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Researcher,Affiliation

andEmail

ProjectTitle

Summary

Keywords&Method

ManishaAnantharaman
SaintMarysCollegeof
California
JusticeCommunityand
Leadership
ma20@stmarysca.edu

RecyclingClass:The
culturaland
environmentalpoliticsof
thenewmiddleclassesof
Bangalore,India

Howistheenvironment
perceivedandactedupon
inIndiascitiesbyits
middleclassesandto
whatends?This
fundamentalquestion
framesmydissertationon
theculturaland
environmentalpoliticsof
thenewmiddleclassesof
Bangalore,India.I
investigatethe
emergenceof
proenvironmental
practiceslikebicycling,
recyclingandcomposting
amongsectionsofthe
newmiddleclassesin
Bangalore.Using70
ethnographicinterviews
withmiddleclass
individualswhopractice
andpromotebicycling
andsustainablewaste
managementin
Bangalore,alongwithan
analysisofmediaarticles
andsocialmedia
conversations,this
dissertationarguesthat
practiceslikebicycling
andrecyclingboth
reproduceandtransform
classidentitiesand
hegemoniesinurban
India.Throughthis,I
addresshowthepolitics
ofsustainabilityinurban
Indiaissimultaneouslya
politicsofdistinctionand
appropriation,anda
politicsofnegotiationand
accommodation.

Class,environmental
politics,culturalpolitics,
urbansustainability

SumitraSunder,PhD
Scholar,NationalInstitute
ofAdvancedStudies.

ContemporaryCreative
PracticeinBangalore:
Locatingahistory

Collectives,Creative
Process,CreativePractice,
Community,Artist
community,Archive,

AffiliatedtoManipal
University
Sunder.sumitra@gmail.
Com

Memory,Identity,
performance,
Contemporaryart,
Marginalities,Queer,
Desire,
urbanartspractice,
Theatre,Festival,History
ofArt

SarayuNatarajan,
KingsIndiaInstitute,
KingsCollegeLondon
(
sarayu.natarajan@kcl.ac.
uk
)

urbanpolitics,electoral
politics,brokerage,voting,
partynetworks

GillianBowan
MacquarieUniversity

PayingGuests:Between
KinshipandCapital

Thisprojectinvestigates
socialclass,gender,
thelivesandexperiences property,realestate,
ofmigrantwomenwho
housing.
resideinpayingguest
accomodationsin
Bangalore.Itreflectson
therelationshipbetween
houseandclassformation
andinvestigatesflowsof
remittancesandsocial
mobility.

JyothsnaLathaBelliappa,
AzimPremjiUniversity,
Bangalore

Gender,Community
IdentityandWomens
Agency:Exploringthe
CareerNarrativesof
SchoolTeachersfromthe
AngloIndianCommunity
inBangalore,India.

Thispaperdiscusses
preliminaryfindingsofa
qualitativestudy
investigatingthecareer
narrativesoffemale
schoolteachersfrom
BangaloresAngloIndian
community.Theculturally
distinctive,English
speakingand
predominantlyChristian
AngloIndiancommunity
isabiracialminoritythat
aroseoutofdomestic
relationshipsbetween
EuropeanmenandIndian
womeninthe18th
and
19th
centuries.Although
theywereinitially
favouredforjobsinthe
railwaysandgovernment
services,employment
opportunitiesfor

