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South Asia Program

Farmers, Traders, Slaves, and Princes: Retrieving Lives of Eighteenth Century Inhabitants in and around Colombo, Sri Lanka, by Dries Lyna - CMS Seminar Series

April 28, 2021

4:30 pm

In this talk I will present the ongoing research project "Colonialism inside out" a Sri Lankan-Dutch research project, which has been running since 2017. The project aims at historical life writing, by combing macro-data from 18th century parish and census registers with qualitative data from legal courts, notary offices and church councils. The project brings in view the local farmers, Muslim and chettiyar merchants and Indian ocean exiles and slaves who inhabited Colombo and its surroundings.

Dries Lyna is Assistant Professor in Cultural and Economic, Social & Demographic History and Cultural History, Radboud University, Netherlands. He was trained at the Centre for Urban History (University of Antwerp), and was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Duke University and the Getty Research Institute. In the past he has been a guest lecturer at the History Departments of the University of Antwerp (2006-2012) and the Free University of Brussels (2011-2012), as well as at the Institut d'Etudes Supérieures des Arts in Paris (2006-2012).

His current research interest lies in the socio-legal history of colonial cities, with a focus on eighteenth-century Sri Lanka. Among others he studies the social function of colonial courts in Colombo, Jaffna and Galle. In addition he is interested in the family life of former slaves in the suburbs of Colombo, as part of the project 'Life after Slavery: Setting the Research Agenda of Slave Histories in the Global Era, 1750-1900', a collaboration with the University of Glasgow of which he is project leader. In the past he published on creative economies, art markets and material culture in the Low Countries (late 17th -19th centuries).

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Program

Einaudi Center for International Studies

South Asia Program

LRC JAM session - Advancing online language teaching and learning

February 3, 2021

11:00 am

In need of some inspiration for another semester in the virtual classroom? Just A Minute! The LRC has your back with the JAM, our winter video series investigating quick ways to spruce up the online language teaching and learning experience.

Short videos drop twice a week on YouTube and our live jam sessions provide the opportunity to debrief with us and address any questions sparked by watching our LRC JAM series.

Join us to talk about all things online language teaching and learning.

More details and link posted on our website: https://lrc.cornell.edu/learning-communities

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Program

Southeast Asia Program

Latin American and Caribbean Studies

South Asia Program

LRC Happy Hour

May 11, 2021

12:00 pm

Join us on Zoom throughout the spring for LRC Happy Hour. Every second Tuesday of the month (third Tuesday in April). We'd love to hear how it’s going! All of it.

Bring your (language instruction) stories whether they be good, bad, amazing, or unusual. It takes all kinds of stories to make a Happy Hour great!Bring your own coffee, tea, or mystery beverage.While we can't serve lunch, the LRC will provide fun, jokes, and laughs free of charge.Also, we just want to see your smiling faces, because we miss you.

More details and link posted on our website: https://lrc.cornell.edu/live-help-sessions

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Program

Southeast Asia Program

Latin American and Caribbean Studies

South Asia Program

For a Post-Nationalist Biden

capitol building
January 6, 2021

Kaushik Basu, SAP

Kaushik Basu, professor of economics, writes this opinion piece about the challenges President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris face when President Donald Trump leaves office.

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Islam and Asia: A History

February 19, 2021

4:00 pm

Asia is central to global Islam’s development as a religious, social, and political reality, according to Chiara Formichi, associate professor in the Department of Asian Studies.

In a live, virtual Chats in the Stacks talk, Formichi discusses Islam and Asia: A History (Cambridge University Press, 2020), her recent book that explores how intertwined histories and cultures have shaped both Islam and the Asian region from the seventh century to today, influencing different spheres from politics to the arts. Rich in illustrations, maps, insets, and primary sources, the book serves both as an in-depth exploration and as a primer for those curious about Islamic history.

A live Q&A will follow the talk. The audience is encouraged to write their questions into the Chat field for inclusion during this session.

