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Rediscovering Partition from New Perspectives

Rediscovering Partition from New Perspectives

The impact of the 1947 Partition still ripples throughout South Asia, 73 years later. However, our knowledge of this historic event is constantly being reevaluated by academics and researchers who have continued to illuminate the details of what occurred. Moderated by Jennifer Leaning, Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, this panel explores how new research efforts help us understand the full depth of the history and legacy of Partition.

Podcast: Dadabhai Naoroji and the Birth of Indian Nationalism

Podcast: Dadabhai Naoroji and the Birth of Indian Nationalism

In this podcast, the panelists explore how Dadabhai Naoroji developed the idea of swaraj, or Indian self-government, during his political and nationalist career, which included groundbreaking economic research on Indian poverty, engagement with emancipatory movements around the world, and becoming the first-ever Asian elected to the British Parliament. Naoroji’s swaraj was global in nature. It evolved from contact with European liberalism and socialism and, at the same time, had a significant influence on the growth of global anti-colonialism and antiracism.

Manjari Miller: The Complexities of the China-India Relationship

Manjari Miller: The Complexities of the China-India Relationship

The China-India relationship is one of the keys to international security, the future of Asia, and the well-being of nearly 3 billion people, and recent border tensions between the two powers perpetuate the potential for conflict. But while these small clashes continue, the two countries have also built a system of cooperation to manage their conflict and larger rivalry. We spoke with Professor Miller to learn more about the China-India relationship, the opportunities to manage conflict, and the steps forward.

A Step Forward in India’s Digital Health Ecosystem

A Step Forward in India’s Digital Health Ecosystem

On August 15, Prime Minister Modi will announce India’s National Digital Health Mission — underpinned by the Personal Health Record design that was proposed by India Digital Health Network (IDHN) collaborators at a Radcliffe Seminar in 2016. IDHN is a Harvard-wide research and policy collaborative that works with public and private sector partners in India to advance meaningful health data exchange with the intent to improve clinical care and population health.

What Is the Future of Higher Education’s Internationalization?

What Is the Future of Higher Education’s Internationalization?

Recently, the internationalization of higher education has been deeply impacted by the twin forces of the COVID-19 pandemic and international politics. While resurgent nationalism and xenophobia around the world had already cast doubts on the importance of a globalized system of higher education, the pandemic has only added to the conundrum by imposing restrictions to the normal movement of people within and between the world’s universities.

Podcast: Rethinking the Museum Experience During and Post-COVID-19

Podcast: Rethinking the Museum Experience During and Post-COVID-19

A recent panel discussion at the Mittal Institute, “Rethinking the Museum Experience During and Post-COVID-19″ — moderated by Jinah Kim, George P. Bickford Professor of Indian and South Asian Art at Harvard University — explores how art institutions can remain nimble enough to respond to uncertainties, such as COVID-19, adapting their approach to tackle similar situations in the future. How can art institutions engage their patrons as partners in the sustainability of museums?

Video: Crowdsourcing Memories of the 1947 Partition of British India

Video: Crowdsourcing Memories of the 1947 Partition of British India

“There is nothing as epochal as the cataclysmic event that was visited upon the people of South Asia when decolonization occurred and the British withdrew during the dismantling of the British empire. That forced event — that trauma — continues to shape the lives of two billion of the world’s seven billion people today,” says Professor Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor at the Harvard Business School and Director of the Mittal Institute. Despite the abundant historical and political scholarship on the Partition of British India in 1947, there are still gaps in our understanding of the event — and the Mittal Institute’s research team set out to change that.

Video: Educational Responses to COVID-19 in South Asia

Video: Educational Responses to COVID-19 in South Asia

The Mittal Institute’s recent panel webinar, “Educational Responses to COVID-19 in South Asia,” was moderated by Zainab Qureshi, LEAPS Director at Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD), Harvard Kennedy School. Together, the panelists discussed how COVID-19 has shut down traditional education programs throughout South Asia, from primary education to higher education. They highlighted the unique challenges the region is facing in the education sector, such as access to technology and the potential long-term effects of distance learning. 

Video: Entrepreneurs and the COVID-19 Global Reset in South Asia

Video: Entrepreneurs and the COVID-19 Global Reset in South Asia

The Mittal Institute’s latest panel webinar, “Entrepreneurs and the COVID-19 Global Reset in South Asia,” was moderated by Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor at Harvard Business School and Director of the Mittal Institute. Together, the panelists delved into the impact of the COVID-19 maelstrom across South Asia on enterprises. They explored the extent to which entrepreneurs have been able to work with both the state and civil society to limit the damage and distress caused by the pandemic, but also to begin exploring new opportunities that a possible “global reset” has opened up to the developing world.

Assessing the Response to COVID-19 in South Asia

Assessing the Response to COVID-19 in South Asia

Recently, we spoke with two panelists from our first COVID-19 webinar to answer some of your lingering questions about COVID-19 in South Asia — delving deeper into the impact of public messaging and the lockdown. Dr. Richard Cash is a Senior Lecturer on Global Health in the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Srinath Reddy is President of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).

Together, they explore improvements to future public messaging about the pandemic, as well as alternatives to lockdown and the social and economic costs of lockdown in South Asia.