AngloIndianmen
declinedthroughthe20th

centuryduetothe
changingpoliciesofthe
colonialgovernment.By
themiddleofthe20th

century,theeconomic
conditionsofthe
communitybecamemore
precarious,duetotheir
culturalandsocial
marginalizationwithinthe
newlyindependent
nationandthisforced
AngloIndianwomeninto
thejobmarket.However,
thecommunitymobilized
itsknowledgeofEnglish
andotherformsof
culturalcapitalinherited
throughitsassociation
withEuropetoformthe
AllIndiaAngloIndian
EducationalTrustandset
upschoolsincitiessuch
asBangaloreand
Calcutta,where
AngloIndianteachers
couldfindemployment.
Inadditiontomissionary
schools,these
AngloIndianschools
werepreferredby
upwardlymobileIndian
middleclassfamiliesofall
religiousdenominations
whosoughtanEnglish
language,westernized
educationfortheir
children.Asaresult,more
employment
opportunitiescameabout
forAngloIndianwomen,
albeitinalimitednumber
ofschools.Thispaper
exploresthememoriesof
femaleAngloIndian
teachersusinglifestory
interviewingtechniques,
toconcludethat
AngloIndianwomenhave
shownagencyin
strategicallydrawingon

theirculturalandsocial
capitalbuttheiragencyis
exercisedonbehalfof
theirfamiliesratherthan
forindividualinterests.
Thefindingsfromtheir
narrativeaccounts
suggestthatAngloIndian
womensprofessional
livesareshapedand
limitedbyacomplex
relationshipbetween
economicexigencies,
communityloyaltiesand,
inmanycases,adeep
senseofreligiosity.
RennyThomas,
CentrefortheStudyof
SocialSystems,Jawaharlal
NehruUniversity,New
Delhi

ReligiousandScientific
Imagination:AStudyof
ReligiousLifeofScientists.

Thisprojectisan
ethnographicexploration
ofthereligiousand
atheisticlifeofscientists.
Ihavedoneextensive
fieldworkforayearat
theIndianInstituteof
Science,Bangalore,also
interviewedscientistsat
theNationalCentrefor
BiologicalSciences,and
JawaharlalNehruCentre
forAdvancedScientific
Research,Bangalore.The
projectintendedtolook
athowscientists
negotiatewiththe
questionsofreligionand
belief;andhowsections
ofatheisticscientistslook
atthequestionsof
culture,traditionand
belief.Theprojectalso
analysesthequestionsof
casteandgenderinthe
everydayscientific
practices.

anthropologyof
rationality,casteand
science,anthropologyof
'ScienceandReligion',
atheism.

NeeshaDutt
NationalInstituteof
AdvancedStudies

Urbangreens:Ecological
impactsand
socioeconomicdriversof
turfgrassecosystems

Thecoreideaofthis
researchistounderstand
howsocialfactors
influencegreening
decisionswhichcontrol
environmentalfactors
affectinggreenhousegas
emissions.Thecityof
Bangaloreoffersarich
fieldsite.Bangalores
developmentledgrowth
hasresultedinthe
intensereshapingofthe
urbanlandscape.
Simultaneously,theurban
greenspacehasalso
undergone
transformation.This
studyfocuseson
turfgrasslawn
ecosystemswhichhave
slowlybutsurelymade
theirwayintoBangalores
developmentled
landscapingandgreening
strategies.Whetheritis
anofficespace,a
residentialcommunityor
amixedused
development(MUD)
project;property
developersofferservices
thatpromiseworldclass
facilitiesinwhichlawns
areaconsistentfeature
inthegreenscape
offered,endeavoringto
liveuptotheglobalcity
image.Whatgets
underplayedhereisthat
thesechemicalandwater
intensivelawnsmayhave
environmental
implicationswhichgo
unnoticed.Theaimhere
istounderstandboth
environmentalandsocial
facetsoflawnspace
production,consumption
andmaintenancethereof.

urbangreenspace,lawn
ecosystems,landscaping,
urbangreenaesthetics,
greenhousegasemissions

MaliniRanganathan,PhD,
AssistantProfessor,School
ofInternationalService,
AmericanUniversity,
Washington,DC

FluidHegemony:A
PoliticalEcologyofWater,
MarketRule,and
InsurgenceatBangalores
Frontier(Doctoral)AND
Stormdrainsas
Assemblages:APolitical
EcologyofFloodRiskin
Bangalore(Current)

