CONFERENCES
Interdisciplinary National Seminar on 'SUBALTERN MOVEMENTS IN INDIA: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES' 10th and 11th JAN. 2020
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Introduction:
A two-day interdisciplinary national seminar, organized by the Department of History, Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College, Mumbai, was held on 10th and 11th January 2020 at the College. The main objective of the seminar was to engage substantial deliberations on the subaltern movements in India in a historical perspective. Hence, the seminar was entitled ‘Subaltern Movements in India: Issues and Challenges’. Withstanding the focus on the micro-histories of subaltern that nevertheless retains larger frameworks of caste, class and gender (to name a few), the seminar received research papers that provided varied insights into the collection, analysis and production of the narratives of all possible subaltern categories from Indian past, present and future. As the seminar endeavoured to endorse and critique the prevailing state of subaltern studies with reference to other major streams, we received papers based on the themes that included identities and movements on the issues of gender, caste, region, and class. Papers in the sub-themes categories were: Women’s’ Movement in India, Dalit Movement in India, Tribal Movement in India, Labour Movement in India, Peasant Movement in India, and Evolution of Subaltern Studies: Milestones and Critique.
The organizing committee of the Seminar comprised of the Principal Dr. Anushree Lokur, Convener Dr. Pradeep Waghmare, members Prof. Dr. Louiza Rodrigues, Head of the History Dept, Dr. Mohsina Mukadam, Dr. Vaibhavi Palsule, Ms. Varsha Malwade, Dr. Urmila Moon, Ms. Jyoti Waghmare, Dr. P.V. Mahalinge, Ms. Shilpa Neve, Dr. Namrata Jagtap, Mr. Atish Nikam, Mr. Vikki Gayakavad, Mr. Virendra Chouhan and thirty student volunteers who worked ceaselessly under the guidance of committee members.
The Seminar received an overwhelming response with the participation of 150 members including the delegates, resource persons, the paper presenters, students, participants (both academics and individual research scholars) and organizing committee members, 03 members of Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, 26 resource persons from various part of India and one special invited guest speaker from Italy, 85 paper presenters in seven technical sessions and 05 participants registered their presence for the seminar.
The seminar had galaxy of research scholars like the members of Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, Prof. Shridhar Madhukar alias Raja Dixit, Prof. Himanshu Kumar Chaturvedi and the Director (Research and Administration) Dr. Om Jee Upadhyay. Prof. Sebastiano Maffettone, Professor of Political Theory at LUISS Guido Carli University of Rome, Italy graced the occasion by delivering a special lecture at the inaugural session on the theme of the seminar. The keynote speaker for the seminar was an eminent scholar and Historian, Dr. Umesh Bagade, Professor and Head, Department of History and Ancient Indian Culture at the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad, Maharashtra and the speaker for Valedictory session was another erudite scholar, Dr. Kishor Gaikwad, Professor of History, University of Mumbai, Mumbai and currently on deputation as Professor and Chairperson of Dr. Ambedkar Chair in Social Justice and Empowerment of Tribal Population, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh.
Proceedings:
The Inaugural Session:
The inaugural session, on the first day i.e. 10th January 2020, began with the Welcome Address by Dr. Anushree Lokur, the Principal, Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College. The Principal gave a brief inventory of the activities and account of successful conduct of the college. Principal’s address was followed by the introduction and concept note of the seminar delivered by the convener Dr. Pradeep Waghmare. Dr. Waghmare explained the theme of the seminar along with the delineation of the proceedings of the two days. The seminar’s introduction was followed by an informational speech by Dr. Louiza Rodrigues, Professor and Head of the host department. The speech narrated journey of the history department and its future prospects. All invited guests and three honourable members of ICHR, New Delhi were felicitated on this occasion with mementos.
