Sambandh 2017-18

Sambandh is an annual intra-collegiate fest, organised and hosted by the Department of Sociology, Christ University. Each year, there is a specific theme aligned to the festival, in accordance with the discipline of Sociology, around which the events are conducted. The theme for Sambandh 2017, much like the name itself suggests, was “Relationships”.

The students of Sociology, namely, the courses EPS, PSECO, PSENG participated in the events. A wide array of events and activities were conducted such as, essay writing, tessellate (based on the idea of extempore), short film etc. The events which the students were most enthusiastic about and participated in large numbers were, blindfolded conversations, poetry, face painting and photography.
The opening of the fest was marked by the “Blindfolded Conversations” activity, conducted on the basketball court of the university. Each participant was paired with a person, unknown to them, and was free to engage in a conversation about interests mutual to both of them. The activity was a huge success, and it addressed the theme of the fest, “Relationships” in its true essence and an innovative way by building new friendships. Through the weeks, the other activities were conducted, all revolving around the same theme. Each receiving a lot of attraction and active participation.
The closing ceremony of Sambandh was conducted on the 8th of December. The ceremony started with the President of the Sociology Association, Ms. Samyukta Chacko, introducing the essence of the fest to the audience, followed by a brief summary of events. The Head of the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Dr. Victor Paul, was then invited to the stage to inaugurate the ceremony by addressing the gathering and sharing his views on the topic “Relationships”. The Sociology Association then presented a video to the audience, which showcased all the evens that were conducted through the course of the fest.

The most awaited event was also conducted on this day. All the students and faculty members gathered in large numbers to support their classmate and students respectively, as they represented them on the stage, in the event, “10 minutes on stage”. This event was judged by Dr. Abhilash Chandran from the Department of English.

The course that bagged the overall trophy for the 2017 edition of Sambandh, for the second time in a row, was 3rd year PSECO. All the faculty members of the Department of Sociology were called on the stage to present the trophy to the winners, followed by a group photograph. In closing, the MA sociology students sang a song, which marked the end of Sambandh 2017. The programme was then concluded with the vote of thanks given by the Vice-President of the Sociology Association, Mr. Clinton P.

Young Sociologist Competition 2017

The Department of Sociology and Social Work organized the “National Young Sociologists Competition 2017” on the 8th of December for all undergraduate students studying Sociology as one of their subjects in any of the institutions in India. This competition is aimed at encouraging the young generation to carry out small research projects on socially relevant subjects and issues to enhance their critical and analytical thinking. The Competition seeks to fulfil this aim by inviting the participants to write original papers on prescribed topics to participate in the paper presentation competition.

Inauguration with the Lighting of the Lamp  

The theme for the National Young Sociologist Competition 2017-18 was Science and Society. This competition aimed at understanding the interrelation between society and science under various sub-themes. Contributions beyond the subthemes added to the overall theme of the competition. Some of the sub-themes of the competition were “Theoretical contributions to the relation between society and science”,” Understanding gender in relation to science and society”, “Effects of scientific research on society” etc.
The keynote of the event was given by Prof E Haribabu, Ex.VC & Retd Prof of Sociology, University of Hyderabad. His keynote was a concept note of the event and an introduction to the topic for the audience so that the presentations were put into the perspective for the audience. His note touched upon many of the themes giving the audience a good theoretical introduction before the commencement of the paper presentations. Prof E Haribabu along with Dr Sobin George (ISEC) judged the competition.

Keynote address by Prof E Haribabu

A total of 10 students from all over the country were shortlisted from a number of 63 abstracts and 39 full-length papers. Some of the themes and topics that students presented in the competition were effects of technology on society and culture, discourse between science and religion, the effect of technology on gender in society and many other such topics. The Winners of the competition were Salma Salim from St. Josephs, Bangalore who came at 1st place, Karishma D'Mello from St. Xavier's college, Mumbai who was at 2nd place and Sanjana Krishnan from CHRIST (deemed to be University), Bangalore who came at 3rd place.

Salma Salim, Winner of YSC 2017-18 receiving her certificate from Prof E Haribabu

This competition gives students a platform to discuss their ideas with relation to academics and also gives them a chance to get a first-hand experience of research and the field. This also gives the students a chance to explore the depths of theories in sociology and apply their analytical and critical thinking to their research. The responses given by the judges to the students after their presentations gives ideas and suggestions on how to make their research better. Other than preparing the students to be researchers in the future, this competition also gives us an idea of what are the current emerging areas of research that the young sociologist can get engaged with.
Report by: Dheeraj

International Summit 2017 on Child Rights: Education Matters

The Department of Sociology and Social Work in collaboration with World Vision India and James Cook University, Townsville, Australia  Organized the “International Summit 2017 Child Rights: Education Matters Life” in Christ University on the 4^th and 5^th of December. This event was organized to bring about awareness about the current scenario of Children Lives in the context of Human Rights and how we are addressing this issue currently. The summit was emphasizing on how education is implemented to bring out empowerment for the Children in India and around the world.