Abstract of recent IJURR


(2014)article:
Thisarticleinterrogates
thenatureofpolitical
agencydeployedatsites
ofmarketorientedwater
reforms.Itpresentsa
casestudyfrom
Bangalore,Indiaofa
waterprojectmandating
significantbeneficiary
cashcontributionsfrom
lowermiddleclass
dwellersforthecapital
costofextendingpiped
watertothecitys
peripheries.Drawingon
quantitativeand
ethnographicdata,it
illustrateswhyproperty
ownerswholackformal
wateraccessandland
tenuregroupsreferred
tointhisarticleasthe
peripheralizedmiddle
classconsenttopaying
forpipesratherthan
resistalltogetherdespite
thehighcostinvolved.It
arguesthatfarfrom
reflectingan
internalizationofa
willingnesstopayor
stakeholderethos
celebratedby
development
practitionerstoday,
paymentforwater
providesaninsurgent
meanstobargainfor
greatersymbolic
recognition,
respectability,and
materialbenefitsfrom
thestate.Inparticular,
paymentforpipes
enablesperipheral
dwellerstostrengthen
theirclaimstosecure
landtenureinaneraof
exclusionaryandpunitive
spatialpolicies.Payment
thuscomprisesaterrain

Criticalsocialtheory,
urbanpoliticalecology,
urbangeography,cultural
geography,anthropology
ofhtestate,ethnography

ofcontestedmeaning
makingandpolitical
struggle,attheheartof
whichliethestakesof
urbancitizenship.In
documentingtheprocess
bywhichpropertyrelated
interestsandtenure
claimsareadvanced
underascenarioof
reforms,thisarticle
contributestoGramscian
politicalecological
conversationson
subalternpoliticalagency
andthelivedcharacterof
hegemonyinurban
environments.

AndreaWright
Departmentof
Anthropology
BrownUniversity

GeographiesofBeauty,
GeographiesofAspiration:
IntimateLabor,Migration,
andDevelopmentin
India'sNortheast

Myresearchexploresthe
intersectionsofgender,
intimatelabor,
developmentpolicyand
migrationinManipur,one
ofIndiasmost
marginalizedstates.Iam
particularlyinterestedin
frameworksthatattend
tothesmallactsof
womenintheireveryday
livesevenasthey
negotiatenationaland
transnationalspacesand
powerfulsocial
structures.Myresearch
investigateslinksbetween
globalandlocalprocesses
andstructuresof
inequalitybyilluminating
theproductionofthe
beautyworkerthrough
mechanismsofmigration,
gender,andmarket
situations.Conducting
multisitedethnographic
researchwithManipuri
womentrainingin

Gender,Class,Intimate
Labor,Race,Migration,
FeministAnthropology

Bangalorebeauty
establishments,my
researchexploresthe
criticalrolesofgender
andstatusinthepersonal
andprofessional
experiencesofmy
respondents.Ifurther
attempttoweaveinthe
specificethniccategoryof
beingManipuriin
Bangalore,tomapthe
livedrealitiesofthis
particularprofessional
groupinoneofthe
nationsmetropoles.

GowriVijayakumar,PhD
Candidate,Sociology,UC
Berkeley

ViralPolitics:SexWorker
ActivismandHIV/AIDS
Programs
fromBangaloretoNairobi

Mydissertationexamines
therelationshipbetween
sexworkermovements
andHIVprogrammingin
constitutingIndiansex
workersclaimsto
citizenship.HowdidHIV
preventionprogramsin
Indiainfluenceand
interactwiththeprocess
ofsexworkersformal
organizingandclaimsto
socialandpolitical
inclusion?Whatwerethe
tensionsinvolvedinthe
relationship?Andhow
canthetrajectoryofsex
workermobilizationin
Indiaofferinsightsinto
theroleofgender,
sexualityandclasspolitics
inarticulatingformsof
moralcitizenshipin
relationtostateand
transnationaldonor
institutions?Tracing
communitymobilization
approachestoHIV
preventionamongsex
workersfromtheirearly

