The correct email address is: bag...@uni-heidelberg.de __________________________________________________
Call for Papers Theme: Epistemologies of Water in Asia Type: Interdisciplinary Workshop Institution: Interdisciplinary Research Group "Waterscapes", University of Heidelberg Location: Heidelberg (Germany) Date: 13.–14.12.2014 Deadline: 27.10.2014 __________________________________________________ From Ravi Baghel <bag...@uni-heidelberg.de> All over Asia, water is subject to a great variety of knowledge systems and practices. Some of these appear to be linked to particular spaces – when associated with specific local cultures or religions – while others are structured by functional and symbolic differentiations, like expert, political or sacred knowledge. This workshop is focused on attempts to trace the circulation and transformation of environmental knowledge fragments and practices across the boundaries of diverse knowledge systems. We would like to examine how varied forms of knowledge pertaining to water flow, encounter and entangle with each other. This also directly questions the epistemological status of water as a mere resource. Particularly in Asia, well-tested practices surrounding water and ice are often inseparable from ritual or cosmological symbolism and performance. Therefore, we should not assume that the latter necessarily conflict with “objective” understandings of water and glaciers. Hence, this workshop rather focuses on the nodes through which certain knowledge items, “facts” and practices travel across cultural boundaries, thereby creating a transcultural network of differentially connected meanings. This call is primarily directed at doctoral students, postdocs and early career researchers. We invite posters and papers discussing ongoing research related to but not limited to: - Interaction between expert and local knowledge of water - The sacredness of rivers and glaciers - The role of knowledge in water conservation - Ethnology of knowledge practitioners - Hydropower between the local and the global - Politics of water knowledge - Natural hazards and risk reduction in the context of water - Anthropocene framing of Himalayan water systems The workshop is aimed at fostering interdisciplinary exchange in order to facilitate collaboration between researchers from diverse disciplines and locations. Our objective is to keep the workshop as diverse as possible. We hope to initiate productive research exchanges, with the possibility of working towards collaborative research proposals. Therefore the workshop will focus on discussions of potential research directions, using paper presentations as a springboard. Participants are encouraged to prepare posters where possible. The two day workshop is organised by the Interdisciplinary Research Group “Waterscapes”, with the support of the Cluster of Excellence: "Asia & Europe in a Global Context" at Heidelberg University, Germany. Please send in a short CV and an abstract of your poster or presentation latest by 27th October 2014 to Dr. Ravi Baghel: bag...@uni-heidelberg.de Financial support for travel and accommodation is available, please mention if you require such support. Contact: Dr. Ravi Baghel Cluster of Excellence: Asia & Europe South Asia Institute University of Heidelberg Im Neuenheimerfeld 330, Room 103 D-69120 Heidelberg Germany Phone: +49 6221 54 8928 Email: bag...@uni-heidelberg.de __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