Two days was to summit was to look at how Children can be supported in an inclusive and quality educational system and promote lifelong learning. Several representatives from various sectors came to address the issue of Child Rights in the context of education and its importance to discuss some of the ways in which the scenario for children and their access to education and its quality can become better. Some of the themes of the summit were “Legal frameworks in Child Protection” to “Programs, Policies and Models of Education “ to “Research and innovations to the quality of Education”. The summit was attended by people from various backgrounds where academicians, activists, doctors to CSR employees came together and discussed the Issue of Child Rights and education. There were issues from dropout rates in schools currently to the addressing the need of interpersonal safety and other issues encompassing the wide range of issues were discussed in the summit.

This summit was not only an eye opener for the people who presented at the summit but was also an eye-opener for the students who attended it. Since people from all over the world discussed various issues and also there was a lot of interaction that took place between the presenters as well as students, there was an extensive amount of exchange of ideas that took place. Since we live in a society where the quality of education and its accessibility is low for a large majority of the country, it is important for students to be exposed to such information as tomorrow, it will be them who will be the change makers.

Guest Lecture by Prof E Haribabu

Prof E Haribabu delivered a guest lecture followed by an interactive session with the faculty of the Department of Sociology and Social Work as well as the students of MA Applied Sociology and Masters in Social Work. Prof Haribabu delivered his lecture on the Sociology of Science and Technology at 3 pm in the Council Hall on December 7, 2017.

Prof Haribabu is an extremely eminent Sociologist who is Ex.VC & Retd. Prof of Sociology, University of Hyderabad and is currently Adjunct Senior Fellow, Research and Information System (RIS) for Developing Countries, New Delhi. He has worked extensively in the area of science technology and society and has published extensively on his research projects on the area. 

During his interaction with the faculty, he also spoke about the discipline of Sociology as well as its relevance today. He also addressed the issues and concerns that Universities are experiencing in the contemporary era. 

Lecture by Antonia Darder

The students of MA Applied Sociology along with some of their faculty members attended a Public Lecture at the National Institute of Advanced Studies on December 5, 2017. This lecture was delivered by Prof Antonia Darder on Schooling the Flesh: The body, pedagogy, and inequality in the Lecture Hall, NIAS.

Prof. Antonia Darder is an internationally recognized Freirian scholar, artist, poet, activist, and
public intellectual. She holds the Leavey Presidential Endowed Chair in Ethics and Moral Leadership in the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University and is also Professor Emerita of Educational Policy, Organization, and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Darder has taught at California Polytechnic University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was recognized as a Distinguished Professor at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces. In 2005, working with graduate students and community members, she established the Liberacion! Radio Collective, a public affairs radio program, on WEFT 90.1 Champaign that examines politics, art, and struggles through the nexus of local/global connections.

She utilized a Freirian analysis to address issues relating to the materiality of the body with respect to social and material power in the construction of knowledge as well as its transmission. He focused on the politics of classroom life with an emphasis on how the classroom allows for the schooling of the body. Through an examination of dominant ideologies, educational practices, and questions of inequality, principles for a critical pedagogy of the body are forged, as a necessary move toward the decolonizing of the body and the transformation of educational practice.

Annual Conference Series

International Conference

on

Contemporary Challenges to Indian State and Society

Jointly organised by National Institute of Advanced Studies and Christ University, Bengaluru

November 15-17, 2017

Report

The Conference on Contemporary Challenges to Indian State and Society was conceptualized as a collaborative exercise between Christ University and the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru. Work on this Conference began in 2016 driven by a core team constituted by members from both institutions.  This Conference was held at C 911, Christ University, Hosur Road on November 15-17, 2017.