Gender,sexuality,class,
sexwork,intimatelabor,
feministpolitics,
HIV/AIDS,criticalmedical
anthropology

manifestationinKolkatas
redlightdistricts,totheir
scaleupinBangalore
andothercities,andthen,
throughtrainingand
technicalassistance,to
Kenya,Ishowthat,even
astheHIVprevention
modeldisseminated
andadoptedbypublic
healthbureaucratsand
donorsincreasingly
narroweditsscopeto
questionsofsurveillance
andmonitoring,sex
workerorganizinginIndia
grewincreasinglydiverse
informandideology.
Eveniftheircriticismsof
themodelwereoften
eithersubtlyabsorbed
intoorcompletelyexcised
fromofficialapproaches
toHIVpreventiontobe
marketedtotheKenyan
government,sexworker
groupsinIndiaactively
positionedthemselvesin
localandnationalpolitical
fieldsthatallowedthem
topushtheboundariesof
HIVprogrammingand
parlaytheircategorization
asriskgroupintonew
(genderedandclassed)
configurations.
RachelFleming,
Anthropology,University
ofColoradoBoulder

GenerationalChange,
Expectations,andthe
ProblemwithHappy
FuturesforProfessional
WomeninBangalore

InBangalore,evenfor
privilegedwomenwho
havefoundworkinthe
InformationTechnology
sector,thefutureisfar
fromcertain.Whether
upperclasswomenfrom
Bangaloreorother
metros,orlower
middleclasswomenwho
havemigratedtothecity
fromsmallertowns,
womenworkinginITare
livingverydifferentlives
fromtheirmothersand
grandmothers.Thispaper

Gender,work,class,urban
identity,generational
change,Anthropology

drawsonrecentfieldwork
inBangalorewithwomen
fromdifferentclass
backgroundsworking
mainlyinIT,andwith
womenfromolder
generations,totellstories
aboutexpectationsand
uncertainfuturesinan
eraofneoliberalpromise
anddisappointment.
JahnaviPhalkey,Historyof
ScienceandTechnology,
KingsCollegeLondon

ChandniSingh,PhD
Postdoctoralresearcherat
IndianInstituteforHuman
Settlements(IIHS),
Bangalore

Bangalore:
NewScienceCity

Iamcuratingan
exhibitionontwentieth
centuryBangaloreforthe
ScienceMuseumin
London(September
2017).Alongsidethe
exhibition,whichismore
broadlyfocused,Iam
writingamonographon
thehistoryof
aeronautics/
aerodynamicsinIndia
whichisessentiallya
Bangalorestory.

AdaptationatScalein
Istudyhowpeople
SemiaridRegions(
ASSAR
) perceiveandrespondto
climatechangeand
variability.Specifically,I
lookatwhatmakes
differentpeople
differentiallyvulnerable
toclimatechangeand
nonclimaticissuesusing
anethnographic
approach.WhileIve
workedonsimilarissues
inRajasthanandacross
theHimalayas,in
BangaloreIamfocussing
onperiurbanareasand
ruralareasaroundthe
city.Ialsowriteaboutmy
research
here
.

HistoryofScienceand
Technology;aeronautics,
scienceandthecity

livelihoodtransitions,
climatechange
adaptation,perceptionsof
risk,vulnerability,

Mixedmethodsresearch,
ethnography,lifehistories

10

RobertMGeraci,PhD,
ProfessorofReligious
Studies,Manhattan
College,NewYork

Basedonfieldworkwith
academic,industrial,and
hackercommunitiesin
Bangalore,Imwritinga
bookaboutreligionand
technologyinIndian
scienceandengineering.
Myfirstpublicationto
comeoutofthiswillbea
forthcomingessayon
eschatologicalthinking
andtechnology

religion,science,and
technology;anthropology;
historyoftechnology;
religiousstudies

