Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, one of CISA’s partners.
The University of the Witwatersrand.
The Centre for Indian Studies in Africa (CISA) was established at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg towards the end of 2007. The Centre is the first in Africa to focus on India.
CISA promotes teaching, research and public activities concerning the Indian sub-continent, its links to Africa and the Indian Ocean, and builds on the multi-faceted networks developed with Indian universities, research institutions and public agencies.
The Centre’s public activities are part of its mandate to contribute to the consolidation of economic, political and cultural relations between India and South Africa, and between India and other African countries.
The rise of India as a global power presents significant opportunities to the academy both locally and internationally. Sino-Indian rivalry as well as competition with the US challenge the certainties of an older three-world geopolitics and models of ‘North and South’. Existing categories for studying the world (the ‘West’, area studies, third worldism, south-south relations, postcolonialism) have been brought into question.
As an arena in which these developments intersect, the Indian Ocean offers a privileged vantage point from which to track a changing world order. Sino-Indo-US competition plays itself out in both Africa – most prominently over hydro-carbons and other minerals – as well as in the Indian Ocean. The increase in the number of ‘failed states’ in the wake of the end of Cold War policing has become internationally visible: warlordism in Somalia moves out to sea in the form of piracy. Al-Qaida attacks in Kenya, Tanzania, Comoros and Yemen (all Indian Ocean littorals) and the US occupation of the Diego Garcia atoll are other examples which highlight critical international trajectories.
These developments have directed South African attention towards the Indian Ocean, and especially towards India itself. The countries share long-standing historical links and post-1994 there has been a significant intensification of trade, investment, tourist and educational links.
Because India supported anti-apartheid sanctions from its independence in 1947, there was no trade or investment between India and SA before 1994, but there has been a remarkable increase since. Today total bilateral trade amounts to over US$4 billion. Around 40 major corporations from each country now operate in the other, including many familiar corporate names: Tata, Ranbaxy, Bajaj, ICICI, Anglo American, Sasol, Sanlam and Shoprite. Others such as Infosys and Standard Bank are evaluating possible entry.
In 2006, the University of the Witwatersrand responded to an upsurge of interest and energy in this field by establishing the ‘South Africa-India Research Thrust’ as one of its eight major University-sponsored initiatives. As such, it brought together numerous academics on its staff doing research on Indian issues or in collaboration with Indian colleagues.
The emerging research framework of the Centre is based on four themes:
- Comparisons between India and South Africa on historical and current issues and challenges
- Connections between India and South Africa and the rest of Africa
- Cosmopolitanism, or the formation of a transnational public sphere encompassing the Indian Ocean
- Collaborations in applied research supporting policy and innovation for development
CISA supports Wits scholars in their research projects by assisting with fundraising, establishing collaboration with institutions and individuals in India, and logistics where necessary. The Centre in addition carries out its own research projects, and consolidates relationships with Indian institutions to promote academic exchanges. During 2009 it plans a monthly academic seminar with visiting scholars and research students, as well as several conferences and workshops, for example on ‘Print Cultures, Nationalisms and Publics of the Indian Ocean’ (in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Culture and Society in Bangalore and Roskilde University, Denmark); a postgraduate workshop on transnational Indian Ocean research methodology in collaboration with Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi; and a colloquium on ‘Indian Ocean Security and Shifting Global Geo-political Imperatives’. Teaching activity is undertaken in collaboration with teaching departments/schools at Wits. Four modules will be offered from 2010 and together they will comprise an MA programme in Indian Studies:
- Indian Ocean History
- South Asian History
- Indian Fiction in English
- Indian Economy and Politics since Independence
These modules will also be available to postgraduate students across the Humanities and in other faculties as individual options within their Masters’ programmes.
The Centre’s public engagement forms part of its mandate to contribute to the consolidation of economic, political and cultural relations between India and South Africa, and between India and other African countries. Activities during 2009 will include a third ‘Words on Water’ literary festival in September 2009 as well as high-profile public lectures by leading Indian literary or business figures. CISA plans to offer short courses to the general public on subjects such as ‘Doing Business in India’ and ‘Basic Hindi’, probably starting in 2010. These will contribute ‘third stream’ income to the Centre, as will the possibility of consulting activities for corporate and public sector clients.
The Centre has been involved in public policy development in both India and South Africa, via participation in several workshops on foreign policy during 2008: one in Pretoria hosted by the South African Department of Foreign Affairs, and two in Delhi co-sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs. At the bilateral meeting between the countries in March 2008, the Centre’s establishment was welcomed by both the Minister of Foreign Affairs, South Africa, and of External Affairs, India.
CISA has been established in line with the policies of Wits University and its Faculty of Humanities. The Dean of the Faculty of Humanities is chair of the Advisory Board. The advisory Board includes members of civil society, the Indian business community in SA and the SA business community in India. Though neither government defines the Centre’s activities, the Indian Consul-General in Johannesburg and an official from the SA Government Department of Foreign Affairs participate in the Advisory Board ex-officio.
We hope to appoint a research professor in Indian studies in the course of 2009, subject to funding. Other permanent staff will include two post-doctoral fellows while there will be visiting scholars on one- to three-month stays.