Figure 1 Group Photograph

As stated in the concept note, the era of post-globalisation, the changing economic and political landscape of countries worldwide has ushered in the entry of several emerging economies that will define the new global order of the 21^st century. In the process, India is emerging as one of the powerful players in defining the global regime. The rise of India as a global leader is the testimony of the resurgence of this country that can claim to have a demographic dividend. Despite the unprecedented challenges, India has demonstrated its capability to resolve these in more ways than one.  The last two decades in India have witnessed several forms of internal and external conflicts at various levels, ranging from across the borders and internal insurgencies to the dramatic changes that are taking place in society amongst institutions of education, family, and religion, amongst others. Widespread environmental degradation and loss of natural habitats have led to escalated human–wildlife conflict, with detrimental effects on human property and loss of both human and non-human lives. More specifically, the political landscape of the country is undergoing significant changes and one can witness unusual responses from the judiciary or from the citizenry to the problems faced by the Indian state.
It is against these larger manifestations that this conference attempted to record our successes, visit some of the stubborn national challenges that we need to understand and respond creatively to in order to forge ahead as global leaders. Among them were the decline of public institutions, disarray in educational systems, loss of our natural resources and cultural heritage, judicial activism and the emergence of multiple identities threatening the stability of the nation state. During the same period, India has witnessed novel and successful experiments in several pockets across the country that have the potential to provide the much-needed direction for effective development. Most of these real-world problems compel an understanding beyond lessons provided by single disciplines, often requiring multidisciplinary approaches to determine potential solutions.

The first annual Conference was inaugurated on November 15, 2017. Christ University was represented by the Registrar, Prof Anil Pinto and Prof Victor Paul while NIAS was represented by Prof Anindya Sinha and Prof Anshuman Behera. The book of abstracts selected for presentations during the Conference was released during this session.

Figure 2 Release of the Book of Abstracts

Prof N Jayaram, one of the most eminent Indian Sociologists offered the Keynote address. He set the tone for the following days in the Conference as he touched upon some of the key issues that were being addressed by it.

Figure 3  N Jayaram

This Conference was organized around some broad themes such as Education and New Pedagogy, Internal conflicts and challenges, External security challenges, Anthropological Approaches to the Understanding of State and Everyday Life in India, Urbanisation of Wildlife and Conservation of India’s Natural Heritage and Archaeology, Material Culture and Heritage Science.

The papers presented touched upon debates such as those surrounding AADHAR, local and state structures of power, religious discourses, internal security issues and urban wildlife. These presentations were accompanied by discussions led by the discussants and participated in by the audience.

The Conference drew to a close on November 17, 2017. Dr Rajeev K provided an overview of the Conference. The valedictory program was presided over by the Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof John Joseph Kennedy. Certificates of participation were given out and the session ended with some of the participants sharing their experiences during the Conference. Given below are some of the photographs from the same.

Figure 4 Manpreet Dhillon and Brijesh Chandra Tripathi

Figure 5 Meghna Desai

Figure 6 Edilbert Fernando

Figure 7 Shivali Tukdeo and Greta

Figure 8 Manjit Bhatti

Figure 9 Manjit Bhatti, Madhushree Joshi and Edilbert Fernando

Figure 10 SoumyaAwasthi

Figure 11 Ningthoujam Koiremba Singh

Figure 12 Praveen MN

Figure 13 Anshuman Behera

Figure 14 Anindya Sinha

Figure 15 Nishant Srinivasaiah

Figure 16 Pradeep Kuttuva

Figure 17 Kshitija Kanchan

Figure 18 Rajeev K and Manoharan

Figure 19 M. Mayilvaganan

Figure 20 Mohon Kumar Naik

Figure 21 Anjani Devi

Figure 22 Sai Deepthi

Figure 23 Aditi Dey Sarkar

Guest Lecture on Assistive Technology and Social Inclusion

A guest lecture was arranged for the sixth semester BA elective students (Sociology of Development) on Friday, 10 November 2017 during 11-12. It was held in Room No 210, second floor, Block I. The guest speaker was Mr Akhil S G, Research Assistant, Assistive Technology with the International Center for Free and Open source software. He is also the founder of an NGO ‘Sahridaya’ that focus on community development.

The interactive session began with reflections and understanding of concepts like ability, talent, inclusion and free. The question raised was whether the current social space is inclusive and free. It was a stimulating exercise that helped students to think out of box. After this, the idea of open source software was introduced. The last part of the interaction was based on the efforts of the research team at the international center to help the differently abled people to use their ability and the immense potential of assistive technology in transforming people’s lives.

