The South Asia Institute presents a conference
in honor of Dr. B .R. Ambedkar
“Caste and Contemporary India”
Friday and Saturday, October 16 and 17, 2009

Co-sponsored by
Center for Human Rights Documentation and Research
Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race
Department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures
Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life
Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy

Additional funding provided by the Dr. Ambedkar International Mission (AIM) Inc., U.S.A; Office of the Provost, Columbia University; Taraknath Das Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Education

Location: Room 1501, International Affairs Building. Columbia University 420 West 118th Street at Amsterdam Avenue (15th floor)
Conference Schedule
Day One: Friday, October 16
8:00am – 8:45am Coffee and Breakfast
8:50am – 9:00amWelcome address by Janaki Bakhle (History, Columbia University; Director, South Asia Institute)
9:00am – 10:45amPanel: Affirmative Action, Law and Inequality in India and the United States
Lee C. Bollinger (President, Columbia University and Professor, Law School)
Marc Galanter (Law and South Asia Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Pratap Mehta (Centre for Policy Research)
Moderated by Nicholas B. Dirks (Anthropology and History;
Vice-President and Dean, Arts & Sciences, Columbia University)
10:45am – 11:15am Coffee Break
11:15am – 12:45pm Panel: Contemporary Politics and Caste Balmurli Natrajan (Anthropology, William Paterson University)
Sivakami Palanimuthu (activist and writer)
Anand Teltumbde (activist and writer)
Moderated by Christophe Jaffrelot (Sciences-Po)
12:45pm – 2:15pm Afternoon break (no lunch will be provided at conference)
2:15pm – 4:00pm Panel: Gender and Caste Smita Narula (Law, New York University)
E. Sudha Rani (History, Dean of Social Sciences,
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University)
Jebaroja Singh (Women and Gender Studies, Saint John Fisher College)
Moderated by Anupama Rao (History, Barnard College)
4:00pm – 4:30pm Coffee Break
4:30pm – 4:40pm Introduction of Plenary Speaker by Thomas Blom Hansen
(Anthropology, University of Amsterdam)
4:40pm – 5:45pm Plenary Session featuring an Address by Gyanendra Pandey (History, Emory University)
6:00pm – 7:00pm Reception
Day Two: Saturday, October 17
8:30am – 9:15am Coffee and Breakfast
9:15am – 11:15am Panel: Religion and Caste Gnana Aloysius (Independent Scholar, New Delhi)
Masood Alam Falahi (Islamic Studies, Maulana Azad National Urdu University)
Raj Kumar Hans (History, M. S. University of Baroda)
Nathaniel Roberts (South Asia Studies, University of Pennsylvania)
Moderated by Gauri Viswanathan (English & Comparative Literature, Columbia University)
11:15am – 11:30am Coffee Break
11:30am – 11:40am Introduction of Plenary Speaker by Sudipta Kaviraj (Chair, Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures, Columbia University)
11:40am – 12:45pm Closing Plenary Session featuring an Address by Gopal Guru (Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University)
12:45pm – 1:00pm Closing Remarks by Janaki Bakhle
1:00pm – 2:00pm Lunch