As part of the Nepal Studies Program, Professor Michael Witzel from Harvard University will lead a conference titled “Hinduism in Nepal: The Ritual Dimension.” Ritual has played a major role in Hindu societies, from the Vedas to modern times, and it has been particularly prominent in Nepalese society. It accompanies individuals from morning until night, from birth to death, and it shapes the customs of society throughout the year. This conference will explore some of the rituals, past and present, that are typical for Nepal. Stress is put on the extensive documentation that has been carried out over the past few decades, with a particular focus on fire rituals.
As part of the Asia Center’s Borders in Modern Asia Seminar Series, Samira Sheikh will join us to discuss the late-Mughal era in Gujarat.
Speaker:
Samira Sheikh, Professor of History, Vanderbilt University
Chairs:
Sugata Bose, Gardiner Professor of History, Harvard University
Sunil Amrith, Mehra Family Professor of South Asian Studies, Harvard University
This event is hosted by the Harvard University Asia Center and co-sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Mittal Institute, and the Weatherhead Initiative on Global History.
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) surveyed leaders from 604 Rohingya hamlets in Myanmar’s Rakhine state encompassing more than 916,000 people. The findings, coupled with in-depth interviews and forensic medical examinations of Rohingya survivors, point to a widespread and systematic pattern of targeted violence – including rapes and killings of women, men, and children – that drove more than 720,000 Rohingya into neighboring Bangladesh. Dr. Parveen Parmar and Dr. Jen Leigh will present the findings of these studies.
This seminar, with support from the Harvard University Asia Center, will explore the early findings of a research project that examines community-level strategies to prevent violence, abuse, and exploitation of children in India.