GarimaJain,MPP/UP,
B.Arch,Researcherand
FacultyattheIndian
InstituteforHuman
Settlements(IIHS)

ReducingRelocationRisk
inUrbanAreas

Iworkinthecontextof
riskthatarisesoutof
climatevariability,natural
hazardsandexacerbated
byvulnerabilitiesandlack
ofcapacitiestocope.
Particularlylookingatrisk
creation/reductionin
casesofresettlements
andrelocationsthattake
placeinthecontextof
extremeevents/disasters
andtheinstitutional
frameworksandpolicies
thatexist.Fieldworkfor
thisresearchisbasedin
Orissa
(Ganjam/Berhampur)and
AndhraPradesh
(Vishakapatanam).

Disasterrisk,climate
change,vulnerabilities,
capacitiestocope,
resilience,resettlement
policies

Mixedmethodsincl.
literatureandpolicy
reviews,interviews,HH
surveys

http://www.washington.e
du/uwpress/search/books
/SRIPLA.html

http://anthropology.ucda
vis.edu/people/smriti

SmritiSrinivas,Prof.of
Anthropology/Directorof
MiddleEast/SouthAsia
StudiesProgram/Director,
MellonResearchInitiative
onReimaginingIndian
OceanWorlds,University
ofCalifornia,Davis

urbancultures,
placemaking,
utopias,social
memory,culturesof
thebodyand
performance,

religion,SouthAsia
http://mesa.ucdavis.edu/f withinacomparative
iles/southasiadocs/sout
context,Indian
hasiamatters
Oceanworlds

11

LataMani,Independent
ScholarandCulturalCritic

Mycurrentworkexplores
themesincontemporary
cultureandtheory
throughsociocultural
analysisandformal
experimentationintext
andaudiovisualmedia.I
amespeciallyinterested
intheinterstitial,thelife
worldsoccludedby
prevailingframeworks
andthequestionsthey
poseforour
understandingofthe
present.Bengaluruwhere
Iliveisoftenthelocation
ofsuchinquiry.Moreat
www.latamani.com

theory,thepresent,
contemplative
culturalcritique

NimishaAgarwal
Ph.DScholar
NationalInstituteof
AdvancedStudies
IndianInstituteofScience
Campus
Bangalore
nimisha2902@gmail.com

AssessmentofFarmers
Perceptionof
ClimateChangeandLocal
Adaptation
Strategies.

Iam

workingon
AssessmentofFarmers
PerceptionofClimate
ChangeandLocal
AdaptationStrategiesfor
RiceandWheatCropping
Systemindifferent
vulnerabilityzonesin
UttarPradesh.Thisstudy
aimsatcapturingthe
understandingofthe
globalphenomenonof
climatechange,atalocal
leveltodetermine
whetherornotitisa
concernforthosewhoare
expectedtobeimpacted.
Howaretheynegotiating
thecrisisandwhatarethe
barriers

Agriculture,Climate
Change,Adaptation,
Barrier,Perception

ShreyasSreenath
GraduateStudent
Departmentof
Anthropology
EmoryUniversity

GarbageinIndiasSilicon
Valley:TheProblemof
WasteandthePoliticsof
MaterialityinBangalore

Myprojectexploreshow
solidwastehasbecomea
publicproblemin
Bangalore,acityknown
foritscleanenvironsand
hightechnologyindustry.
Iamprimarilyinterested
inhowthecity'srecent
garbagecriseshave
allowedforadistinct
politicsofmaterialityto
takeshapeinIndias

Value,Waste,
Materiality,Urban
Ecology,Governance

12

informationalhub.Using
ethnographicandarchival
research,Ihopeto
explorehowmunicipal
solidwasteactsasarich
materialandsemiotic
mediumforthemoral
regulationofurban
subjectsandthevaluation
ofurbanlife.
BharathM.Palavalli,
Researcherand
CoFounder,Fieldsof
View(FoV).PhDcandidate
atDept.ofComputational
Sciences,Universityof
Amsterdam

