Sigur Center for Asian Studies

Expanding its repertoire on Asia, the Sigur Center launched a new India Initiative in October 2007 with an exclusive reception and discussion, drawing guests from academia, business, government and the community. The panel discussion focused on "Opportunities for India as a Rising Power: Views from the United States and Japan," featuring two Sigur-affiliated faculty members: Ambassador Karl Inderfurth and Mike Mochizuki, authorities on U.S. foreign policy and Japanese politics, respectively.

According to Deepa Ollapally, associate director of the Center, "The India Initiative is a natural development for the Sigur Center for Asian Studies-- a recognition that the rise of India is helping to redefine what is Asia. We believe that the Center's well-known programs on China, Japan and Korea will provide an ideal framework for studying contemporary India in Asia and on the global scene." Mochizuki, a former Sigur Center director, said that "India-China relations and India-Japan relations are shaping the dynamics of Asia as a whole. Therefore, the Sigur Center's India Initiative highlights the emergence of this new Asia."

Located in the nation's capital, the India Initiative aims to place the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at the forefront of scholarship and analysis of U.S.-India relations and U.S. foreign policy on the subcontinent. Ollapally notes, "It can also help shape future policy, whether the Democrats or the Republicans come to power."

The India Initiative provides invaluable financial support for our students to take intensive Indian languages courses in India during the summer and to carry out field research or intern in India. The India Initiative has made a significant difference in the academic and personal lives of numerous GW students. Since the Initiative was launched in 2007, the Sigur Center has allocated $18,000 to five undergraduate, masters, and PhD students to help finance intensive language study in the summer, carry out field research, or complete internships.

The Sigur Center and the India Initiative have disbursed five grants to three field research fellows, one language grant to study Urdu, and one internship grant to intern at New Delhi's Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. The field research fellows' projects have included: "Rethinking Economic Reforms: Power & Development in the Indian Countryside;" "The Historical Roots of Caste and Tribal Conflict in Contemporary India;" and "The Dual Legacies of the British Raj: Colonialism and Contemporary Governance in India."

Three students have been awarded a total of $14,000 to carry out field research in India this summer and to intern. The summer 2011 fellows include:

• Ivan Lidarev, MA candidate, International Affairs
• Varun Piplani, PhD candidate, Political Science
• Ajay Verghese, PhD candidate, Political Science

The India Initiative makes an enormous difference in our student's lives. In the words of one 2011 fellow:

"I'm so glad that the Sigur Center recently expanded their grants to include research on South Asia," said Ajay Verghese. My work focuses on the Maoist conflict in Eastern India and I know the Sigur Center's support will make my dissertation that much better."

There are over 20 faculty and researchers already doing India-related work at GW, drawn from a variety of disciplines, including international affairs, business, public health, political science, law, anthropology, religion and regional development.
South Asia-related courses and South Asia faculty at GW

The India Initiative hopes to have a range of scholarly and policy activities: high-level conferences, policy dialogues, student scholarships, visiting fellowships, specialized lecture series and a professorship in India Studies. The Elliott School has already signed a memorandum of understanding for a student and faculty exchange program with Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and the Indian American Education Foundation has provided seed funds to help establish student scholarships in India Studies.

Power, Identity, and Security in Asia: Views on Regional Cooperation and the U.S. Role (April 16, 2012)

OAS Conversations with Scholars: "Red Vengeance: Political Inequality and Maoist Violence in India" with Emmanuel Teitelbaum, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs; Director, Master of Arts Program in Asian Studies (March 20, 2012)

Remembering Refugees: Stories from the 1947 Partition of India from Mumbai, and Beyond with Kavita Daiya, Associate Professor of English and Director, MA Program in English, GWU (February 9, 2012)

Opportunities and Disappointments of the "Look North" Policy: Indian Strategies for Central Asia with Marlene Laruelle Research Professor of International Affairs, GWU (February 2, 2012)

India as a Global Power: Contending Views from India (January 23, 2012)

India's Energy Security Challenges: An Insider's View with Sudha Mahalingam, Member, India's Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (December 1, 2011)

Remembering Refugees: Stories from the 1947 Partition of India from Mumbai, and Beyond with Kavita Daiya Associate Professor of English and Director, MA Program in English, The George Washington University (November 30, 2011)

