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Re-Ordering Processes in the Field of Humanitarian Aidwork: Negotiating Between Local and Global Concepts and Practices

Re-Ordering Processes in the Field of Humanitarian Aidwork: Negotiating Between Local and Global Concepts and Practices

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Event Title
Re-Ordering Processes in the Field of Humanitarian Aidwork: Negotiating Between Local and Global Concepts and Practices
Event Details
<strong>Centre for the Study of Social Systems School of Social Sciences</strong> <strong>Seminar Notice</strong> <strong>Prof. Gabriele Alex</strong> (Director, Asia-Orient-Institute Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen) a talk on  <strong>Re-Ordering Processes in the Field of Humanitarian Aidwork:  Negotiating Between Local and Global Concepts and Practices</strong> Date :<strong>January 22, 2015</strong> <strong>Abstract:</strong> This talk explores the field of humanitarian aidwork asking how different concepts of social and cultural orders are evoked and negotiated in these encounters. After a disaster existing orders break down and need to be reinstalled, this is often done in a combined effort of local and global humanitarian aidworkers. Even though humanitarian aidwork aims primarily at reconstructing demolished orders very often the result is a change of existing patterns and structures. The talk discusses the humanitarian aidwork enterprise, the humanitarian ideology and it's critiques and the need for an anthropological analysis of the humanitarian aidwork practice. The paper further explores how through communication platforms and structures which have been developed over the last fifty years processes of standardization and professionalization have taken place in the field of humanitarian aidwork. Bio-Data: Gabriele Alex is Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology and Director of the Asia-Orient-Institute at the Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen. She is also Senior Research Partner at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity. Before joining Tübingen University she had positions in Muenster, Heidelberg and Goettingen. She has conducted research in Tamil Nadu on Medical Diversity and on Childhood and Youth. From 2009-2013 she was editor of the journal DIVERSITIES and since 2011 she is committee member of the EASA Medical Anthropology Network. Her research interests include Medical Anthropology, Diversity Studies, the Anthropology of Childhood /Youth and South Asian Studies.

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.