I'vebeenworkingon
gamesandsimulationsas
atoolforproblem
formulation,scenarioand
policytesting,training
anddatacollection.
Currently,myfocusarea
isurbanpovertyandam
workingonmappingthe
implicationsofdifferent
definitionsofincomeand
wagesforslumdwellers
withinanSLAframework.
Inthelongterm,theaim
istounderstandthe
contributionofslumsto
citiesandviceversa.to
fleshoutthecontribution
ofslumstocities.

urbansystems,
complexadaptive
systems,gaming
simulations,agent
basedmodels,
cellularautomata,
seriousgames,policy
design,safety

VikramRao
ResearchScholaratJain
University,Bangalore

AlsoemployedasHead
UserExperienceand
Design,eMids
Technologies

ApplyingDesignand
DesignThinkingtohelp
solveSocialIssues

Thereseemsaneedto
examinesocialproblems
fromadesignperspective
andfromasocialand
culturalperspectivetobe
abletobetteraddressthe
issueskeepingsocietyand
peopleandtheirneedsin
mind.

Design,design
thinking,urban,
urbanism,social,
cultural

SreeparnaGhosh,
AssistantProfessor,
SchoolofDevelopment,
AzimPremjiUniversity,
Bangalore.

Iamcurrentlyworkingon
twoprojects.Thewriting
projectconsistsof
developingamanuscript
basedonmyPh.D.work
ondomesticviolenceina
slumcommunityin
Bombay.Thesecond
researchproposaljointly
withothercolleagues
consistsofexploring
factorsthatcontributeto

Myanthropologicalwork
ondomesticviolenceuses
ethnographytoexplore
waysinwhichwomen
articulatenotionsof
violenceforinstance
whatisconsidered
abusiveandisphysical
violencealwaystheworst
formofviolence?Ialso
exploreconditionsunder
whichtheyreceive

Gender,
Anthropology,
Violence,Health,
StructuralViolence,
FeministStudies.

13

CamilleFrazier,PhD
Candidate,Departmentof
Anthropology,University
ofCalifornia,LosAngeles
(UCLA)

poormaternalhealth
outcomesinAssam.

supportfromtheirfamily,
communityetcandalso
mechanismsbywhich
theyareabletosurvivein
thesesituations,including
individualactsof
resistanceaswellasmore
enablingfactorssuchas
supportofneighbours,
familyandalsoinformal
disputeresolution
systems.Theprojecton
maternalhealthisstill
beingdevelopedbut
largelylooksattheways
inwhichthestate
interactswithfemale
subjectsthroughthelens
ofregimesofcarefor
pregnantwomenaswell
asthereasonswhythere
aresuchlargenumbersof
maternaldeathsin
Assam.

ShiftingFoodEcologies
andEconomiesin
Bangalore,India

Mydoctoralresearch
tracesthefoodnetworks
thatconnectfreshfruit
andvegetableproducers
inperiurbanBangalore
andconsumersinthecity,
withparticularattention
tomarketbased
initiativesthatrework
theserelationships.I
explorehowthemarket
hasbecometheprimary
sitearoundwhich
government,NGO,and
corporateinitiativesare
organized,asking
questionsabouttheclass
implicationsofthese
projectsandwhatthey
indicateaboutthe
materialitiesand
moralitiesofBangalores
shiftingfoodsystem.

