Universität Göttingen, Centre for Modern Indian Studies (CeMIS)

CfP Workshop on South Asian labor migration in a global perspective at the Bonn Centre for Dependency and Slavery Studies.
Application deadline: 20 September 2026.

Call for Papers: South Asians Globally: Im/mobile Workers and Dependencies 13. August 2026 Call for Papers: South Asians Globally: Im/mobile Workers and Dependencies Call for Papers: South Asians Globally: Im/mobile Workers and Dependencies The BCDSS invites you to submit proposals for an International Workshop, 10–11 February 2027 Migration studies have long been hamper...

We would like to congratulate CeMIS alumnus, and Assistant Professor in British Imperial, Colonial, and Post-colonial History, University of Nottingham, Dr. Arun Kumar on the publication of his book ‘The Silent Rebellion: Labour, Caste, and Education in Colonial India’ by Cambridge University Press, 2026.

Part of the ICAS:MP book series, the book launch will take place on 26 August 2026, in Seminar Halls 1,2,3, Kamaladevi Complex, India International Centre, New Delhi.

Discussants:
Professor Prabhu Mohapatra, (retired) University of Delhi
Dr. Hem Borker, Jamia Millia Islamia
Professor Aparna Vaidik, Ashoka University
Panel Host:
Manas Srivastava, Assistant Editor, The Indian Express

Book Abstract:
The Silent Rebellion tells a history of labour subjectivity formation at the site of education and the defiance of labouring subalterns who refused to see themselves solely as labouring bodies in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. On the one hand, the book examines how elite power—encompassing colonial officials, employers, and caste elites—attempted to integrate caste labour into their modern projects of industrial and technical education, thereby reproducing labouring conditions and subjectivities. It focuses on the hitherto neglected social histories of industrial, technical, factory, and night schools. On the other hand, the book reveals how labouring subalterns—artisans, factory labourers, and other service-providing workers—used education to challenge their portrayal as mere labouring bodies. Focusing on their desire for literary education, book learning, and their dream to become teachers, clerks, and poets—what the book articulates as the nonwork self of working lives—the book develops new analytical frameworks to write nonworking histories of working lives.

Vikalp@Prithvi - Online Screenings - August

To commemorate Umar Khalid’s birthday (11 August), which was spent in prison, add your voice to the demand for releasing Khalid and Sharjeel Imam this Independence Day by watching ‘Prisoner No. 626710 is Present’ (‘कैदी नंबर 626710 हाज़िर है’).

When? Between noon, 14 August, and midnight, 16 August

Film duration: 60 minutes

Synopsis:

On September 13, 2020, Umar Khalid, a charismatic student leader who recently finished his PhD at India’s prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University, was arrested under the draconian UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) – a law that designates individuals as terrorists and allows the Indian state to imprison people without due process.

His crime? As an Indian Muslim, he had dared to protest against the new citizenship law that the Indian state was trying to impose on its people.

Using found footage of his past speeches along with a forensic analysis of how he was framed by the right-wing, Hindu nationalist media, Umar Khalid’s close friends Banojyotsna Lahiri and Shuddhabrata Sengupta reconstruct the chronology of events that led to his tragic imprisonment.

It has been nearly six years since Umar Khalid was arrested. He and his friends still await a fair hearing in court.

The MIDA project (Das Moderne Indien in Deutschen Archiven 1706-1989) held its final conference “Über MIDA Hinaus” over 1-3 July, marking 12 years of exploring entangled histories between Germany and the Indian subcontinent.

Bringing together scholars, collaborators, and partners, the conference provided an opportunity to reflect on the archive and discuss new perspectives for future research on Indo-German histories and archival collaboration.

We thank all participants for three days of thoughtful exchange, engaging discussion, and valuable contributions.

Visit the MIDA website at www.projekt-mida.de

Humboldt-Universität Berlin DFG

🇩🇪

The Centre for Modern Indian Studies is pleased to invite you to Prof. Ravi Ahuja’s farewell lecture: ‘Labour Movements, Democratisation, and the Dialectics of Law. Some Thoughts on the History of the Present.’

Social historians have studied the crucial role of law in the evolution and functioning of capitalism. But what if pro-business governments and corporate oligarchs flout the rule of law, both internationally and domestically? And how can social histories of law regain a critical edge in times of resurgent authoritarianism?

The lecture can be attended in person and online.

For questions and registration, please write to: [email protected]

14 July 2026 | 4-6 pm
Alte Mensa, Wilhelmsplatz 3, Göttingen

You are invited! 📣

Join us for the closing conference of the DFG-funded long-term project ‘Das moderne Indien in deutschen Archiven 1706–1989’, hosted by CeMIS (University of Göttingen), Humboldt University Berlin, and ZMO.

🎬 1 July | Kino Lumière | 18:00

Don’t miss the screening of The Sound of Friendship: Warm Wavelengths in a Cold, Cold War (German/Hindi with English subtitles), directed by Dr. Anandita Bajpai, who will be in discussion with Hans Kundnani after the film.

The documentary follows the remarkable story of Radio Berlin International and the connections it built between East Germany and India, from the Funkhaus in East Berlin to the “Lenin Club” in Madhepura, Bihar.

🎟️ Free admission (please reserve your ticket via the Lumière website).

📚 2–3 July | Alte Mensa, Wilhelmsplatz

The conference features conversations on new books, fresh research on Indo-German entanglements, and panels exploring the history of the Rourkela steel plant and the many forms of cooperation, conflict, and exchange that shaped it.

We look forward to seeing you!

Do you know someone who migrated who migrated to a different country to work in the care sector? A new project wants to pay tribute to their lives, which have received little attention to date, make them visible to the public and preserve them for future generations and research.
Did your mother or grandmother leave Kerala in the 60s/70s to become a nurse in Germany? Then it’s high time to preserve her remarkable story by recording a video interview!

WHO CARED – Building an online archive for care migration By developing the digital archive WHO CARED, we want to document the stories of people who migrated to a different country to work in the care sector. We want to pay tribute to their lives, which have received little attention to date, make them visible to the public and preserve them for future gen...