Page 7 - SAU Connect December 2019

The Quarterly Newsletter of South Asian University | Volume 4 Issue 2 December 2019

Academic Events

Human Economy in Asia: A Methodological Reflection

New Delhi (07-08.11.2019) SAU Sociology News: A two-day international workshop “Human Economy in

Asia: A Methodological Reflection” was organised by SAU's Department of Sociology on 7-8 November,
2019, in collaboration with CNRS Paris and Dong-A University Busan.

The conference began with the opening speech by Professor Sanjay Chaturvedi, Dean, FSS and remarks

by Dr Mallika Shakya, Department Coordinator, Sociology, FSS. The rest of the workshop comprised of 3
panel discussions and screening of 3 documentary films over two days. Professor George Baca from
Dong-A University presented a paper on Keynesianism and the Welfare State while Professor Horacio

Ortiz from CNRS Paris and Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton presented a paper on Sociology of
Money for the Study of Digital Payment Systems.

In the succeeding panel, Dr Mallika Shakya from South Asian University and Professor John Clammer
from Jindal Global University on overlaps between international development and economic

anthropology. Kumud Bhansali and Avinash Ediga, PhD students within Department of Sociology,
presented papers on Salaried Modernity in South India and First Generation Entrepreneurs from Pune.
The workshop also hosted a class lecture on “Sidney Mintz and an Anthropology of Colonial Modernity”
by Professor George Baca. Papers were presented by eminent and emerging scholars working on South
and East Asia.

Three documentary films screened on Day 2 included: (i) Children of the Pyre, on Indiaa; (ii) Fireflies in the
Abyss, on Nepali workers; and (iii) Shramik Awaz – Workers' Voices on Bangladesh. These films were
presented with after-screening commentaries by Venkata Narayana, Pritish Menon and Shray Mehta,
PhD students, Department of Sociology.

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