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WiSe 13/14: (GEND) Science, Gender, and the Post Colonial State in South Asia

Sabil Francis

Kommentar

Science is vital to South Asia and globalisation. Home to some of the poorest nations on earth, it is also the site of two nuclear weapon states. It hosts some of the world's best universities and some of the world's most underprivileged people. Control of information has been central to the concept of the nation state, today technology such as social media, the internet, and bio technology are undermining the borders of the nation state. Therefore it is essential to understand the role of Science and Technolgy in the contemporary world. This class will deal with science and technolgy with a specific focus on South Asia. British rule was not based on the power of arms; it rested on a cultural hegemony that endured for more than 300 years. Gandhi successfully challenged this hegemony, yet, in the post colonial state his ideas of village based sustainable development were rejected in favour of heavy industrialisation. That drove millions into poverty, it also marked the ascendancy of India as a powerful nation state, symbolised by nuclear power, big dams, and a vigorous IT industry. The seminar prominently discusses questions of gender, as for example the change in gender and social roles for both Europeans and Indians that colonialism meant. For example, the early fluidity of relations between the predominantly European men who came to India and Indian women gave way to sharper racial barriers when steamships were invented and European women could go to India in large numbers. In the same way, contemporary modes of development such as the call center industry have a strong gender aspect to them. Summing up, this class will focus on the role of science, gender and technology in South Asia, with an emphasis on the dominant regional power, India. Schließen

16 Termine

Regelmäßige Termine der Lehrveranstaltung

Fr, 14:00 - 16:00 16 Termine

Fr, 18.10.2013 14:00 - 16:00

Dozenten:
Sabil Francis