The Guest of Honour for the inaugural session, Prof. Shridhar Madhukar alias Raja Dixit, delivered a brief talk related to the discipline of history and the relevance of subaltern studies. Prof. Dixit emphasized on the need of more research on subaltern history by using regional Marathi sources. He pointed out that there is a lacuna of substantial work on subaltern movement in Maharashtra and a need to find a suitable equivalent terminology for subaltern in Marathi language. Prof. Raja Dixit congratulated the convener for selecting the theme for the seminar and discussed in brief about the significance of the theme in present historical context.
After the felicitation of the dignitaries, the special invitee Prof. Sebastiano Maffettone, Professor of political theory at LUISS Guido Carli University of Rome, Italy gave a presentation based on ontology and epistemology of the concept of subaltern with the perspective of postcolonial studies. His lecture focused on the European context, its relevance in west and east and how the scholars can approach the notion of subaltern in contemporary scenario. Prof. Maffetone’s presentation set up the tone for further deliberation on the relationship between the disciplines of history, subaltern studies which was further added by the keynote address by Prof. Umesh Bagade. Prof. Bagade’s talk was titled “Crossing the Frontier of Subaltern Studies: Possibility of New History of Subaltern Consciousness”. His speech initiated a new perspective on understanding subaltern in general and particular. Starting with the concept of subaltern as used in academics as well as philosophical manner, Prof. Bagade talked about its various interpretations with time and thinkers. He asserted the need to make understanding of subaltern more lucid and colloquial so that it can be incorporated into personal politics. The keynote talks highlighted notion of subaltern consciousness as well as its cross-cultural relevance in Indian society. The session concluded with a vote of thanks by the convener of the seminar Dr. Pradeep Waghmare.
Plenary Session I:
The theme of the first plenary session was Peasant and Labour Movement in India. The session was chaired by Dr. Manjiri Kamat, Professor at Department of History, University of Mumbai. Dr. Sumeet Mhaskar, Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Student Affairs), Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana. The topic of Dr. Mhaskar’s paper was The Making and Unmaking of Mumbai as a Labourers’ City. Dr. Mhaskar explored the history of worker’s movement in Mumbai, with reference to the protests before independence and the 1982 textile workers movement. He discussed the depiction of these movements in cultural medium and their interpretation. Second speaker of the session, Dr. Narayan Bhosale from Department of History, University of Mumbai, elaborated the significance of the notion of subaltern while discussing the nomadic tribes in western India. His topic was titled पश्चिम भारतातील भटक्या विमुक्तांच्या बंधमुक्तीच्या चळवळी (The liberating movements of Nomadic Tribes in Western India). Limitting his discussion to Maharashtra, Prof. Bhosale gave the etymological meaning of Vimukt. His talk further touched upon their current situation and how the cultrual symbols played pertinent role in their movements. He argued that these movements did not have conventional leaders or brave ancestors to refer back for inspiration. Their slogans too had a distinct dialect as in that which would hightlight their earthliness. The session was followed by an extensive interaction between the speakers and the audience. The session was concluded with Chairperson’s remarks and Vote of thanks.
Plenary Session II:
The theme of the second session was Subaltern Historiography and Subaltern Movements in India. Dr. Y.S Alone, Professor in Visual Studies, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi was the chairperson for the session. First speaker for the session was Dr. S. Lourdunathan, Honorary Professor, Dept. of Philosophy, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He spoke on the topic titled Epistemology of Social Empowerment: Discourse from the Perspective Social (Dalit) Movements. Dr. Lourdunathan elucidated the epistemological connotation of empowerment in relation to Subaltern. He emphasized on the questions of what does it mean to discuss empowerment when it comes to subaltern classes? Dr. Neeta Khandpekar, Professor from the Dept. of History, University of Mumbai, presented a paper on the topic Role of Newspapers in highlighting Subaltern Issues in Colonial India. With an illustrative presentation, Dr. Khandpekar showed how newspapers in colonial era depicted the struggles of the subaltern groups. She took a case study of like Bombay Guardian, a Christian weekly that ran during 1851 to 1907 and showed various news items that dealt with class structure, missionary influence and subaltern issues. Prof. Ramesh Kamble, Professor from Dept. of Sociology, University of Mumbai presented a paper entitled Moving from Margin to Centre: Speaking of, from and Beyond the Margins. Dr Kamble discussed various hierarchies in the subaltern studies and the need to elaborate more on its essentialities while discussing the same. The fourth panelist, Mr. Mrunal Patnekar from Dept. of History, Adamas University, Barasat, Jagannathpur, Kolkata, spoke on the topic titled Growing up in Pre-Independence Bombay: Voices of Children and Youth. He cited various narratives by Dalits telling their childhood experiences in early 20th century Mumbai. Through the narratives, he illustrated various facets of subaltern experiences. The session was followed by an extensive interaction between the speakers and the audience. The session was concluded with Chairperson’s remarks and Vote of thanks.