Chinese and Japanese Investments in South and Southeast Asia: Case Studies from the Automobile and Electronics Industries with Eric Harwit, Professor, Asian Studies, University of Hawaii (November 16, 2011)

Hosting of Fulbright-Nehru Scholars with Matt Grieger, Assistant Director of the Sigur Center's Rising Powers Initiative (October 21, 2011)

Implications of Emerging Space Cooperation Dynamics in Asia with Dinesh Kumar Yadavendra, Visiting Scholar, The Space Policy Institute, The George Washington University (October 11, 2011)

Warriors after War: Conversations with Indian and Pakistani Military Brass with Tridivesh Singh Maini, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi (September 14, 2011)

15th Annual Gaston Sigur Memorial Lecture with Mani Shankar Aiyar (April 27, 2011)

Worldviews of Rising Powers: Domestic Foreign Policy Debates (April 25, 2011)

GW Diaspora Seminar: Comparative Diaspora Politics: The Cases of China and India (April 21, 2011)

Conversations with Scholars: The Rise of India and China: A Comparative Perspective with Deepa Ollapally (April 20, 2011)

Asian Film Series: Kekexili (Mountain Patrol) (April 18, 2011)

Identity and Rising Asian Powers: Implications for Regional Cooperation (April 14, 2011)

Asian Film Series: 3 Idiots (April 1, 2011)

Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Lecture-Concert featuring Sudeshna Basu, vocal and harmonium; Debu Nayak, tabla; Jeff Bauer, piano; Nistha Raj, violin (March 31, 2011)

India in US-Asia Relations: A View from Washington (February 22, 2011 -- New Delhi, India)

Identity and Asian Powers: What Does it Mean for Regional Cooperation? held at the India International Centre with a presentation and discussion of national identity in India (February 21-22, 2011 -- New Delhi, India)

Obama's Asian Journey: Prospects for U.S. Policy with Deepa Ollapally, Associate Director, Sigur Center for Asian Studies; Alasdair Bowie, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs; Gregg A. Brazinsky, Associate Professor of History and International Affairs (November 17, 2010)

Worldviews of Aspiring Powers featuring a presentation and discussion of domestic foreign policy debates in India (November 11-12, 2010 -- Moscow, Russia)

Political Representation and the Maoist Insurgency in India with Emmanuel Teitelbaum, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, The George Washington University (November 11, 2010)

2nd Annual Human Trafficking Symposium: Modern-Day Slavery in South Asia with Shivanna Puttaiah Survivor of Bonded Labor Slavery, Activist and Community Organizer, JEEVIKA, 2010 Free the Slaves Freedom Awards recipient; Roger Plant Consultant to the Asian Development Bank; Ginny Baumann, Free the Slaves Partnerships Director (November 10, 2010)

Asian Film Series: Ghajani (November 2, 2010)

State Capitalism and Foreign Direct Investment: Are Chinese and Indian Companies Buying up the World's Oil? with Robert Weiner, Professor of International Business & International Affairs, The George Washington University (October 22, 2010)

Indo-U.S. Relations: An Evolving Partnership with Ambassador Meera Shankar (October 12, 2010)

To Uphold the World: A Call for a New Global Ethic from Ancient India with Bruce Rich (October 6, 2010)

Enlightened Citizen, Righteous Citizen: A Forum with Former President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (April 18, 2010)

Nuclear Energy Problems in China, India and the U.S. (March 25, 2010)

The Strange Rise of India with Edward Luce (January 13, 2010)

Rising India's Great Power Burden with C. Raja Mohan (November 16, 2009) Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Master of the Mohan Veena (May 7, 2009)

 

Hosting Fulbright-Nehru Scholars, October 21, 2011

The delegation poses for a group photograph in the Sigur Center offices.

The Sigur Center hosted 13 Fulbright-Nehru Scholars, members of the Fulbright International Education Administrators Program, for a briefing about the Sigur Center's current research, events, and academic programs on India. The delegation included high-level representatives from a range of leading universities in India. The group met with Matt Grieger, Assistant Director of the Sigur Center's Rising Powers Initiative, to discuss the levels and scope of the Center's engagement with India.

