The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library

Teen Murti House, New Delhi- 110011

           cordially invites you to  the International Conference

          at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday- Saturday, 6-8 December 2012

           in the Seminar Room, First Floor, Library Building

on

‘Negotiating space in the medieval World:

(Comparing early medieval India, the Islamic heartland and medieval Europe)

 in association with

Prof. Madhavan Palat , Editor, Selected Works of

Jawaharlal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund               and

Prof. Himanshu P. Ray, Chairperson, National Monuments Authority

Abstract:

Our conceptualizations of space are culturally regulated. We imbue defined spaces with meaning, project our schemes onto them and invest our thoughts, values and collective sensibilities in them. These spaces often become a means of constructing the collective past and social traditions, as well as personal and social identities. In this workshop, we address issues relating to the construction of space and the delineation of specific areas for particular purposes.

The theme draws on secondary literature by anthropologists and cultural geographers on the social and cultural construction of space. This space encompasses a range of environments from the village to the shrine, from journeys cutting across space to those connected through trade and economic transactions. These are by no means static categories and are instead decoded and invested with new meaning over time leading to re-appropriations and re-inventions both spatially and temporally.

Cross-cultural engagement no doubt highlights commonalities, but also underscores dissimilarities and differences. Sometimes the differences are more telling than the common features. For example, a comparison is often made between veneration of relics in medieval Christianity and Buddhism in South Asia. How valid is this comparison when one considers major differences in the nature of distribution and authentication of relics? Are these differences rooted in a cultural context? Does cross-cultural also mean engaging with diverse intellectual paradigms?

The spatial scope of the workshop includes both Europe and Asia, while in temporal terms, we would like to structure the discussion from the eighth to the fourteenth century CE. Within this very wide canvas, the focus would be on the following two themes.

·       Spaces of Transformation and Identity: Under this rubric, we would like to compare and contrast examples from the built environment, as also spatial vocabularies across a range of cultural contexts including texts in Sanskrit, Latin, Persian and Arabic. The issues to be addressed include engagement with space as a way of articulating political ascendancy, or individual identity, or a sense of transcendence. For example, the poetry about the iwan of Chosroes serves as a part of the re-appropriation of formerly Sassanian sites by Arab rulers; indicating the engagement of pre-Islamic poets with the vastness of the desert and its association with a particular world view and a distinctive notion of fate and the place of the individual in the universe.

·       Space of Interaction and Trade: Trade is seen as forging channels of communication for the development of new languages and knowledge, but more importantly it is located in markets, and predicated on the skills of money changers, bankers and money lenders. To what extent do cultural parameters determine the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  nature and location of markets? Another aspect of the theme highlights the cultural context of money and the extent to which coins reflect ways in which several sections of society, including rulers bolstered their power through the use of imagery on coins, myths, language, and material culture. How do coins interpenetrate political spaces?