Plenary Session-III:
The theme for third plenary session was Women’s Movement in India. Dr. Kanchana Mahadevan Professor, Dept. of Philosophy, University of Mumbai, chaired this session and also presented her views on her paper Theorizing Gender and Caste, Decolonizing Intersectionality. Dr. Vibhuti Patel, Professor, Advance Centre for Women’s Studies, School of Development Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai presented a paper on Dynamics of Women’s Movement in India. She gave an extensive survey of how women’s movement in India have gone through a change with time and its different aspects in the contemporary scenario. Dr. Archana Singh, from G.B. Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh delineated the significance of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s philosophy while discussing women’s movement in India. Her paper was titled Mapping the Resistance: Ambedkar in the lives of Dalit Women. The paper also discussed distinct nature of the resistance coming from Dalit women. Dr. Jaswandi Wamburkar, from Dept. of History, S.N.D.T. Women’s University, Mumbai in her paper titled Women in Gandhian Movement: Case Studies in Maharashtra, invoked a deliberation on women’s movements in pre and post-independence India. She especially focused on the relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and Women’s issues during the freedom struggle and its relevance to understand contemporary scenario. The session was followed by an extensive interaction between the speakers and the audience. The session was concluded with Chairperson’s remarks and Vote of thanks.
Special Lecture:
The third plenary session was followed by a Special Lecture by Dr. Y.S. Alone, Professor in Visual Studies, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University. The session was chaired by Dr. Umesh Bagade, Professor and Head, Dept. of History and Ancient Indian Culture, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Dr. Alone’s paper titled “Reading Ambedkar in Contemporary Philosophical Discourse” highlighted the possible methods of approaching Ambedkar’s philosophy. He extensively discussed the scientific tenets in Ambedkar’s writings and how understanding them would help to understand the current class stratifications as well as the subaltern issues in Indian society. The lecture was concluded with Chairperson’s remarks and Vote of thanks.
Cultural Progamme was organized in the evening by the students of History Department, Ruia College and the theme was “Culture of Maharashtra”.
Day 2 – 11th January 2020
Plenary Session IV:
The fourth plenary session started on the second day of the seminar i.e. 12th January 2020. The theme of the session was Tribal Movement in India and it was chaired by Dr. Kishor Gaikwad, Professor of History, University of Mumbai and currently on deputation as Professor and Chairperson of Dr. Ambedkar Chair in Social Justice and Empowerment of Tribal Population, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, MP. First presenter for the session was Dr. Shamrao Koreti, Professor, P.G.T. Dept. of History, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur, Maharashtra. Dr. Koreti’s paper was titled Facets of Tribal Movements in India which provided an illuminating insight on the history of tribal movements and their peculiarities in India with reference to Maharashtra. Dr. Seema Mamta Minz, from Centre for Tribal Studies, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi, Jharkhand presented a paper titled Kol Uprising: A Beginning of Tribal Unrest against Alien Administrative System during Colonial Period. Dr. Minz starting with the background history of Kol insurrections elaborated the cultural, geographical and historical characteristics of tribal movements in Bihar from colonial times. The third panellist Dr. Prakash Masram, from the Dept. of History, University of Mumbai gave a presentation on the topic of Tribal movement during Colonial period in Vidarbha: Issues and Challenges. He discussed the tribal movement in Vidarbha and also analysed the issues and challenges before it. The session was followed by an interaction between the speakers and the audience. The session was concluded with Chairperson’s remarks and Vote of thanks.