Matt briefed the delegation on the history and accomplishments of the India Initiative and highlighted the five students to which the Sigur Center has provided fellowship support for language study, internships, and field research in India under the auspices of the India Initiative. The delegation also learned about the central importance that India plays in the Center's Rising Powers Initiative, including the two project conferences held in Delhi in the past two years. Matt also introduced the visitors to the Sigur Center's wide array of India and South Asia events held each year, our partnerships with leading Indian think tanks and universities, and GW's excellent courses and faculty on India and the region.

This meeting was especially productive as many of the participants expressed interest in partnering with the Sigur Center and GW on research, conferences, and student exchanges. The Sigur Center will be exploring areas of potential collaboration with these, and other Indian institutions, in the future.

Before meeting with the Sigur Center, the delegation members met with the Associate Provost for International Programs, the Director of the MA International Affairs program at the Elliott School, and the Associate Dean of the Law School. They also toured the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Law School.

The delegation included:

Dr. Mohammed Badrul Alam- Professor, Department of Political Science (Jamia Millia Islamia University , New Delhi)

Dr. Vittaleswar Alapati- Deputy Director, Planning (Manipal University, Manipal)

Mrs. Jayshree Balasubramanian- Program Manager, International Students Office (Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai)

Dr. Basab Chaudhuri- Registrar (University of Calcutta, Kolkata)

Dr. H. Crosby Vijayakumar- Associate Professor, Department of Political Science & Dean, International Programs (Madras Christian College, Chennai)

Dr. Kannabiran Ganesan- Dean, Research and Consultancy (National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli)

Mr. Adam Goretsky- Executive Director (United States-India Educational Foundation, New Delhi)

Dr. Shashikala Gurpur-Murphy- Director, Symbiosis Law School & Dean, Faculty of Law (Symbiosis International University, Pune)

Dr. Ajay Khare- Director, School of Planning and Architecture (Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal)

Dr. Mahendra Lama- Vice Chancellor (Central University of Sikkim, Gangtok)

Dr. Pankaj Mittal- Vice Chancellor (BPS Mahila Vishwavidyalya, Sonipat)

Dr. Aparna Rayaprol- Associate Professor, Department of Sociology & Director, Study in India Program (University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad)

Dr. Babli Moitra Saraf- Principal, Indraprastha College for Women (University of Delhi, Delhi)

 

Conference on "Identity and Asian Powers: What Does it Mean for Regional Cooperation?" on February 21-22, 2011 in New Dehli, India.

India is one of the key countries in two major research projects housed in the Sigur Center: Worldviews of Aspiring Powers: Exploring Foreign Policy Debates Abroad, and Power and Identity in Asia: Implication for Regional Cooperation. The Worldviews of Aspiring Powers project held a series of seminars in New Delhi, attracting a large and influential audience.

On February 21 and 22, 2011, the Sigur Center organized two events held in New Delhi, India. The events were sponsored by a generous grant from the MacArthur Foundation. They were organized in a partnership with, and hosted by, two of the most prominent think-tanks in India: the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) and the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA). The Think Tanks and Civil Society Program at the University of Pennsylvania has recently ranked IPCS as a top-40 think-tank in Asia.

The conference addressed pressing identity issues in Asia and their impact on the future of the region and on the United States foreign policymaking. The presenters focused on the key identity issues in China, India, Japan, and South Korea, respectively, such as the consequences of a divided Korea and the implications of Japan's identity as a peace state. Prominent experts from the United States, India, and from elsewhere in Asia presented their research. To learn more about the seminars in New Delhi, click here.

Sigur Center Associate Director Deepa Ollapally accepts a Community Service Award on January 22, 2011 from Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett on behalf of the National Council of Asian Indian Associations for contributions to the study of important aspects of US-India relations.

Other recent events sponsored by the India Initiative:

