphotographs of each of theseevents. A lingering question to explore is how the print and video material supports or even instructs this sort ofbehavior. Can we speak of acontemporary vernacular lit-erature of personal transfor-mation at pilgrimage sites?

I also encountered somepotential hazards in going to pilgrimage sites, due tocrowds and natural surround-ings. Two days before I arrived at Naina Devi shrinein southern Himachal Pradeshduring the Navaratri devotionperiod, 150 people died in amob stampede. Order seemedto be restored on the day I arrived. I also went the roundcircuit of the Shri KhundYatra, which I can vouch isamong the most dangerous ofpilgrimages. Over a six-dayperiod on this walk to a Shivshrine at 18,000 feet in thesnow, I continually questionedwhether I was sane to haveembarked on this, as it entailed walking over numer-ous glaciers, often poised atprecipitous angles over sheercliffs hundreds of feet down,and crossing raging riverswithout bridges by skippingover stones among the iceflows. My rubber sandalsstarted to break on the firstday, so I had to do it the traditional way, largely bare-foot, which was a challenge onthe glaciers. The pilgrims onthe path kept insisting thatfaith in Shiv Shankar wouldsee them through safely, and Ifollowed this philosophy.

The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state

laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section

504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The University of Michigan is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal

opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex*, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual

orientation, disability, or Vietnam-era veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the Senior Director for Institutional Equity and Title IX/Section 504 Coordinator,

Office of Institutional Equity, 2072 Administrative Services Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1432, 734-763-0235, TTY

734-647-1388. For other University of Michigan information call 734-764-1817.

From the left – Lia Wolock, Ranjanpreet Nagra, Huzefa Khalil and Stuart Strange.

N E W ST U D E N TS

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esting times. Sen was India’sfirst Ambassador to a newlyconfigured Russia followingthe demise of the former Soviet Union (1992-1998),and also served as ambassadorto Germany during that coun-try’s tumultuous reunification(1998-2002). Sen’s service inMoscow helped reestablish alongstanding friendship between India and Russia at atime when relations betweenthe two countries were at alow ebb. He helped build alasting partnership with Rus-sia in part by underscoring aperennially valid set of sharedinterests between the two–notleast among them a ferventRussian appreciation for Bol-lywood actor Raj Kapoor!

In addition to his service in the Russian Federation andin Germany, Ronen Sen wasalso the Indian Ambassador to Mexico (1991-1992), andmost recently the High Commissioner to the UnitedKingdom, from 2002-2004.Notably, he also served as a special envoy during the RajivGandhi-Benazir Bhutto talksof 1989. In a 2004 IndiaAbroad interview, just weeksbefore he assumed his post in Washington, AmbassadorSen spoke of his belief thatthe many Americans of Indian origin living in the UnitedStates had helped pave theway for him, by serving as unofficial ambassadors con-tributing to the American

economy and culture in somany ways. His role, he said,was to continue to strengthenthe special relationship be-tween “the world's biggestdemocracy and the world'smost powerful democracy.”

In the four years since hefirst took his post, AmbassadorSen has ably nurtured a rela-tionship between India andthe United States, one inwhich “many families in bothcountries have a vital stake.”In a recent speech in Philadel-phia, Ambassador Sen spoke of the “irrevocable transfor-mation of our relations with the United States” asboth countries negotiate anincreasingly inter-connectedworld, and reminded his audience that “India-US relations encompass the mostwide-ranging engagement that India has with any country today.”

Please mark your calendarsand join us in welcoming Am-bassador Sen to the Universityof Michigan!

Ambassador Sen’s visit is

sponsored by the Center for

South Asian Studies, The Trehan

Foundation, the International

Institute, the College of Literature,

Science, and the Arts, the Office

of the Provost and Executive Vice

President for Academic Affairs, and

the Office of the President of the

University, Mary Sue Coleman.

Indian Ambassador to the UnitedStates RONEN SEN to visit the University of Michigan

REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY

Julia Donovan Darlow

Ann Arbor

Laurence B. Deitch

Bingham Farms

Olivia P. Maynard

Goodrich

Rebecca McGowan

Ann Arbor

Andrea Fischer Newman

Ann Arbor

Andrew C. Richner

Grosse Pointe Park

S. Martin Taylor

Grosse Pointe Farms

Katherine E. White

Ann Arbor

Mary Sue Coleman (ex officio)

The Center for South AsianStudies at the University ofMichigan is pleased to announce an October 22 visitand public lecture by IndianAmbassador to the UnitedStates Ronen Sen. Ambas-sador Sen will speak onUS/India foreign relations at6:00 PM at the Alumni Cen-ter, located at 200 FletcherStreet. An open reception willfollow the talk. AmbassadorSen’s visit helps inaugurate amajor new three-year initia-tive of scholarly programs focused on contemporarySouth Asia, entitled “The Trehan India Initiative at theUniversity of Michigan.” Theinitiative is made possible by agenerous grant from Ranvirand Adarsh Trehan and theTrehan Foundation Fund.