Plenary Session V:
The fifth session was based upon the theme of Dalit Movement in India. Chairperson for the session was Dr. Badri Narayan, Professor of Social History and Cultural Anthropology, G.B. Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. First presenter of the session Mr. Devendra Ingale, from the Dept. of History, M.J. College, Jalgaon, Maharashtra presented a paper titled सत्तांतराच्या पार्श्वभूमीवर दीनमित्रकार मुकुंदराव पाटील यांची ‘सबाल्टर्न पत्रकारिता’आणि ग्रामीण शेतकरी जनसमुहाचा हुंकार! that discussed the contribution of Mukundrao Patil's sublatern journalism towards the subaltern movements in Maharashtra. Ms. Laxmi Salvi, from the Dept. of History, University of Mumbai presented a paper titled Understanding Dalits’ Dynamics in the Bombay Presidency with reference to its Rise and Growth that discussed ethnological and sociological aspects of the grooming of Dalit movements in Bombay presidency. Mr. Sumedh Lokhande, a Senior Visiting Scholar at Shandong University, Jinan, China paraphrased a vast topic of Dichotomy in the 21st Century Dalit Movement in his paper. He discussed the political challenges for these movements. The session was followed by an interaction between the speakers and the audience. The session was concluded with Chairperson’s remarks and Vote of thanks.
Technical Sessions:
The fifth plenary session was followed by a lunch break and the technical session. In the technical session was devised into parallel sessions in which all the paper presenters presented their papers. All the presenters were allotted venues based on themes. The parallel sessions took place at seven venues in the college.
Technical Session 1- Subaltern Historiography – Evolution and Critique – Chaired by Dr. Himanshu Kumar Chaturvedi, Professor and Ex. Head, Department of History and Philosophy, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh and Hon. Member, Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi
Technical Session 2 - Women’s Movement in India–Chaired by Dr. Preeta Nilesh, Prof. and and Head, Dept. of History, KET’s Vaze College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mulund, Mumbai
Technical Session 3 - Peasant Movement in India - Chaired by Dr. Anuradha Ranade, Former Principal and Associate Professor of History, K.V. Pendharkar College, Dombivli, Thane, Maharashtra
Technical Session 4 - Labour Movement in India - Chaired by Dr. Avkash Jadhav, Associate Professor and Head, Dept. of History, St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Mumbai, Maharashtra
Technical Session 5 - Dalit Movement in India (I) -Chaired by Dr. Sudhakar Lahupachang, Principal and Associate Professor of History, SMDL College, Kalamboli, Panvel, Maharashtra
Technical Session 6- Dalit Movement in India (II) -Chaired by Mr. Anil R. Bankar, Associate Professor of History and Assistant Director, Institute of Distance Education and Open Learning, University of Mumbai, Kalina, Mumbai
Technical Session 7 -Tribal Movement in India –Chaired by Dr. Shamrao Koreti, Professor, P.G.T. Dept. of History, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur, Maharashtra
Valedictory Session:
The Chief Guest and Valedictory speaker for the session was Prof. Kishor Gaikwad. Dr. Gaikwad delivered a lecture on ‘Decoding Repressed Memory of Autonomous Tribes: Archiving Gond-Baiga Dissent in Central India’. In his elaborate talk, Dr. Gaikwad unravelled the unexplored trajectory of Gond-Baiga tribes. He discussed their history, socio-economic condition and their condition on the margins. The Guest of Honour for the session was Prof. Himanshu Kumar Chaturvedi who appreciated the efforts taken for the seminar and gave his suggestive remarks for the organizers. The seminar concluded with Feedback from the few participants and distribution of the Certificates. This was followed with the Vote of Thanks by Dr. Pradeep Waghmare, Convener of the seminar.