__________________________________________________
Call for Papers "Democratization and Cultural Diversity: Contestation and Consensus in EU and India" 1st International Seminar Centre for Comparative European Union Studies (CCEUS), Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT) Chennai (India) 13-15 December 2010 __________________________________________________ The first international seminar of the Centre for Comparative European Union Studies (CCEUS) will be held during 13 - 15 December, 2010 at Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research, IIT Madras. The seminar is organized around keynote address, plenary sessions, special lectures and presentations by the participants. The maximum number of participants the seminar could accommodate is 35 across a range of disciplines within humanities and social sciences. Concept Note: Democracy evokes such vibrant reactions - both corroborative and hostile - among different political cultures that some see it as the finest expression of universal human values and some others as a product of a particular western tradition. Though each country has its own tradition of tolerance, mutual coexistence and sustaining diversity, the relation between democracy and diversity is fairly recent, though problematic. When it is true that every political principle or form of government (here democracy) is a historical and cultural product, pushing it too far and claiming it to be incompatible with 'other' cultural assertions ignores commonalities among peoples and blinds us to shared human values. EU and India offer such puzzling comparisons and contrasts. They are two of the most culturally diverse regions in the world with hundreds of languages, ethnic groups and polarized social structures while coping with this diversity from within a democratic framework. There is a visible difference between democracy as a principle which is total and complete with all its cultural traces, and democratization which refers to a process that is never complete and which does not come to us as a finished product. By focusing on democratization rather than democracy, we are concerned more with the delivery of democracy and its uneven relationship with diversity, and less with democracy as an unadulterated essence. It is also an attempt to locate democracy in everyday material life, thus preempting any notion of its vernacularization. Seen thus, democracy ceases to be a pure civilizational construct and implies that democracy cannot exist in some mythical transcendental realm and also that we cannot see democracy before it is delivered. Though, apparently, democratization would mean recognition and inclusive politics, and its absence leading to exclusion and deprivation, in reality this could be quite problematic. When it is true that mobilization along the lines of cultural fissures is born in an undemocratic space that does not tolerate diversity, it can equally be argued that such mobilization gets a fertile soil in democracy and grows in such a climate. Democracy values diversity and celebrates difference as a result of which cultural dissent thrives - in a way it justifies the presence of democratic polity. Whether identity groups are a product of democracy or its absence is open to doubt and debate. The question remains whether it is possible to achieve democratic sustainability in culturally diverse societies or whether communal fault lines are conducive to democratic stability. Similarly, the idea of cultural diversity shares an uneasy relationship with the idea of nation and nationalism. Any attempt to reconceptualize the idea of the nation-state could go against the very idea of postcolonial nationalism. When nationalism itself could be one form of identity in the face of occupation or perceived domination by another power, it could also neutralize regional, linguistic and ethno-cultural aspirations. These aspirations of autonomy, independence or recognition are fuelled by the democratic nature of the political system. However, democracy itself has the capacity to defang these rebellious mindsets. Again, multiculturalism could be both a precondition and a product of democratization. Given the multiple trajectories of democracy and its web-like relation with other issues like nationalism, modernity, postcolonialism etc. the seminar intends to engage with these issues in all their manifestations. The comparative thrust of the seminar (EU and India) is intended to highlight these problematic issues when they are negotiated, contested and articulated in different geographies. Each paper is required to project this comparative method while engaging with the following areas, but not limited to them. Though illustrations form an important part in any kind of theorization and are encouraged, no paper should be produced as case studies. A) Democracy and ethno-cultural nationalism B) Cultural diversity and fragmentation of national character C) Interest groups and identity groups D) Institution building and cultural representation E) Toleration and multiculturalism F) Democracy, diversity and postcolonial nationalism G) Majority-minority syndrome H) Universalism, particularism and the question of cultural identity I) Constitutional reforms and management of cultural difference J) Globalization and its discontents K) Democracy promotion and cosmopolitanism Key Speakers: - Riva Kastoryano, Director of Research, Centre for International Studies and Research, Paris, France - Alana Lentin, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK - Uwe Skoda, Aarhus University, Denmark - Donnacha Ó Beacháin, Dublin City University, Ireland - Rahul Rao, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK - Neera Chandhoke, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India - Sitaram Kakarala, Centre for the Study of Culture and Society, Bangalore, India - Jakub Zajaczkowski, University of Warsaw, Poland Registration Fee: Each outstation participant is required to pay a registration fee of Rs. 1000. For local participants the fee is Rs. 500. The details of payment mode etc. will be intimated after the short listing of applications is over. Travel Assistance: All the participants are requested to meet their travel expenses from their respective institutes. However, those who cannot manage to find any assistance will be provided 2nd/3rd AC train fare to Chennai by the shortest route. Invited speakers will be provided economy class air fare. Accommodation and boarding: All outstation participants will be provided boarding and accommodation on twin sharing basis at Taramani Guest House, IIT Madras. The guest house is a pleasant 5 minute walk to the seminar venue. Local participants cannot avail accommodation facility. However, all the participants will be provided lunch, tea and snacks. Deadline for Application: Those who are interested are required to submit a formal 300 word abstract along with the application. The format for making application is given below. The last date for receiving the abstract is 7 September 2010. The application may be emailed to the Convenor of the Seminar Dr. Jyotirmaya Tripathy at <[email protected]> with a copy to <[email protected]> with e-mail subject entitled as "Application for CCEUS International Workshop". The application can also be sent by post to Dr. Jyotirmaya Tripathy in the address given below. Selection of abstracts will be done by 10 September 2010 and all the applicants will be intimated about the status of their applications by 11 September 2010. This will give sufficient time to the participants to book their train tickets in three months advance. Application Format: The following format should be used for sending applications for the seminar. Incomplete applications will be rejected. Name Address (with telephone number and email id) Institutional Affiliation Present Position Date of Birth Teaching/Research Experience Academic Qualifications Areas of Research and teaching Publications (if any) Whether Registered for a Research Degree Names and Addresses of Two Referees Signature Date Contact: Dr. Jyotirmaya Tripathy Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Indian Institute of Technology Madras Chennai - 600036 India Phone: +91-44-22574518 Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Web: http://www.hss.iitm.ac.in/eu/first_sem.htm __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
