KINDOWS International Symposium “Infrastructures of Coexistence in the Indian Ocean World”

Registration for participation (Registration deadline: Novemver 30th): https://forms.gle/KbgDQrbanu695dCT8

Outline of the Symposium

Towards the end of his carrier, Bruno Latour used the term “critical zones” to refer to the dwelling places which human and non-human beings share. They are critical –indispensable – for the sustenance of various forms of life. They are also in critical condition, due to violent conflicts, exploitation, pollution, climate change, etc. This symposium is also inspired by Arjun Appadurai’s intervention, who argued for area studies based on “process geography” (as opposed to “trait geography”), which sees areas of human organization as emerging from various kinds of action, interaction, and motion – trade, travel, pilgrimage, warfare, proselytization, colonization, exile and so on. In this perspective, various ‘areas’ emerge through action, interaction, and imagination of various actors – including farmers, pastoralists, refugees, corporations, governments, international organizations – and depending on the issues that are foregrounded – such as deforestation, disaster mitigation, indigenous rights, and urban planning. Therefore, in this symposium, we not only focus on conflict between human groups (class, caste, ethnic, national, religious, and otherwise), but also look at infrastructure, ecological landscapes and various organizations and forms of governance as human-nonhuman hybrids, to explore the possibilities for peaceful coexistence and cohabitation in the Indian Ocean World.

Organizer

• NIHU Indian Ocean World Studies Project 
• Center for Indian Ocean World Studies, Kyoto University (KINDOWS)