Managing Diversity: The Indian Experience

SASNET organises a full-day seminar on "Managing Diversity: The Indian Experience", in collaboration with the Embassy of India in Stockholm on Thursday 14 April 2011, 09.30-17.00 and with a concluding cultural programme from 17.30-19.30.

Venue for the seminar: Pictura hall, 3rd floor, Main University Building (Universitetshuset), Paradisgatan 2, Lund.

The keynote speaker is Professor Zoya Hasan from the Centre for Political Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi. She will introduce the theme for the day, "Managing Diversity: The Indian Experience".

Prof. Hasan has been Director of the Women's Studies Programme and the Programme for the Study of Discrimination and Exclusion of the School of Social Sciences at JNU. Her research field is Politics in India; State, Democracy and Development; Parties and Political Transformation; and Equity, Ethnicity, Gender and Minorities in India.

Recent books include "Politics of Inclusion: Caste, Minority and Affirmative Action"; "Unequal Citizens: A Study of Muslim Women in India" (co-authored with Ritu Menon); "Quest for Power: Oppositional Movements and Post-Congress Politics"; "Parties and Party Politics in India" (edited); "Transforming India: Social Dynamics of Democracy" (co-edited with Francine Frankel, Rajeev Bhargava and Balveer Arora); and "India's Living Constitution: Ideas, Practices and Controversies" (co-edited) with E. Sridharan and R. Sudarshan).Presently, she is writing a book on the Congress after Indira Gandhi.

Inaugural addresses will be given by H.E. Ashok Sajjanhar, Ambassador of India to Sweden and Latvia, and H.E. Mr. Göran Tunhammar, the Governor of Skåne County (Landshövding).

The academic speakers include Professor Sushil Khanna, Indian Institute of Management Kolkata (but currently ICCR guest Professor at the Asia Research Centre, Copenhagen Business School; Dr. Stig Toft Madsen, Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS), Copenhagen; Dr. Christina Nygren, Visiting Research Fellow, Dept. of Oriental Languages, Stockholm University; and Professor Staffan Lindberg, Dept. of Sociology, Lund University.

In the afternoon session devoted to business, Mr. Ulf Pehrsson, Vice President, Government and Industry Relations at Ericsson, will give a presentation on "Doing business in India".

Finally, SASNET's director, Dr. Anna Lindberg will round off the seminar by heading a short summary session on "Managing Diversity: The Indian Experience".

The seminar is organised as part of Lund City's ongoing (11-17 April 2011) Round of Integration and Multitude (Lunds Integrations- och Mångfaldsrunda).

From 17.30, a cultural and social programme wil be held at the Old Bishop's House (Gamla Biskopshuset), Biskopsgatan 1, Lund. It is hosted by the Embassy of India in Sweden. Anette Pooja from Gothenburg will perform a classical Odissi dance performance, and Ms. Sri Kripa will sing.