Programme Schedule

	Thursday, 6 December 2012
9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.	Welcome by Prof. Mahesh Rangarajan, Director, NMML Introductory Remarks by Prof. Madhavan Palat Editor, Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, JNMF and Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray, Chairperson, National Monuments Authority
9:15 a.m.- 10:30 a.m.	Keynote Address
Chair:	Prof. Madhavan Palat, Editor, Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, JNMF
Speaker:	Prof. Benjamin Kedar, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel    ‘Jerusalem’s Sacred Esplanade’
10:30a.m.-10:45a.m.	Tea Break
10:45a.m.- 1:00 p.m.	PANEL 1:  Transforming the  Natural Landscape
Speakers:	Prof. Sharon E. J. Gerstel, University of California, Los Angeles, U.S.A. ( Skype) ‘Sacred Space and Sacred Topography:  Holy Mountains of Medieval Byzantium’
	Prof. Vidula Jayaswal, Jnana Pravaha, Varansi ‘ Sacred Spaces of the middle Ganga valley:  A case study of Varanasi ‘
Discussant:	Prof. Benjamin Kedar , Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.	Lunch
2:00 p.m. - 3.30 p.m.	PANEL 2:  Archaeology of Sacred Landscapes
Chair:	Prof. Lisa Owen, University of North Texas, U.S.A.
Speakers :	Prof. Uma Kant Mishra, Lecturer, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, Orissa ‘Shrines as ‘monuments’ :  Issues of classification, custody and conflict. A study of conservation and protection of Khandagiri-Udayagiri and Lingaraja of Bhubaneswar’
	Ms. Aparajita Bhattacharya, University of Delhi ‘The power of the past, invoking tradition in negotiating    sacred space: The Curious case of a Central Indian village’
3:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.	Tea Break
Discussant:	Ms. Deeksha Bharadwaj, Gargi College, University of Delhi
	Friday, 7 December 2012
9:00a.m.- 11: 00 a.m.	PANEL 3 : Conceptualizing Space
Chair:	Prof. Benjamin Kedar, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Speakers :	Dr. Christine Stephan-Kaissis, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, Germany ‘Transcultural visions of the World:  Seeing India through Byzantine eyes’
	Prof Himanshu Prabha Ray, National Monuments Authority, New Delhi.  ‘The Hindu Temple and the Archaeology of Sacred Space’
Discussant:	Dr. Shonaleeka Kaul, Department of History, University of Delhi
11:00a.m.-11:15 a.m.	Tea Break
11:15a.m.- 1:30 p.m.	PANEL 4 : Religious Identity and Sacred Landscapes
Chair:	Prof. Vidula Jayaswal, Jnana Pravaha, Varanasi.
Speakers :	Dr. Lisa Owen University of North Texas, Dallas, U.S.A. ‘Constructing sacred space and identity through imagery:  A study of Medieval Jain rock-cut sites in Tamil Nadu’
	Dr. Anne Casile, Research Fellow, Research Institute for Development, Paris, France ‘Negotiating space around water: Reading the archaeological landscapes of an agro-urban centre in early Medieval Central India’
1:30 p.m.– 2:30 p.m.	Lunch
2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
	Dr. Sandrine Gill, Independent Researcher, Paris.  ‘Space, Architecture, landscape and rituals at Paharpur (Bangladesh) and Conques (France)’
Discussant:	Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray, Chairperson, National Monuments Authority
4:00 p.m.- 4:15 p.m.	Tea Break
4:15p.m. – 5:30 p.m.	PANEL 5 : Monetary Space
Chair:	Prof. Farhat Hasan, Department of History, University of Delhi
Speakers:	Ms. Mamta Dwivedi, Doctoral Candidate, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi ‘Colonial imagination and identity attribution: Numismatic cues for community identufication’
	Dr. Peter van Alfen, American Numismatic Society, New York, U.S.A. (skype) ‘The construction and contestation of monetary space in the Ancient and Early Medieval Mediterranean World’
5:30 p.m.	Dr. Rebecca Day, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, U.S.A. ‘Self, Other and the Use and Appropriation of Late Roman Coins in South India and Sri Lanka (4th-8th centuries A.D’ (skype.)
Discussant:	Dr. Shailendra Bhandare, , Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
	Saturday, 8 December 2012
9:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m.	PANEL 6:  ‘Writing’ Space
Chair:	Prof. Udaya Kumar, Senior Fellow, NMML
Speakers:	Prof. Noemie Verdon, University of Lausanne, Switzerland ‘Al-Biruni’s conceptualization of al-Hind’
	Dr. Shonaleeka Kaul, Department of History, University of Delhi . ‘Kalhana’s Kashmir: Aspect of the Literary Production of space in the Rajatarangini’
Discussant:	Prof. Bhairabi Prasad Sahu, Department of History, University of Delhi
11:00a.m.-11:15 a.m.	Tea Break
11:15a.m.-1:30 p.m.	Panel 7:  Monetary Space in History
Chair:	Prof. Bhairabi Prasad Sahu, Department of History, University of Delhi
Speakers:	Dr. Shailendra Bhandare, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford  ‘‘Space for Change’ :  Reviewing ‘paucity of coins’ in Early Medieval India with regard to data methodology and interpretation’
	Dr. Sanjay Garg, SAARC Cultural Centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka (skype) ‘Sikka and the Khillat: Caliphal Recognition of Muslim Rule India – A Numismatic Study’
Discussant	Prof. Farhat Hasan, Department of History, University of Delhi
1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m .	LUNCH

