Title of Session: Social Change as the Story of Contemporary Indian Society and, Social Scientists as the Story Tellers
Name of Session Convener(s): Sailaja Nandigama and Eswarappa Kasi University/Organization: Wageningen University/University of Hyderabad
Email: sailaja.nandigama@gmail.com; kasieswar@gmail.com
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Abstract:
21st Century India mirrors changing society and public consciousness. Change may be occurring in myriad forms but it is in the contextualization of caste, class, gender, social, political, power, policy, governance, participation, representation, development. Innovation, and livelihoods of people among other concerns that we, the social scientists articulate this changing society. Last century resulted in phenomenal achievements in the field of scientific enterprise on the one hand, as well as, in the pursuit of science and technology studies (STS) on the other.
Simultaneously, how we understand and represent the ‘social’ and the ‘political’ also underwent phenomenal changes at the local, national and international levels. Social scientists have become ‘the story tellers’ of and for their publics- interpreting, giving meaning and articulating this changing world. This session opens up space for critical reflections on the progression of these stories in the Indian context; and for investigating how the social scientific enterprise in India has been articulating its publics.
With few exceptions, caste, class and gender based power dynamics thoroughly influenced both society and polity of the Indian state during the post western hegemony. This panel invites scholars and academicians with interdisciplinary research background to share their stories and explore the different experiences related to the Social Science’s representation of the Publics and the related caste, class and gender based identities in the Indian context.
For more details on the congress visit:
http://www.iisoc.org/iis2012 or