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Annual Cambridge Symposium

2024: Science and Technology

May 3, 2024

The Mittal Institute’s 2024 Annual Cambridge Symposium convened faculty, staff, and the public for a lively discussion on Science and Technology – The Future of South Asia. 

Read a round-up of the symposium here.

2023: Culture, Climate, and Health – A More Resilient South Asia

May 5, 2023

The Mittal Institute’s 2023 Annual Cambridge Symposium took place on May 5, 2023, and convened faculty, staff, and the public for a lively discussion on climate, health and culture’s role in building a more resilient South Asia.

Read a round-up of the conference and watch the recordings here.

2022: 75 Years of the Making of Modern South Asia

May 18-19, 2022

The Mittal Institute held its first hybrid Annual Symposium on May 18-19 with a series of panels and lectures commemorating the anniversary of the Partition of British India. 

Read a round-up of the conference and watch the recordings here.

2019: Harvard’s Research on South Asia

April 25, 2019

In 2019, the Mittal Institute’s Annual Cambridge Symposium brought together Institute supporters and Harvard faculty for a fascinating and informative day centered around the Mittal Institute’s and Harvard’s scholarship on science and technology, health, arts, and education and livelihood in South Asia.


2018: Knowledge Translation: Across Disciplines, Geographies, and Action

May 4, 2018

The Mittal Institute’s eighth Annual Symposium featured a discussion on translational knowledge across the subcontinent, from the perspectives of humanities, science and social science.


2017: South Asia: Migrations and Transformations

May 3–4, 2017

SAI’s Annual Symposium brought together scholars and practitioners to highlight the study of South Asia from three perspectives: Humanities, Science, and Social Science.


2016: Who Speaks For Democracy Across South Asia?

May 5–6, 2016

The 2016 Annual Symposium featured conversations on the topic of democracy across South Asia.


2015: Local Solutions with Global Impact

April 16–17, 2015

The 2015 Annual SAI Symposium brought together scholars and practitioners for a series of workshops on SAI’s ongoing research projects. Faculty, students, and community stakeholders convened to discuss the current landscape in areas of cyber security, mental health, mobile technology, urbanization, and water and sanitation, and lay the foundation for future interdisciplinary research.


2013: South Asia Without Borders

April 25–26, 2013

The symposium focused on the timely appeal of South Asia to the humanities—at the intersection of religion and civil society, ancient arts and cutting edge technologies. “South Asia Without Borders” explored development, the juncture of caste and race, gender and human rights, social entrepreneurship and the arts, constitutionalism and development in South Asia, and concluded with Harvard’s study of the Kumbh Mela pilgrimage in India.


2012: Health in South Asia

April 26–27, 2012

South Asia Initiative at Harvard University held its second annual symposium, focusing on Health in South Asia: Lessons for and from the World.  The conference brought together global experts with deep research, implementation and policy experience to learn and find new modes for global exchange. Day 1 focused on understanding the issue, to create a platform for Day 2’s discussion on the solutions.