Keywords:Food,markets,
value,agriculture,urban
andruralstudies.
Method:ethnography

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PrathignaPoonacha
ResearcheratIndian
InstituteforHuman
Settlements(IIHS),
Bangalore

SoundaryaIyer
ResearchScholar,
NationalInstituteof
AdvancedStudies

SazanaJayadeva

Postdoctoralfellowatthe
GermanInstituteofGlobal
andAreaStudies

sazana.jayadeva@gigaha
mburg.de

AdaptationatScalein
Myresearchmainlylooks
SemiaridRegions(
ASSAR
) attheintersectionof
climatechangeimpacts
andurbansystems.
Currentlyamtryingto
understandthelink
betweenspatialand
socioeconomic
transitionsinperiurban
Bangalore,anditsimpact
onclimatechange
adaptation,througha
genderedlens.

climatechange,
vulnerability,periurban
systems,gender,
livelihoodtransitions

Mixedmethodsincluding
survey,FGDs,interviews,

DynamicsofRural
transformationin
Karnataka:Aviewfrom
threevillages

Mythesislooksatthe
dynamicsofrural
transformationin
Karnatakainorderto
understandthe
complexitiesofstudying
ruralchangeamidst
regionaldiversity.Forthis
purposeIsurveyed
householdsinthree
villagesindifferent
regionsofKarnatakathat
wereearliersurveyedby
theCensusofIndia,1961
intheVillageSurvey
Monographsto
understandagrarian
relationsonegeneration
afterlandreforms.In
addition,semistructured
interviewswerecarried
outwithindividuals
connectedwithland
reformandtheGram
Panchayattogetinsights
intotheprocessesof
change.

agrarianchange,regional
diversity,landreform,
decentralization,
Karnataka

Method:Questionnaire
surveyand
semistructured
interviews

OvercomingtheEnglish
Handicap:SeekingEnglish
inBangalore,India

Mydoctoralresearch
offersthefirstdetailed,
ethnographicallyinforme
dstudyofastriking
developmentin
postliberalisationIndia:
theunprecedentedly
importantpositionthat
theEnglishlanguagehas
cometooccupyin
middleclasslifeand

AnthropologyofSouth
Asia,Class,SocialChange,
Education(formaland
nonformal),achievement
andaspiration,stigma,
language,student
migration

Method:Ethnography

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StudyingAbroad:An
ethnographicexploration
ofmigration,education,
andclassin
postliberalisationIndia

aspiration.Itdrawson15
monthsoffieldworkI
conductedinBangalore,
at12spokenEnglish
TrainingCentres,22
schools,3corporate
organisations,and5NGOs
concernedwithimproving
thequalityofEnglish
teaching.Through
referencetothis
fieldwork,mydissertation
unravelsandexamines
thereasonswhyalarge
sectionofthepopulation
inthecityhascometo
viewandexperience
proficiencyinEnglishas
beingaskilltheyrequire
and,indeed,onetheyare
expectedtopossess.It
investigatestheimpactof
theincreasingdemandfor
Englishlanguage
instructiononthe
educationallandscapeof
thecity,andexplores
peoplesjourneystowards
acquiringproficiencyin
thelanguagebothwithin
andoutsidetheformal
educationsystem,aswell
astheoutcomesofsuch
journeys.

Mypostdoctoralproject
willinvestigatethe
growingphenomenonof
internationalstudent
migrationfromIndia.It
willexplorethreecentral
issues.Firstly,students
motivationstostudy
abroadandthoseoftheir
families.Secondly,how
studentsnegotiatethe
processofapplyingto
foreignuniversities,and
themanyactorsinvolved
(e.g.Indianrunforeign
studyadmission
consultancies;

16

IELTS/GRE/GMAT
websites).Thirdly,

what
studentsdoafter
completingpostgraduate
programmesabroad,and
howtheyviewtheirstudy
abroadashaving
impactedtheirpaths,ifat
all.Iwillexplorethese
questionswithreference
to12monthsof
ethnographicfieldwork,
whichIwillconductin
Bangalore,atadmission
consultancies,test
preparationcentres,and
colleges.