Socius: Call for entries

Conference on Contemporary Challenges to Indian State and Society

Program Schedule

DAY 1 : 15-11-2017
Timings	Particulars	Guests/Speakers/Resource Persons	Venue
9.30 am.	Registration: C 911
10.00 am	Inauguration of the Conference	GUESTS Dr Anindya Sinha                                        Dr Anil Pinto   Dean, Academic Affairs, NIAS               Registrar, Christ University Keynote Speaker: Dr N Jayaram Former Director, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru	C911 Central Block, 9th floor
11.30 am	Group Photograph
11.40 pm. – 12 noon	TEA BREAK
12 noon	Session 1	Anthropological Approaches to the Understanding of State and Everyday Life in India Discussants: Dr Rajeev K and Suparna Kar 1.       Manpreet Dhillon - AADHAR as Neoliberal Governmentality 2.       Brijesh Chandra Tripathi - Electoral politics or autonomous mobilisation	C911 Central Block, 9th floor
1.00 pm	LUNCH BREAK
2.00 pm.-4.30 pm.	Session 2	Anthropological Approaches to the Understanding of State and Everyday Life in India Discussants: Dr Rajeev K and Dr Vagishwari 1.       Rakesh Kumar - Dominance of Khap over marriage norms and their encounter with State Institutions: A case study of Haryana 2.       Mohon Kumar Naik - The State and Local Structure of Power on Land Acquisition and Livelihood, among tribal people in southern Odisha. 3.       Jitendra Borday - Working class neighbourhoods everyday political mobilization, culture: Studying Ramabai Nagar locality in Mumbai 4.       Aditi Dey Sarkar-Impact of Development initiatives like Microfinance 5.       Meghna Desai - Tracing the remnants of medieval Chitvel 6.       Kushal Bothra and Kanika Vageria - Multifaceted Matrix of External Menace & Challenges to India’s Security from China and Pakistan: A Critical Analysis	C911 Central Block, 9th floor
4.30 pm	TEA BREAK
DAY 2: 16-11-2017
9.30 am. – 11.30 am.	Session 3	Education and New Pedagogy Discussants: Dr Shivali Tukdeo, NIAS and Dr Greta, CU 1.       Manjit M.Bhatti - A Critique of Alan Sokals Hoax: In the Defense of Interdisciplinarity 2.       Madhushree Joshi - Revisiting Ancient Indian Philosophy to study its relevance in today’s Legal education 3.       Sreehari Ravindranath - Preparing Children in Value Education in the 21st Century: The Connected Learning Initiative (CLIx) Approach 4.       Edilbert Fernando, Akshay Kothari, Edward Ntokwo, Renault Fernandes and Shine George - The Application of Biometrics in Identification to Enhance Student Anonymity and Mitigate Identity-Derived Bias in Collaborative Learning Environments	C911, Central Block, 9th floor
11.30 am	TEA BREAK
11.45am -1.00 pm	Session 4	Internal Conflicts and Challenges Discussants: Dr Manoharan, CU and Dr Anshuman Behera, NIAS 1.       SoumyaAwasthi - Religious Discourses and their Impact on Regional and Global Geopolitics: A Study of Deobandi in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan 2.       Anshuman Behera - Internal Security Scenario in India: Interrogation of Narratives 3.       Ningthoujam Koiremba Singh & Praveen MN - Ethnic Conflicts and Insurgency movement in India’s transnational Security dynamics: a Case Study of Naga Insurgency	C911, Central Block, 9th floor
1.00 pm	LUNCH BREAK
2.00 pm -3.00 pm	Session 5	Urbanisation of Wildlife and Conservation of India’s Natural Heritage Discussants: Dr Anindya Sinha, NIAS and Dr Maya M, CU 1.       Maan Barua & Anindya Sinha - Governing Life in Indian Cities, or Why Conversations between Ecology and Geography are an Imperative 2.       Nishant Srinivasaiah, Srinivas Vaidyanathan, Raman Sukumar, and Anindya Sinha - The Elephant in the Village: Impacts of Rural Transformations on the Behaviour and Management of the Asian Elephant in Southern India	C911, Central Block, 9th Floor
3.00	TEA BREAK
	POSTER  PRESENTATIONS
DAY 3: 17-11-2017
9:00 am.-10.15 am	Session 6	Urbanisation of Wildlife and Conservation of India’s Natural Heritage Discussants: Dr Anindya Sinha, NIAS and Dr Maya M, CU 1.       Jyothi K. M &Kshitija Kanchan - Urban Wildlife: A road towards Co-existence 2.       Pradeep Kuttuva,  Krithika Srinivasan, Aditya Ganesh, Tim Kurz, Stephen Hinchliffe and Anindya Sinha– Street-Dog Biopolitics in Contemporary India	C911, Central Block, 9th floor
10.15 am	TEA BREAK
10.30 – 11.30	Session 7	External Security Challenges Discussants: Dr M. Mayilvaganan, NIAS and Dr Manoharan, CU 1.       Anjani Devi - Geopolitics and Fishermen Issue: A Perspective from India-Sri Lanka Relations in the Post-LTTE Period 2.       Praveen P K- Return of Geopolitics 3.       Justin J. - Cybercrime and Cyber Warfare: The challenges before digitalized India 4.     Indrajit Sharma, Dr. N. Mohandas Singh- Emerging Challenges to India’s External Security: Perspective from Northeast Region (presented by Sai Deepthi)	C911, Central Block, 9th floor
11.30-12 noon		VALEDICTORY Presided over by Dr John Joseph Kennedy Dean Humanities and Social Sciences