Oxford University Press to host South Asia Conclave

Oxford University Press (OUP) will host the inaugural edition of the South Asia Conclave on July 8 which will see thought leaders, politicians, industry experts, academics and policy makers and journalists exploring contemporary research and ideas on modern South Asia.
The recent developments in South Asia and its significant positioning in geopolitics have given rise to a noticeable burst of energy among opinion leaders worldwide. These are not only generating exciting and new research puzzles but are also bringing forth focus on compelling concerns globally, the organisers said.
Policymakers, bureaucrats, academicians, and journalists from different spheres will join the conclave to discuss topics such as democracy's electoral vitality in the region; gross inequalities of various kinds and concerns of social justice; the emergence of a large middle class; and the rising significance of diasporas.

The main sessions are: Model Minority? Indians in America; Electoral Quotas: Caste Reservations; Religion and Reforms: Narasimha Rao, Indian Economics and Politics; Dalit Politics; and Debating Land: Land Acquisition and Special Economic Zones.
Some of the speakers who have confirmed their participation are Devesh Kapur, Vinay Sitapati, Gurcharan Das, T N Ninan, Salman Khurshid, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Jayant Sinha and Jairam Ramesh.
Says Sugata Ghosh, Director (Global Academic Publishing) of OUP, about the conclave, "We are delighted to announce the inaugural session of the South Asia Conclave. This is a stepping stone to what we believe would be an ongoing debate on major geopolitical issues being deliberated on globally and in South Asia."

The panel will be chaired by Ashutosh Varshney, professor of political science, and director of the Center for Contemporary South Asia, Brown University, and co-chaired by Pradeep Chhibber, professor of political science and director of the Institute of International Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.