Ambassador Sen is one ofIndia’s most distinguishedsenior diplomats. As such, hehas lived and served in inter-

October 22

6:00 P.M.

Alumni Center

200 Fletcher Street

The event is free and open to the public.

15

Nancy BeckerNancy Becker joined CSAS in May 2008. She comes to us from the Michigan RossSchool of Business where sheworked with the ExecutiveMBA Program and was theProject Coordinator in Acade-mic Services for the past sev-eral years. Nancy workeddirectly with both BBA andMBA students, doing aca-demic advising, and coordi-nating the WashingtonCampus Program as well asthe International ExchangeProgram. Guiding the stu-dents through the programswas particularly satisfying forher as well as orienting thenew students each Fall toRoss. Nancy is a graduate ofWestern Michigan Universitywith a Bachelor of Science inSecondary Education. Herspecial interests include practicing yoga on aregular basis, personal train-ing and fitness, and reading of all types.

Stacey PrattStacey Pratt joined CSAS asour new Administrative Assis-

tant in July 2008. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Staceygraduated from the Universityof Michigan this past Aprilwith a Bachelors degree inAsian Languages and Cul-tures, focusing on JapaneseStudies. In addition to being a UM alumnus, Stacey hasworked with the Ross School’sInstitute for Research onLabor, Employment and theEconomy (IRLEE), which assists incubators in Michigan,Ohio and Indiana to createprojects to strengthen theirorganizations and their com-munities. Away from work,Stacey enjoys participating inToastmaster’s International—a public speaking organizationdedicated to peer mentoringin honing public speakingskills. Additionally, she enjoyswatching everything fromJapanese dramas to Bollywoodmovies, swimming, reading up on current events, and visiting family. With such a diverse array of knowledgeand energy, we considerStacey a strong addition to our staff.

Our Center depends upon your generosity. If you would like to make a gift you may do so online at www.giving.umich.edu or call the Gift Help Line toll-free (1-888-518-7888) Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.EST. Whether giving online or by phone it is importantthat you specify that your donation be directed to our Center. You may select one of two accounts:

312354: S Asian Studies, President’s Challenge forGrad SupportPurpose: To provide funds for graduate student support. Donations to this fund will receive a 50% match from the University of Michigan President’s Challenge, i.e., each dollar donated will be matched by an additional 50 centsfrom the President’s Fund.

362651: South Asia StudiesPurpose: To provide general funding for CSAS program-ming needs.

If making your gift online you will also need to follow a few simple steps.

1. At the top of the page select “I want to choose the areas my gift should help.” And then follow the link to “Viewareas I can give to.”

2. You will be presented with a list of schools and colleges. In the bottom right hand corner check the box next to“Other Area” and then enter the name of one of the twofunds listed above. Hit the continue button and proceedthrough the donation process.

Thank you for considering a gift to the Center for SouthAsian Studies.

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CENTER FOR

SOUTH ASIAN

STUDIES1080 S. University, Ste. 3603Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106

734.764.0448 (Phone)734.936.0996 (Fax)

www.ii.umich.edu/csas

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P A I DPermit No. 144

S u m m e r Te a c h e r W o r k s h o p

A REPORT ON THE CSAS HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS WORKSHOP IN JULY 2008

IN FALL 2007 , the Michigan Department of Education introduced new World History mandates for a much-revised Social Studies curriculum for high schools in the state. Both the State and local school districts realized that Social Studies teachers would need considerable professional training to teach World History, especially in an exciting, relevant manner.The Center for South Asian Studies offered the expertise of its faculty to teachers in an interactive workshop on July 22, 2008.

The first session, run by Dr. Stewart Gordon, ResearchScholar at the Center for South Asian Studies, was devoted tostrategies for teaching World History and aligning content to the new Michigan mandates. In the second session, StevenBoyce from Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor presented a thematic unit on the Silk Road, focusing on materials that teachers are already using in World History. The teachers alsoplayed a simulation game on the Gupta period of Indian history. Handouts included an annotated bibliography of appropriateWorld History studies, sources, and websites.

The third session, on the history and culture of South Asia, waspresented by Carla Sinopoli, Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Museum of Anthropology. She introduced herwork on Iron Age sites and also on the interactions of historyand archeology in the South Asia setting.

CSAS is very pleased with the success of the workshop. Fifteen high school and middle school teachers from variousschool districts in Southeastern Michigan attended. It enabledfruitful interactions between the teachers and the UM faculty.Designed as a pilot workshop, it allowed CSAS to understandthe needs of the teachers as they prepare to teach the newWorld History curriculum. The feedback from the teachers wasa valuable source of information for planning and designing future workshops. We expect this to be the first of several suchworkshops as we expand the scope of what the Center offers in terms of educational outreach to teachers.