South Asia Program
How the Register Resonates: Official Hindi, India’s Great Power Ambitions, and Partition’s Ghosts

October 19, 2023
4:30 pm
Goldwin Smith Hall, 236
Talk by Smita Lahiri
Official Hindi (my term) is a widely used linguistic register that owes its existence to state-sponsored language development in newly independent India. Ideologies projecting Official Hindi as “pure” and legitimate (shuddh Hindi) resonate with many groups, including both users and non-users of the register. Others deride so-called Sarkari Hindi (i.e., “government-speak”) as leaden, rolling their eyes at its Sanskrit-derived coinages and constructions. Moreover, secular-minded cultural critics charge that Official Hindi perpetuates upper caste hegemony and Hindu majoritarianism and consistently draw attention to the registers’ origins in post-Independence language modernization efforts, which systematically targeted elements of palpably Arab and Persian for replacement by Sanskrit-based neologisms. This talk offers a different look at Official Hindi, tracing its spread beyond bureaucratic-administrative settings and its normalization within key educational and mass media domains nationwide. Subsequently, it discusses ongoing developments in Official Hindi, notably its transition from the primarily written mode into public speech, using examples from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s oratory and other sources.
Additional Information
Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
Comparative Muslim Societies Program
South Asia Program
N. K. Jemisin: Building Our World Better

October 4, 2023
5:30 pm
Cornell University, Rhodes Rawlings Auditorium, Klarman Hall
Bartels World Affairs Lecture
Fantasy author N. K. Jemisin discusses how she learned to build unreal worlds by studying our own—and how we might in turn imagine a better future for our world, and reshape it to fit that dream.
Jemisin's lecture kicks off The Future—a new Global Grand Challenge at Cornell. We invite thinkers across campus to use their imaginations to reach beyond the immediate, the tangible, the well-known constraints. How can we use our creativity to plan and build for a future that is equitable, sustainable, and good? Learn more on October 4.
After her talk, Jemisin joins a panel of distinguished Cornell faculty to explore how we can take a brave leap into the visionary future. What can we collectively achieve when we focus on "what we want," rather than "what I can do"? And when we've imagined a better future for our world, how do we chart the path—starting today—with practical steps to take us there?
Anindita Banerjee, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature, College of Arts and SciencesJohn Albertson, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of EngineeringKaushik Basu, Carl Marks Professor of International Studies, Professor of Economics, A&S***
A reception with refreshments will follow the lecture and panel.
Lecture: 5:30 | Rhodes Rawlings Auditorium, Klarman HallThe Future panel, featuring Jemisin and Cornell faculty: 6:15Reception and book signing: 7:00-8:00 | Groos Family AtriumReserve your free ticket for the in-person watch party.
General admission seating is now sold out. By registering for a watch party ticket, you will have an in-person seat reserved in an adjacent classroom near the auditorium where the lecture will be livestreamed. Please follow signage upon your arrival. All watch party attendees are invited to join the post-lecture reception and book signing at 7:00 in Groos Family Atrium, Klarman Hall.
Livestream: For Local, National, and International Viewers
The lecture and panel will be livestreamed. Register to attend virtually at eCornell.
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How are N. K. Jemisin’s novels acts of political resistance? Read a Bartels explainer by Anindita Banerjee.
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Book Signing
Ithaca’s cooperatively owned independent bookstore, Buffalo Street Books, will be selling a wide selection of N. K. Jemisin’s books after the lecture.
Meet N. K. Jemisin and get your book signed at the reception!
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About N. K. Jemisin
N. K. Jemisin is the first author in the science fiction and fantasy genre’s history to win three consecutive Best Novel Hugo Awards, for her Broken Earth trilogy. Her work has also won the Nebula and Locus Awards. She was a 2020 MacArthur Fellow. Jemisin’s most frequent themes include resistance to oppression, the inseverability of the liminal, and the coolness of Stuff Blowing Up. She has been an advocate for the long tradition of science fiction and fantasy as political resistance and previously championed the genre as a New York Times book reviewer. She lives and works in New York City.
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About Global Grand Challenges at Cornell
Global Grand Challenges bring together Cornell's world-class strengths—vision, expertise, people, and resources—in a multiyear focus to understand humanity's most urgent challenges and create real-world solutions. Global Cornell organizes and supports related research collaborations, courses and academic programs, student experiences, campus events, and more. Cornell's first Global Grand Challenge is Migrations, launched in 2019.
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About the Bartels World Affairs Lecture
The Bartels World Affairs Lecture is a signature event of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies. This flagship event brings distinguished international figures to campus each academic year to speak on global topics and meet with Cornell faculty and students, particularly undergraduates. The lecture and related events are made possible by the generosity of Henry E. Bartels ’48 and Nancy Horton Bartels ’48.
Additional Information
Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
Comparative Muslim Societies Program
East Asia Program
Southeast Asia Program
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Institute for African Development
Institute for European Studies
South Asia Program
The Next Generation’s Initiative: Learning from the Past to Build the Future of Afghanistan

