This blog post is guest authored by: Vikas Tatad, graduate student, pursuing a Masters degree in International and Comparative Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, for the occasion of Dr. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, April 14th, 2022 On April 14th, 2022, a number of students and alumni gathered in Lehman library to commemorate the 131st birth anniversary […]
Tag: South Asian Studies
Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC)
On Human Rights Day, we might devote attention to the many groups that have been protesting against recent shifts in the understanding of “citizenship” in India. The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016, was designed to amend the Citizenship Act 1955 to recognize specific types of illegal immigrants, segregated by religion and country of origin. It was […]
On World Refugee Day 2020 — Rohingyas
One of many current global refugee crises is that of the Rohingyas. A Muslim group long resident in Myanmar, many Rohingyas have been displaced as refugees to South Asia (and other regions), most especially Bangladesh and India. Rohingyas have also experienced lack of welcome in South Asian countries. While often viewed in news reports as a […]
Celebrating Dr. Ambedkar’s Birthday and Legacy
Ambedkar Jayanti (Bimbhao Ambedkar’s birthday), which takes place on April 14th, comes upon us this year in most unusual and harsh circumstances, when an enormous percentage of people across the planet is sheltered at home and the COVID-19 pandemic has taken the lives of tens of thousands. Under these unprecedented realities which expose the deeply […]
South Asia Open Archives (SAOA) Launched
The South Asia Open Archives (SAOA) was launched on Friday, October 18th, in conjunction with the Annual Conference on South Asia in Madison, Wisconsin. A collaborative initiative of (currently 22) US libraries and (currently 4) partners from South Asia, SAOA is administratively hosted by the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) and available globally open access […]
Medicine, Religion and Alchemy in South India (Siddha conference)
Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in a conference on Medicine, Religion and Alchemy in South India: Resources and Permutations of Siddha Traditions and Siddha Medicine that convened at Tübingen University, Germany, 25-27 July 2019. The conference brought together scholars from Austria, France, Germany, India, Poland, Switzerland, and the United States who met […]
Dr. Ambedkar and Columbia University: A Legacy to Celebrate
Dr. Ambedkar and Columbia University: A Legacy to Celebrate Every morning, I look forward to glancing at Dr. Ambedkar’s bust, in the far East corner of the Lehman Social Sciences Library, on my way to work. My eyes first rest on the bright garlands (offerings of admirers) that often adorn the bust, hanging around the […]
Joel Larus Book Fund Established at Columbia University
This year, South Asia collection development at Columbia University was enriched by a new charitable book fund, for acquiring materials related to India’s foreign policy following independence, including issues of national security and maritime affairs. The Joel Larus Book Fund is being distributed from the Community Fund of Sarasota County on an annual basis. Joel Larus is […]
SAMP Open Archives Initiative
Columbia University is one of 23 institutions that has joined the South Asia Materials Project Open Archives Initiative. The SAMP Open Archives Initiative will create and maintain a collection of open archives materials in all academic disciplines for the study of South Asia. For more details, see the SAMP OAi business plan. The SAMP OAi has […]
Afghan Titles Available in Microfilm Format
A collection of materials originally published in Afghanistan has been preserved in microfilm format, and is available for lending from CRL (the Center for Research Libraries). MEMP (Middle East Materials Project) and SAMP (South Asia Materials Project) contributed funds to preserve these materials from the Library of Congress–Islamabad office. (Columbia is a member of both […]