© Shalini Singh

Overview

Sponsors: The University of the West Indies (St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago), the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC), Trinidad and Tobago and The University of Trinidad and Tobago.

Venues: June 1 - Opening Ceremony at The Divali Nagar, Chaguanas, Trinidad
June 2-4 - Learning Resource Centre, St. Augustine Campus, The University of the West Indies

Dates: Wednesday 1st June to Saturday 4th June 2011.

Background:
The St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies has since 1975, played a pioneering role in promoting debate, discussion and publications regarding the Indian diaspora. The following is a list of conferences held since 1975:

  • 1975 -- East Indians in the Caribbean: colonialism and the struggle for identity.
  • 1979 -- East Indians in the Caribbean: a focus on contemporary issues.
  • 1984 -- East Indians in the Caribbean: beyond survival.
  • 1995 -- Challenge and change: the Indian diaspora in its historical and contemporary contexts.
  • 2000 -- Asian immigrations to the Caribbean.
  • 2002 -- Religions in the New World: adaptation and change.

From these Caribbean beginnings, diasporic conferences have been held since 1987 in New York, Toronto and at the Centre for Caribbean studies, University of Warwick in May 1988. The most recent was held at University of Warwick (UK) in June 2010. Following that successful Warwick conference, participants agreed to conduct another meeting in Trinidad during the period Wednesday 1st to Saturday 4th June 2011.

Panels:

  1. The Civilizational heritage. 
  2. The historical context.   
  3. Cultural reconstruction in diasporic communities: resistance, accommodation and survival.  
  4. Family histories and biographies.
  1. Leadership and Power relations in the South Asian Diaspora (South Asians and the Law)
  2. Gender issues in the South Asian diaspora: Critical challenges of feminism and masculinity
  3. a. Voices from the South Asian Diaspora

            b. South Asians in the Media.

  1. South Asian religions in the Diaspora.
  2. Diaspora influences on South Asia.
  3. Economic enterprise in the South Asian diaspora.
  4. Science, Technology, Medicine and Lifestyle