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Education and Public Sphere Exploring the Structures of Mediation in Post-Colonial India

Education and Public Sphere Exploring the Structures of Mediation in Post-Colonial India

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Event Title
Education and Public Sphere Exploring the Structures of Mediation in Post-Colonial India
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<strong>Centre for Advanced Studies Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Studies School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University</strong> NATIONAL SEMINAR ON <strong>Education and Public Sphere Exploring the Structures of Mediation in Post-Colonial India</strong> <strong>17-18 March 2016</strong> <strong>Concept note : </strong>At a time when the state and its ideological apparatuses began to void the autonomous spaces for intellectual engagement, the institutions of learning embedded in the practices of public reason and critical thinking seem to be in a state of crisis. There are hidden operations of mediated structures inflicting upon the public sphere which tends to reproduce the similar kinds of systems in the educational field as well. The proposed seminar seeks to gather intellectual responses to debate on the contemporary process of education in India by specifically examining the structures of mediations that engage to expand/construe the conceptual spaces available in the public sphere in our times. The objective of the seminar is to explore the operations of the mediating structures and the super-structures that shape education and public sphere to realize a society based on the normative principles of equality and democracy. The discourses and their practices centered on disciplinary regimes in the domain of education not only inspire to adapt the desirable structures of mediations to reflect upon emancipatory interest but also expose and negate the hidden operations of discursive powers to bring about the prevalence of social justice. An enquiry of this kind can possibly begin by examining the generic aspects of educational regime, its effects and expansion - with the active interplay of historically mediating structures of disciplines, cultures, power, and economy - as key constituencies of the public sphere. Tentative themes to initiate seminar debates are as follows: 1. Matrix of Education network: Regimes of Knowledge, Governance and Politics 2. Mobility pattern of agencies in academics: Students, Teachers and Researchers 3. Education and Language of Justice: Beyond the frames on Access and Inclusion 4. Alternative Pedagogy: Reflexive process and critical engagement in education 5. Border lines on the Public and the Private: Negotiations in education as public good 6. Mediations in education: The communities, the state and the market 7. Epistemic violence, dissenting voices and protest knowledge

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.