Conference addresses colonialism, nation building
Issues of British colonialism, the struggle for independence and emigration in Ireland and India were discussed at a recent conference in Delhi.
DCU and Jawaharlal Nehru University recently organized a joint conference to address similarities in recent Irish and Indian history. These include past experience of British colonialism; a recent struggle for national independence; substantial emigration; continued retention of English as an official language; and a vibrant literary and cultural life where colonial influences exist side-by-side with older, deep-rooted indigenous forms of cultural expression.
A delegation of DCU Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences researchers presented papers at a two-day conference co-chaired by Dr Emer Ní Bhrádaigh, DCU and Dr Jyoti Atwal, JNU, hosted by the university's Centre for Historical Studies in Delhi.
Papers presented covered issues such as Colonialism; Nation Building; Identities; Education; Technology; Cinema; Literature; and Socio-economic Development.
Among those attending the conference were Professor Mridula Mukherjee, Dean of the JNU School of Social Sciences, Dr Kevin Rafter, Associate Dean of Research in the DCU Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Dr Pat Brereton, Head of the DCU School of Communications.
His Excellency Feilim McLoughlin, Ambassador of Ireland to India, officially opened the conference and also hosted a conference dinner at his residence.
The conference programme for India-Ireland: From Colonialism to Nation Building is available to download.
An example of the research collaborations developed at the conference is the paper co-authored by Dr Maria Loftus, Mr Peter Tiernan and Dr Sebastian Cherian entitled 'Student Perceptions of Digital Film in the Global Third Level Classroom: A Comparative Study between Ireland and India'.
The JNU Co-Chair of the conference, Dr Jyoti Atwal, is Visiting Academic in DCU's School of Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies from March to May 2013.
Further details of the DCU Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences' collaboration with JNU and with other universities and researchers in India as part of the DCU Ireland-India Institute are available from the Chair of the Faculty's Ireland-India Committee, Dr Emer Ní Bhrádaigh.
Conference presenters from DCU
- Dr Emer Ní Bhrádaigh, Co-Chair, Fiontar
- Dr Pat Brereton, School of Communications
- Dr James Fitzgerald, School of Law and Government
- Mr Jean-Philippe Imbert, SALIS
- Dr Maria Loftus, SALIS
- Dr Agnès Maillot, SALIS
- Dr Kevin Rafter, School of Communications
- Dr Jim Rogers, School of Communications
- Mr Peter Tiernan, School of Education Studies
Conference presenters from JNU
- Dr Jyoti Atwal, Co-Chair, Centre for Historical Studies
- Dr. Y.S. Alone, School of Arts and Aesthetics
- Dr. Rakesh Batabyal, Academic Staff College
- Dr. Rohan D'Souza, Centre for Studies in Science Policy
- Dr. Ajay Kumar, Group of Adult Education
- Dr. Vivek Kumar, Center for The Study of Social Systems
- Dr. R. Mahalakshmi, Centre for Historical Studies
- Prof Aditya Mukerjee, Centre for Historical Studies
- Dr. Parimala Rao, Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health