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Two Lankans selected for SSRC fellowship in New York

Two Sri Lankans are among a group of social scientists and humanists from South Asia who have received prestigious fellowships from the South Asia programme of the Social Science Research Council in New York under a new regional fellowship program announced on Tuesday for this year 2002-2003.

They are Pushpa Kumar Jayasinghe of the Wayamba University who has received a senior fellowship and Neluka Silva of the Colombo University who has received a junior fellowship.

A communique issued by the Social Science Research Council said:

The prestigious fellowships, which are targeted at social scientists and humanists based at universities and colleges across South Asia, allow recipients to take time off from their teaching and administrative duties in order to begin new research or write up completed fieldwork.

This program, which is in its first year, awarded 13 fellowships to academics from across the region after a rigorous selection by an international panel of scholars.

Of the winners, five are from India, three from Pakistan, two each from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and one from Nepal. Said SSRC program director Dr. Itty Abraham. "We were delighted to see that a number of the fellows come from non-metropolitan and mofussil centres. We feel it is extremely important that the hard working academics based in smaller universities and regional colleges get the recognitions they deserve."

The South Asia Regional Fellowship Program seeks to highlight the work being done by scholars within the region, and is open to all postdoctoral scholars teaching full time.

Each year, the program identifies a theme of public importance that bridges disciplinary divides and is of relevance to the region as a whole. While the theme for the first year was "resources", the theme for 2003-4 is "migration".

The fellowship is administered through regional partner organizations to make it as easy as possible for local scholars to get information and support in the application process. In Sri Lanka the node is the Social Scientists Association, Colombo, in Pakistan it is the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad, in Nepal it is Himal Association, in Bangladesh, the partners is the Centre for Alternatives, and in India, it is the Centre for the Study of Social Sciences, Calcutta.

These leading research centres also work with the SSRC in developing new inter-disciplinary research projects.

During the fellowship period, fellows affiliate with research centres. This seeks to redress the disturbing trend in South Asia of compartmentalizing teaching in universities and research in institutes. Fellows are encouraged to incorporate their research into their regular work by modifying existing courses they teach or introducing new courses in the university.

This helps for the essential reciprocal link between research and teaching. Prior to the start of their research, selected fellows attend an annual training workshop and conference. This workshop is guided by a team of international experts on the chosen theme.

Comprised of public lectures, interactive sessions and an international conference, this experience enables fellows to reexamine their subject in the light of contemporary theoretical approaches. Dr. Dipak Gyawali of the Royal Nepal Academy of Sciences, and chair of the organizing committee, adds "This encounter also acts as a regional forum to exchange research ideas with scholars from other countries. Such forums have been sorely lacking in the region."

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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