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Program

Southeast Asia Program

South Asia Program

Antiracist Pedagogy Workshop for Asian Studies

January 27, 2021

3:30 pm

The workshop aims to offer an understanding of race, racism, and the particular racial formations embedded in the classroom and a discussion on ways to apply anti-racist pedagogy to courses in Asian studies. With scholars of Asian culture, history, and language participating, this workshop opens discussions on the challenges of incorporating anti-racist pedagogy into our classrooms to overcome both perceived personal and institutional barriers and on practical strategies and models of intentional anti-racist curriculum. The topics of discussion include teaching models of anti-racist and social justice, syllabus-making, selection of teaching materials, challenges and problems in the classroom, etc.

EAP Faculty host: Suyoung Son (Asian Studies)

Panelists include: Naoki Sakai (Asian Studies), TJ Hinrichs (History), Christine Balance (Performing & Media Arts), Ivanna Yi (Asian Studies), Stephanie Divo (Asian Studies), and Razima Chowdhury (Asian Studies)

Image by Getty Images

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Program

Einaudi Center for International Studies

East Asia Program

Southeast Asia Program

South Asia Program

Seed Grants

The deadline for this opportunity has passed.
Application Deadline: March 16, 2026
Application Timeframe: Spring
Kassam climate/calendar research team in the field

Details

The Einaudi Center's faculty seed grants launch international studies research and activities that show promise to grow and secure external follow-on funding.

Tenured and tenure-track Cornell faculty are eligible to apply. All disciplines and topics are welcome. Read about recent research Einaudi seeded.


Building International Studies Capacity

Einaudi Center seed grants support international studies research and collaborations that reach across world regions and bring together researchers who have deep knowledge in different regions and disciplines. The awards launch early-stage interdisciplinary research projects with clear plans for scaling up and securing external funding support. 

The Einaudi Center is dedicated to international studies. Our seed grants focus on complex global and regional issues and community-engaged methodologies across the social sciences, hard sciences, and humanities. Some research conducted abroad and international collaborations—while valuable—do not qualify for the awards.

Proposals must align with the mission and interests of at least one of our international studies programs. The application requires only your own thoughtful assessment of how your project might contribute to the work of one or more programs. 

Proposals that engage with two or more geographical regions are eligible for larger awards of up to $25,000.


Eligibility

Tenured and tenure-track Cornell faculty in all colleges and schools are eligible to apply as individuals or teams. The Einaudi Center will not accept proposals from past awardees who failed to submit the required final report by the deadline stated in the award letter.

  • Funding-eligible activities: Data collection, research assistance, travel, meetings
  • Not eligible for funding: Salary offset, summer salary, computers and equipment, student stipends/tuition

Requirements

  • All funds must be used within one year of the award date.
  • You must submit a final report to the Einaudi Center director within one year of the award date. The report must include:
    • A summary and assessment of the research and activities you accomplished.
    • An update on your external follow-on funding proposal.
    • A promotional paragraph written for nonspecialists (100 words maximum) describing the outcome and value of your project.
  • The Einaudi Center must be acknowledged in all publications, promotion, and media coverage related to your funded research and activities. Please inform the Einaudi Center in advance of publications and other project outcomes.

How to Apply

Complete the seed grant funding application and submit a proposal including the following:

  • Curricula vitae (CVs) for principal faculty
  • Statement including objectives, activities, work plan, expected outputs, beneficiaries, and impact
  • Human subjects approval, if relevant
  • Detailed budget with justification of expenses
  • Plans for pursuing future research and external funding support

Evaluation 

All successful proposals will meet these criteria. The proposal:

  • Shows a high likelihood of generating new knowledge of key economic, environmental, social, cultural, or political problems in the world.
  • Includes clearly articulated deliverables.
  • Includes a budget appropriate for planned activities.
  • Includes a plan for obtaining full project funding to sustain and expand the research.

Questions?

Please email our academic programming staff if you have questions about the seed grant program or your application.

 

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