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Meat, Milk and Trees: Disciplinary and National Border-Crossing in the Materiality and Politics of Food

Meat, Milk and Trees: Disciplinary and National Border-Crossing in the Materiality and Politics of Food

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Meat, Milk and Trees: Disciplinary and National Border-Crossing in the Materiality and Politics of Food
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<strong>CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF LAW AND GOVERNANCE Jawaharlal Nehru University</strong> <strong>SEMINAR SERIES</strong> <strong>Meena Khandelwal</strong> University of Iowa, USA on <strong>Meat, Milk and Trees: Disciplinary and National Border-Crossing in the Materiality and Politics of Food</strong> <strong>Abstract : </strong>This paper is about the peril and necessity of engaging the divergent epistemologies of interpretation and explanation. As warnings from scientists trying to explain and predict climate change processes become increasingly loud and urgent, they may reflect or confront the economies of food and politics of culture. Taking the example of an interdisciplinary, collaborative project focused on deforestation in Rajasthan, I outline the different, sometimes incompatible, approaches to animal products that dominate the fields of anthropology, American feminism, and South Asian studies. The viscerally-felt meanings of, for example, sacred cows are embedded in collective identities and national politics, and yet the symbolic value of particular animal products may be in direct contradiction to environmental processes. I argue that, however awkward, it is more urgent than ever to bring into the same conversation analyses of the symbolic and material, even if the result may disrupt our own scholarly politics. I also suggest that attention to the collaborative process brings clarity to some of the sacred cows of our respective disciplines. <strong>Friday, 06 February 2015</strong> <strong>About the Speaker:</strong> Meena Khandelwal's monograph Women in Ochre Robes (SUNY Press 2004) charted the gendered dimensions of sannyasa. To highlight a new and growing body of research on female renunciation, she co-edited a volume with Sondra Hausner and Ann Grodzins Gold entitled Women's Renunciation in South Asia (Palgrave Macmillan 2006, Zubaan 2007). Turning her attention to transnational studies, she has also written about foreign swamis who have settled in Rishikesh and about sannyasa's cosmopolitanism. More recently, Khandelwal has published on discourses of marriage in US feminism, transnational feminist methodologies and the politics of race and culture among second-generation Indian-Americans. She is currently focused on two distinct projects, one on gender and environment and another on Indian diaspora philanthropy directed towards development projects in the homeland. Directions: From JNU main gate, proceed straight until you get to a T-junction. Turn left. Continue until you reach a second T-junction. Turn right. Follow the road for just 0.7 km until you see a bus stop labelled "Paschimabad." About 50m past the bus stop turn right at a sign that reads: "Centre for the Study of Law and Governance". The CSLG building is on the right. The conference room is on the first floor. A lift is being installed at CSLG and we hope the conference room will be more accessible in a couple of months.

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.