Conference: December 12, 2005
"South Asian Studies in the United States"

Multi-Cultural Theater, University Center University of California, Santa Barbara Presented by the Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies and The Center for Sikh and Punjab Studies Funding for the conference was provided by Kundan Kaur Kapany Chair in Sikh Studies

PROGRAM 8:30-9:00 Coffee 9:00-9:30 Welcome and Introductory Remarks Gurinder Singh Mann, Center for Sikh and Punjab Studies, UCSB Catherine L. Albanese, Chair, Religious Studies, UCSB Giles Gunn, Chair, Global and International Studies, UCSB Mark Juergensmeyer, Director, Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, UCSB 9:30-1:00 Morning Session Chair: Swati Chattopadhyay, Art and Architecture, UC Santa Barbara 1. Ainslie T. Embree, Columbia University “South Asian Studies in the U.S: Where we came from” 2. Thomas R. Metcalf, University of California, Berkeley “From Empire to India, and Back Again: Reflections on a Career in South Asian History” 3. Lloyd I. Rudolph, University of Chicago “Lloyd Rudolph: The Remembered Career; Pursuing Political Science in India” 4. Susanne H. Rudolph, University of Chicago “Paradigm Shifts in the Political Science of India; the Role of American Scholarship” 1.00-3:00 Lunch and Presentations Mark Juergensmeyer, University of California, Santa Barbara Manoranjan Mohanty, Delhi University “A Dialogue on U.S. and Indian Perspectives on South Asian Studies” 3:00-6:00 Afternoon Session Chair: Bishnupriya Ghosh, English, University of California, Santa Barbara 1. John S. Hawley, Barnard College, Columbia University “Hindu studies in the last half-century” 2. Barbara D. Metcalf, University of Michigan “The Study of Muslims in South Asia” 3. Aditya Behl, University of Pennsylvania “Time and Timelines in Teaching South Asian Civilizations: An Experiment” 4. Rachel F. McDermott, Barnard College, Columbia University “Looking Ahead: Revising Sources of Indian Tradition”

Conference Report

On 2 December 2005, the Center for Sikh and Punjab Studies held a conference entitled "South Asian Studies in the United States." Three generations of scholars discussed the key developments in the field of South Asian studies in this country during the past fifty years and reflected on its future directions. In this daylong event, UCSB students and scholars of South Asia and were treated to an audience with the pantheon of luminaries in the field.

The morning session included the first generation of scholars: Ainslie T. Embree, Thomas Metcalf, Lloyd Rudolph, and Susanne Rudolph. After introductory remarks by Gurinder Singh Mann (Center for Sikh and Punjab Studies), Catherine Albanese (Chair of Religious Studies), Giles Gunn (Chair of Global and International Studies), and Mark Juergensmeyer (Director, Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies), Swati Chattopadhyay (Art and Architecture) opened the session. First among the invited speakers was Ainslie Embree, the pioneering scholar of South Asia in the United States, to whose lifetime of work the conference was informally dedicated. His presentation, entitled “South Asian Studies in the U.S.: Where We Came From,” focused on the initial difficulties of establishing South Asian Studies as a viable area of study. Dr. Embree remembered how, in those early days, the field faced fierce opposition coming from some academic and political figures who did not see its relevance in the larger scheme of things.

The reminiscing continued as Thomas Metcalf traced the landmarks in his own career and examined their close relationship with the academic trends in South Asian Studies in the U.S. and England. Lloyd Rudolph then examined his research on the role of caste in politics, the contribution of Gandhi in the movement for national independence, and Amar Singh’s diary as a source to examine Indian history from a colonial subject’s point of view. Concluding the morning session was Susanne Rudolph’s paper on “Paradigm Shifts in the Political Science of India: the Role of American Scholarship,” in which she explored the role of functionalism and other academic trends in political science during the1960s.

During the lunch break, the invited scholars interacted with the student community in an informal atmosphere. The participants were heady with excitement from the last panel and with the aroma of the Indian buffet. After dining, colleagues paid tribute to Professor Embree as they shared their personal memories and assessment of his contribution to the field. Afterwards, Mark Juergensmeyer and Manoranjan Mohanty of Dehli University presented “A Dialogue on U.S. and Indian Perspectives on South Asian Studies,” in which they shared their own reflections about the history of South Asian Studies.

The afternoon session, chaired by Bishnupriya Ghosh (Dept. of English), included scholars from the second and third generations: Jack Hawley and Barbara Metcalf; Aditya Behl and Rachel McDermott. It began with Dr. Hawley’s paper entitled “Hindu Studies in the Last Half-Century,” in which he traced the history of the field. His account, which culminated in constructionalism and subaltern studies, also provided a brief description of his new work about the origins and role of bhakti as a category. Barbara Metcalf presented on the study of Muslims in South Asia. She focused especially on the notion of syncretism between Hinduism and Islam among populations in South Asia.

Among the latest generation of scholar experts, Aditya Behl presented an innovative paper entitled "Time and Timelines in Teaching South Asian Civilizations." Based on an experiment with his current crop of students, Dr. Behl's paper explored the increasing complexity in representing South Asian Studies in a linear or chronological order and some solutions that might help future scholars in this field. The last speaker of the day, Rachel McDermott, brought the conference full circle to Embree's seminal work, The Sources of Indian Tradition. Dr. McDermott is currently in the process of expanding and revising these volumes, which have been part and parcel of the curriculum of most university courses on South Asia. She presented the audience with an overview of the organizational structure and topics that will be included in the upcoming two volume revised edition, discussing the challenges involved in the process. These issues prompted a lively discussion that spilled out into the lobby and dinner.

Overall, the conference was a great success. It was marked by a high degree of scholarly collegiality and it provided a unique opportunity for graduate students to meet the founders and builders of South Asian Studies in United States.

Photographs

Conference Participants

The Morning Panel:
Colleagues remember the life and work of Ainslie Embree

Conference Luncheon