September 9, 2023
9:00 am
L28 Hughes Hall
This conference aims to bring together Afghan scholars and Afghanistan experts, primarily the next generation, to engage in discussions about the future of Afghanistan by analyzing past failures.
Afghanistan has faced conflict, crisis, instability, and civil war for the past half-century. In each period, political elites implemented top-down approaches, paired with external interventions, to overcome these problems. Unfortunately, these political frameworks failed to bring about lasting positive change in Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan have experienced communist, Islamic, and democratic regimes, and they have witnessed the destructive consequences of these political designs. To envision a better tomorrow for Afghanistan, it is crucial for the country's next generation of scholars to critically examine the past and ask several critical “what” and “why” questions.
What events led us to the current situation? What failures and problems prevented us from seizing opportunities for state-building and nation-building? Why did different political designs fail in Afghanistan? Why did the democratic establishment collapse? Why has Afghanistan been unable to utilize international aid effectively for infrastructure and development? By asking such questions, we can move on to asking “how” questions. How can the people of Afghanistan come together, learn from the past, and build a brighter future? This future must be inclusive, egalitarian, multicultural, democratic, free, and, above all, a home for every citizen of the country.
SCHEDULE
9:00 am Welcome Sharif Hozoori, South Asia Program, Cornell University
9:15-10:45 am Panel 1: Balancing Governance in Afghanistan: Secularization, Sharia, and Patrimonialism
Farid Tookhy, Senior Fellow, Institute for Peace & Diplomacy Divergent Notions of Political Authority: A Century of Theoretical and Physical Contestation
Mohammad Mansoor Ehsan, International Affairs, George Mason University Sharia Vigilantism Under the Taliban Rule in Afghanistan
Zinab Attai, Government, Cornell University Seeing like a Neopatrimonial State: Reframing the Study of Afghanistan’s Political Architecture
Chair: Mathew Evangelista, Government, Cornell University
11:00 am – 12:30 pm Panel 2: Afghanistan's Nation-Building Struggle: Identity, Inclusivity, and the Public Sphere
Mirwais Balkhi, Fellow, Wilson Center Afghanistan’s Next Generation’s Initiative: A New Social Contact for Living Together
Omar Sadr, Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh The Rise and Fall of Afghanistan’s Public Sphere
Sayed Hassan Akhlaq, Philosophy and Critical Thinking, Coppin State University Acknowledging Effective Afghan subjectivity
Chair: Seema Golestaneh, Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University
1:30-3:00 pm Panel 3: Constitutional Law: Political Order, Rule of Law, and Public Perspectives
Bashir Mobasher, Sociology, American University Islamic Republic versus Islamic Emirate: What Constitutional Order People Want?
Mahir Hazim, Law, Arizona State University The Politics and Constitutionality of Law-Making in the Afghan Republic: An Authoritarian and Unrestrained Executive
Shamshad Pasarlay, Law, University of Chicago A Constitutional Postmortem: The Rise and Fall of Afghanistan’s 2004 Constitution
Chair: Chantal Thomas, Law School, Cornell University
3:00 pm Conclusion Tawab Danish, Law School, Cornell University
Register to attend virtually. No registration required for in-person attendance.
Organized by the South Asia Program and the Cornell Law School's Clark Initiative for Law and Development in the Middle East and North Africa. Cosponsored by the Departments of Near Eastern Studies and Government, and the Religious Studies, Comparative Muslim Societies, and Peace & Conflict Studies Programs.
Additional Information
Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
South Asia Program
Comparative Muslim Societies Program
Meet Our New Program Directors
New Directors Take Helm at SAP, IAD, PACS
New and returning directors Sarah Besky, Rachel Bezner Kerr, and Rebecca Slayton share their programs' plans for this academic year.
Additional Information
2023 Bulletin

The 2023 Bulletin includes articles on Afghan students and scholars at Cornell, Cornell leaders’ visits to India, Visiting Scholars’ campus experiences, students’ Fulbright fellowships & internships, Bangladesh's Water crisis, and more. In addition, the bulletin reviews a series of exciting events last year, including the Tagore lecture by Kamila Shamsie, thee exhibits at the Johnson Museum of Art, Pakistani students’ initiatives, the debut of our Next Monsoon podcast, a Sri Lankan Studies graduate student conference, and highlights
Bulletin
Additional Information
Priyanka Sen

IES Graduate Fellow 2024-2025
Priyanka Sen is a Ph.D. candidate in the HAUD program. Her research investigates architectural entanglements with spatial geographies, migration and environmental histories, focusing on the South Asian diaspora and its intertwinement with settlement, citizenship, and the transnational immigrant experience.
Additional Information
Fall 2023 Events Calendar

We are hosting an exciting series of in-person events that covers the breadth and depth of South Asia this semester, all open to the public. More details available at: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/VKSJF1HObWeC3
Cornell Population Center Innovations Seminar

September 29, 2023
12:00 pm
Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, 2250
The Cornell Population Center brings Luca Maria Pesando, Associate Professor of Social Research and Public Pollicy at New York University Abu Dhabi. He will give his talk, "Dynamics of School Expansion and Sociocultural Changes in inter-Casate Marriage in India."
Additional Information
Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
South Asia Program
China Slams US Tech Restrictions

Eswar Prasad, SAP
“I don’t think the U.S. Treasury or the [Biden] administration planned it this way, but this is spectacularly bad timing for China,” said Eswar Prasad, professor of international trade policy and economics.
Additional Information
Sasha Prevost

Graduate Student
Degree: PhD, Near Eastern Studies
Language: Persian
Research interests: Jewish and Muslim diasporas, Sufism, and Persian literature