Philippines protest Chinese jurisdicton

 Philippine government is protesting China's plan to search ships that stay without permission in what Beijing says is its territory in the South China Sea.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Philippine foreign ministry urged the Chinese government to immediately provide clear explanations about the plan.

The ministry said that if the ordinance is true, it would infringe on the rights of neighboring nations and violate international law.

The statement followed a report by China's state-run Xinhua news agency that Hainan Province will have the power to embark on and check ships in Chinese-claimed waters in the South China Sea.

NEW HIGH-SPEED RAILWAY 300KM/PH OPENS IN CHINA

December 2, 2012

China has launched a high-speed railway service in the northeast of the country. The 920-kilometer-line links Dalian in Liaoning Province with Harbin in Heilongjiang Province.

This  train runs at a top speed of 300 kilometers per hour and shortens the previous travel time of 9 hours to about 3 hours.High-speed railway construction in China was temporarily suspended after 2 trains collided in the eastern province of Zhejiang in July last year. The accident killed 40 people.

A 2,200-kilometer line will soon be completed connecting the capital Beijing to Guangzhou, in the southern province of Guangdong.
Chinese Internet users and bloggers have expressed concerns over the safety of the high-speed trains.

The government says the northeastern train will run at a speed of 200 kilometers in winter when temperatures in the region can reach minus 40 degrees Celsius.

Phatlum in pole position, Hedwall sets course record, Aditi best Indian at Hero Women’s Indian Open

Gurgaon, December 1: Two-time champion Phatlum Pornanong of Thailand moved into the pole position, while the defending champion Swede Caroline Hedwall cracked the course record as the duo revived memories of their 2011 battle at the DLF Golf and Country Club. At the end of 36 holes in the sixth Hero Women’s Indian Open, Phatlum, second to Hedwall in 2011, carded seven-under 65 to share the lead with Australian Bree Arthur (67) at seven-under 137.

Six Indians, three each from pro and amateur ranks made the cut. The best Indian pro was Nalini Singh Siwach (73-74), tied 33^rd, Sharmila Nicollet (73-76) was tied 43^rd and Vani Kapoor (75-75) at tied 47^th made the cut. The best Indian was an amateur, Aditi Ashok (69-74) was tied 10^th and the others were Gurbani Singh (76-73), tied 43^rd and Millie Saroha (76-76) tied 62^nd.

Meanwhile Hedwall rebounded from opening day’s 76 to bring in a 10-under 62 – bettering the course record of 65 set by Laura Davies in 2010 - to get to six-under in sole third place at 136. Laura Davies (69) recovered from back-to-back bogeys on the 15^th and 16^th with a great second shot on the 18^th that landed within 15 feet of the flag. She holed the eagle putt to re-kindle memories of the eagle she landed in 2010 enroute to a title win at the same course and event.

Florentyna Parker (70-71), Nontaya Srisawang, tied second in 2010, (71-70) and Elizabeth Bennett (72-69) were tied fifth at three-under 141. Behind them in tied eighth were Stefania Croce (69-73), the first-round co-leader, and Kiran Matharu (73-69), who after being four-over through six holes on Friday has not used her driver since and then found eight birdies against just two bogeys to be two-under 142.

The Indian contingent which had a brilliant start on Friday was somewhat subdued on Saturday, but 14-year-old school girl, Aditi Ashok, held her nerves to shoot a 74 that kept her as the best Indian at one-under 143 and in tied 10^th alongside the likes of ISPS Handa Order of Merit leader Carlota Ciganda (75-68) and Becky Morgan (70-73).

