in DIALOGUE

Scholars at CDS and SCT had the opportunity to interact with Prof. Barbara Harris-White on two of her popular works:

• Rethinking Institutions: Innovation and Institutional Change in India’s Informal Economy (Modern Asian Studies, 2017)

• Chapter 7: Caste and Corporatist Capitalism from her book India Working

She engaged with scholars to understand how Caste and Institutions featured in their research and how they reflected with her work.

A panel discussion was held with the Panelists : Prof. M. Parameswaran, Prof. Thiagu Ranganathan, Dr. Chidambaran G. Iyer.  It focused on the relevance of the scholarship and their contribution to the history of economic growth.

The documentary, 'Churning the Earth,' (produced by Srishti Films and Kalpavriksh, for Vikalp Sangam), explores the countercurrents led by people resisting widespread ecological destruction, social injustice, and economic deprivation, by constructing alternatives such as community-led ecotourism and conservation, local governance initiatives, sustainable farming practices, etc. The screening was followed by a discussion.

A book discussion on Desperately Seeking Shahrukh Khan by Sharanya Bhattacharya was organized by the Gender reading group. 

This session discussed the first section in the book,  how deeply relatable the observations and experiences were

The discussion also explored “network” in the third chapter, where participants reflected on how Shahrukh Khan represents a unique case in terms of image-building and cultural symbolism.

A joint session was held with Sree Chitra Scholars to screen the 1971 Chomsky-Foucault debate which focused on the existence of innate human nature. Chomsky argued for a universal human nature guided by ideals, justice, fairness while Foucault countered that such concepts are deliberate constructions of historical and institutional contexts, making any such universal, innate claim problematic.

Following the screening, participants engaged in a discussion, projecting the philosophers' positions onto contemporary issues.

The Discussion Committee organised a panel discussion to commemmorate the 156th Birth Anniversary of Gandhi.

As part of Armaadham (CDS’s Onam celebration), students gathered to discuss the mythology surrounding the canonical Mahabali and Onam. The lively discussion brought forth the festival’s significant political underpinnings and highlighted the importance of questioning the stories we often take for granted. 

Students interaction with Akhil Gupta based on his work Future of Futurity