Embedded in the field of South Asian Studies, this YCAR-supported series engages with the methodologies and epistemologies of researchers, educators and artists as they reflect on their pedagogies, commitments, responsibilities and accountabilities in academic teaching. With the arts as thematic focus, the three speakers—from the United States, India as well as our Faculty Associate Soma Chatterjee (School of Social Work)—will share their experiences theorizing dance, theatre, literature and visual arts in the classroom and beyond in light of decolonizing pedagogies and pedagogies of care and kindness.

Sai Bhatawadekar (University of Hawai‘i) will launch the series on 08 February with her presentation on the pedagogy of care, creativity, and community. Professor Bhatawadekar is an award winning professor and teacher of South Asian languages and culture; she is also a choreographer, theater director, poet, and philosopher.

Koral Dasputa, author and founder of www.tellmeyourstory.biz, will speak on “Privileges and Social Justice: The COVID 19 Art Project” on 19 March 2023. The series’ final event is Professor Chatterjee’s talk, From Migrant Settlement to Mobility Justice: Reflections on Teaching/Learning about Migration in a Settler Colonial Setting.

The culminating event will be held in person, while the first two in the series are virtual. Learn more about the series or register for events at this link.

The Decolonizing Pedagogies and Pedagogies of Care in the South Asian Studies Classroom series is organized by Shobna Nijhawan (Languages Literatures and Linguistics).