• India's Energy Security Challenges: An Insider's View with Sudha Mahalingam, Member, India's Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (December 1, 2011)
• Remembering Refugees: Stories from the 1947 Partition of India from Mumbai, and Beyond with Kavita Daiya Associate Professor of English and Director, MA Program in English, The George Washington University (November 30, 2011)
• Chinese and Japanese Investments in South and Southeast Asia: Case Studies from the Automobile and Electronics Industries with Eric Harwit, Professor, Asian Studies, University of Hawaii (November 16, 2011)
• Implications of Emerging Space Cooperation Dynamics in Asia with Dinesh Kumar Yadavendra, Visiting Scholar, The Space Policy Institute, The George Washington University (October 11, 2011)
• Warriors after War: Conversations with Indian and Pakistani Military Brass with Tridivesh Singh Maini, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi (September 14, 2011)
• 15th Annual Gaston Sigur Memorial Lecture with Mani Shankar Aiyar (April 27, 2011)
• Worldviews of Rising Powers: Domestic Foreign Policy Debates (April 25, 2011)
• GW Diaspora Seminar: Comparative Diaspora Politics: The Cases of China and India (April 21, 2011)
• Conversations with Scholars: The Rise of India and China: A Comparative Perspective with Deepa Ollapally (April 20, 2011)
• Asian Film Series: Kekexili (Mountain Patrol) (April 18, 2011)
• Identity and Rising Asian Powers: Implications for Regional Cooperation (April 14, 2011)
• Asian Film Series: 3 Idiots (April 1, 2011)
• Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Lecture-Concert featuring Sudeshna Basu, vocal and harmonium; Debu Nayak, tabla; Jeff Bauer, piano; Nistha Raj, violin (March 31, 2011)
• India in US-Asia Relations: A View from Washington (February 22, 2011 -- New Delhi, India)
• Identity and Asian Powers: What Does it Mean for Regional Cooperation? held at the India International Centre with a presentation and discussion of national identity in India (February 21-22, 2011 -- New Delhi, India)
• Obama's Asian Journey: Prospects for U.S. Policy with Deepa Ollapally, Associate Director, Sigur Center for Asian Studies; Alasdair Bowie, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs; Gregg A. Brazinsky, Associate Professor of History and International Affairs (November 17, 2010)
• Worldviews of Aspiring Powers featuring a presentation and discussion of domestic foreign policy debates in India (November 11-12, 2010 -- Moscow, Russia)
• Political Representation and the Maoist Insurgency in India with Emmanuel Teitelbaum, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, The George Washington University (November 11, 2010)
• 2nd Annual Human Trafficking Symposium: Modern-Day Slavery in South Asia with Shivanna Puttaiah Survivor of Bonded Labor Slavery, Activist and Community Organizer, JEEVIKA, 2010 Free the Slaves Freedom Awards recipient; Roger Plant Consultant to the Asian Development Bank; Ginny Baumann, Free the Slaves Partnerships Director (November 10, 2010)
• Asian Film Series: Ghajani (November 2, 2010)
• State Capitalism and Foreign Direct Investment: Are Chinese and Indian Companies Buying up the World's Oil? with Robert Weiner, Professor of International Business & International Affairs, The George Washington University (October 22, 2010)
• Indo-U.S. Relations: An Evolving Partnership with Ambassador Meera Shankar (October 12, 2010)
• To Uphold the World: A Call for a New Global Ethic from Ancient India with Bruce Rich (October 6, 2010)
• Enlightened Citizen, Righteous Citizen: A Forum with Former President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (April 18, 2010)
• Nuclear Energy Problems in China, India and the U.S. (March 25, 2010)
• The Strange Rise of India with Edward Luce (January 13, 2010)
• Rising India's Great Power Burden with C. Raja Mohan (November 16, 2009)
• Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Master of the Mohan Veena (May 7, 2009)

 

Policy Brief- Exploring India's Foreign Policy Debates by Nikola Mirilovic, Sigur Center for Asian Studies (March 2010)

Policy Commentary- Indo-ASEAN Agreement Boosts India's Image by Amita Batra, Jawaharlal Nehru University (February 2010)

The Sigur Center's May 7, 2009 concert featuring Vishwa Mohan Bhatt was covered by The Washington Post in a review.

The Sigur Center's September 17, 2008 concert featuring Amjad Ali Khan praised in multiple newspapers.
Read a review of the concert in The Washington Post
Read "Amjad Ali Khan Enthralls US Audience" in The Hindu.

The India Initiative's March 12, 2008 event featuring Ambassador Ronen Sen was featured in the April 2008 issue of "India Review"
Read the article.

The India Initiative was featured in "India Abroad" in November 2007.
Read the article.

Your contribution may be made by visiting the GW Online Giving webpage. Be sure to select "Other" for the gift designation and type "India Initiative- Sigur Center for Asian Studies."

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