KrupaRajangam,
ConservationArchitect
,
Saythu

PhDScholar,National
InstituteofAdvanced
Studies(NIAS),Blr

Director,Centerfor
HeritageInitiatives(CHI),
DayanandaSagarUni.

ResearchInterest:
HeritageandConservation
Studiesthenature,role
andvalueofcultural
heritageamonglocal
peopleandcommunities

Myinterestisin
understandingwhat
peopleinparticular
geographicalandcultural
contextsvalueascultural
heritageandwhy.The
politicsinvolvedinthis
valuationandhowit
impactsthecultural
heritageconceptandthe
practiceofconservation
(i.e.managementofthis
culturalheritage)

Someblogs,
NeighbourhoodDiaries
Nakshay
Hampicraftcommunities
Bangalorecityproject

Keywords:conservation
studies,heritagestudies,
place,identity,
communities,cultural
heritage

Method:ethnography,
interviews,narratives,
films,mapping,policy
analysis,archivaltexts

N.S.Nalini
ResearchScholar
NationalInstituteof
AdvancedStudies
Bangalore

FirstNatureand
Urbanisation:Terrainand
urbandevelopmentin
Bengaluru,19712012

Interestedin
understandingthe
relevanceofterrainin
urbanplanning

Keywords:Terrain,Urban
development,Firstnature,
Secondnature

Method:UsingGIS
technology

17

GayatriMenon
AssistantProfessor
SchoolofDevelopment
AzimPremjiUniversity

PublicSpaceandLifeat
theCrossroads

Anethnographicstudyof
theconstructionand
destructionofpublic
spaceandlifein
contemporaryBengaluru
throughanexamination
oftrafficcongestionsand
pedestriannavigations.

Traffic,spatialpolitics,
publicspace,livelihoods.
violence.

DiogoLemos,
PhDcandidate,Political
Science,George
WashingtonUniversity,
dblemos@gwmail.gwu.ed
u

ThePoliticsofUnmixing:
Riots,Segregationand
VotesinUrbanIndia

Doethnicriotshave
Ethnicviolence,ethnic
longtermpolitical
politics,elections,urban
consequences?While
studies,geography
considerableattention
hasbeendedicatedtothe
causesofriots,thereis
stillapaucityof
systematicempirical
researchontheirlasting
politicalrepercussions.In
particular,nostudyhas
yetexaminedthelink
betweenriotproduced
spatialsegregationof
ethniccommunities
('ethnicunmixing')and
electoraloutcomes.Can
ethnicriots
increase
constituencyethnic
homogeneitysoasto
promotelongterm
supportforethnic
parties?
Recentopen
governmentinitiativesby
theElectionCommission
ofIndiaaswellas
advancesinbigdata
analyticsmakeitpossible
togeneratemorescalable
andfinegrained
estimatesofreligious
demography.Thedoctoral
studentwillthusgather
timeseriesvoterdata
fromconstituenciesin
India'seightlargestcities
toperformarigorous
analysisoftheeffectof
ethnicviolenceon
religiousdemographyand
electoralpolitics.

18

HeleneIlkjr

PhDfellow,Anthropology,
UniversityofCopenhagen,
Denmark

Email:
helene.ilkjaer@gmail.com

BangaloreBeginnings.An
EthnographyofReturn
MigrationamongHighly
SkilledIndians

Mydoctoralresearchisan
ethnographicstudyofthe
experiencesandpractices
ofresettlementin
Bangalore/Indiaamong
highlyskilled
professionalswhohave
movedbackafterupto20
yearsabroad.Thestudy
engagescriticallywiththe
notionofreturnand
discussesissuesofhome
andbelonging.

Fieldworkcarriedoutin
Bangalorein20112012
withfollowupin2013.

Dissertationhandedin
August2015.

Keywords:Migration
studies,anthropologyof
SouthAsia,return
migration,transnational
mobility,belonging,
identity,resettlement,
skills,givingback,gated
communities.

Method:ethnography

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