Nalini Singh Siwach (74, three-over 147), had very contrasting front and back nines. “I just could not do anything right for first 10 holes and then everything fell in place,” said Nalini, who is due to play LET Q-School next week. “I was five-over after 10 and had four birdies and one bogey after that. It was a relief to find the rhythm back.”

Sharmila, who had another eagle on Saturday, continued to mis-read the greens while Vani Kapoor who had 10 pars to start with was still without a birdie in two days.

The only non-Indian to have played in each of the six Indian Opens, Phatlum was in blistering form. The soft-spoken Phatlum made a very slow start from the tenth with three pars and a bogey and then she exploded into form with eight birdies and six pars. She picked birdies on No. 14, 15, 17, 18, two, six, eight and nine.

Phatlum, has two wins and two top-six finishes, including a second last year in five previous starts at this event. She turns 23 two days after the end of the 2012 Hero Women’s Indian Open and smiled saying she would love an early birthday present.

“My drives today were much better than yesterday, when I only hit six fairways,” said Phatlum, who bases herself with an aunt in Washington DC. “Today I hit about 12 fairways and putted well. I made 26 putts today. I just want to play relaxed tomorrow and play shot by shot. I will practice putting and prepare for tomorrow.”

Languishing way down the leaderboard after a first round 76, the 23-year-old defending champion Hedwall moved into top gear on the second day with a course record-breaking 10-under 62, which included a three-putt start on the first and a bogey on pad-3 11^th. She had nine birdies and an eagle as she moved from tied 47^th to third.

Hedwall recorded a personal career best that helped her move to six-under for 36 holes. “I hit it a little bit closer but I had a lot of birdie opportunities yesterday and putted terribly, it was really bad,” said Hedwall. “Today I felt good about it and gave myself a lot of opportunities and holed a couple today too, even though I probably had five or six birdies that I could pretty much tap-in.”

Arthur, a second year LET player, went out in level par 36 with three birdies and three bogeys on the front nine. However she made a charge with five birdies on the back nine for a 67 to join Phatlum, the clubhouse leader. “I went out today with no expectations and I knew the course owed me a few shots as I got a bit unlucky yesterday,” said Arthur, making her first visit to India.

She played the back nine more aggressively. “I walked off the ninth having three-putted and got quite angry so I said, that’s it: I’m going to go for everything because I should have been four or five under on the front nine. I had a few unlucky bounces and I thought, if I keep going, I’m going to get some birdies,” said the 24-year-old from Ispwich in Queensland.

The cut fell at eight-over 152 and 71 players, including three amateurs made the cut.

Egypt to hold constitution referendum

Egypt to hold constitution referendum on Dec. 15

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi said  the country’s new draft constitution will be put to a referendum on December 15th. President made the announcement on Saturday evening, one day after the constituent assembly rushed to approve the document.Morsi called on all Egyptians to take part in the referendum, whether or not they agree with the draft.

Morsi’s opponents, including liberals and secularists, are criticizing hasty approval of the draft constitution by the Islamist-dominated assembly.It is possible that the Constitutional Court could order the dissolution of the constituent assembly.

Supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi have staged massive rallies across the country, amid mounting protests against his decision to expand presidential powers.

Tens of thousands of people gathered around Cairo University on Saturday. It was the largest turnout of Morsi supporters since he took office in June.

They responded to calls by the Muslim Brotherhood, which supports Morsi’s presidency.

Security forces were on alert for possible clashes between opponents and supporters of the president.

One supporter said it’s reasonable for the president to strengthen his power and unite the country in turmoil.
In the northern city of Alexandria, clashes between supporters and opponents have resulted in injuries.

Secular groups and youths are protesting Morsi’s decree last month to put his decisions beyond judicial challenge.

Opponents are also criticizing the hasty approval of a draft constitution on Friday, by the Islamist-dominated assembly.