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ZHCES organises a seminar by Prof. Lourens van Haaften

ZHCES organises a seminar by Prof. Lourens van Haaften

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ZHCES organises a seminar by Prof. Lourens van Haaften
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Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Studies

 

Seminar Series

 

The Ford Foundation and 1950s Indian Educational Policy Making: Transnational Influences Amid Cold War Dynamics

 

Prof. Lourens van Haaften

Groningen University, Netherlands

 

Abstract: Following India’s independence, the reform of the educational sector emerged as a critical component of the nation-building agenda. This process is in the historiography mostly depicted as internally driven. This presentation challenges this narrative, delving into the transnational forces shaping India’s educational policies in the 1950s. It uncovers the pivotal role of external actors, particularly the Ford Foundation, in shaping policies. It discusses how the reformulation of educational strategies became intricately intertwined with Cold War dynamics and aligned with the political aspirations of anti-colonial world-making.

 

Bio: Lourens van Haaften is an Assistant Professor at Groningen University in the Netherlands, where he studies how higher educational institutes, as nodes in a transnational network of knowledge institutes, have transformed societies. His scholarly contributions include publications that delve into the rise of business education and management science in India (Indian Economic and Social History Review, 2021) and the role of management knowledge and management schools in India’s agricultural revolution. His current research is looking into the geopolitical dimensions of educational development, primarily centred on India. Lourens obtained his PhD in History from KU Leuven in 2021. Beyond his primary research interests, he is actively engaged in exploring themes such as the history of testing and assessment and govern mentality in higher education.

 

DATE: 04 March, 2024 (Monday)
TIME: 03.00 pm
Venue: # 207, SSS-II

 

 (All are Welcome)

A warm welcome to the modified and updated website of the Centre for East Asian Studies. The East Asian region has been at the forefront of several path-breaking changes since 1970s beginning with the redefining the development architecture with its State-led development model besides emerging as a major region in the global politics and a key hub of the sophisticated technologies. The Centre is one of the thirteen Centres of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi that provides a holistic understanding of the region.

Initially, established as a Centre for Chinese and Japanese Studies, it subsequently grew to include Korean Studies as well. At present there are eight faculty members in the Centre. Several distinguished faculty who have now retired include the late Prof. Gargi Dutt, Prof. P.A.N. Murthy, Prof. G.P. Deshpande, Dr. Nranarayan Das, Prof. R.R. Krishnan and Prof. K.V. Kesavan. Besides, Dr. Madhu Bhalla served at the Centre in Chinese Studies Programme during 1994-2006. In addition, Ms. Kamlesh Jain and Dr. M. M. Kunju served the Centre as the Documentation Officers in Chinese and Japanese Studies respectively.

The academic curriculum covers both modern and contemporary facets of East Asia as each scholar specializes in an area of his/her interest in the region. The integrated course involves two semesters of classes at the M. Phil programme and a dissertation for the M. Phil and a thesis for Ph. D programme respectively. The central objective is to impart an interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of history, foreign policy, government and politics, society and culture and political economy of the respective areas. Students can explore new and emerging themes such as East Asian regionalism, the evolving East Asian Community, the rise of China, resurgence of Japan and the prospects for reunification of the Korean peninsula. Additionally, the Centre lays great emphasis on the building of language skills. The background of scholars includes mostly from the social science disciplines; History, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, International Relations and language.

Several students of the centre have been recipients of prestigious research fellowships awarded by Japan Foundation, Mombusho (Ministry of Education, Government of Japan), Saburo Okita Memorial Fellowship, Nippon Foundation, Korea Foundation, Nehru Memorial Fellowship, and Fellowship from the Chinese and Taiwanese Governments. Besides, students from Japan receive fellowship from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.