American Institute of Indian Studies Podcast

The Drama of Democracy: Performance and Politics with Dr. Lisa Björkman

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 14:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we’ll hear from Lisa Björkman on her new book: Drama of Democracy: Political Representation in Mumbai. Dr. Bjorkman explains her approach to democracy through performance, emphasizing audience, interpretation, and "uptake" in how political displays are encountered and evaluated. The conversation explores representation as an embodied, real-time process shaped through rallies, crowds, and affective communication, and considers how Mumbai’s political theatricality challenges common assumptions about truth, emotion, and authoritarianism.

Drama of Democracy: Political Representation in Mumbai is available now through The University of Minnesota Press.

For more information about AIIS programs, visit indiastudies.org.

Produced by AIIS
Intro and Outro music: “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

The Next Era of AIIS

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we’ll meet the new Executive Director of AIIS, Dr. Emily Rook-Koepsel. As many of you know, the long-time US Director of AIIS, Dr. Elise Auerbach, retired this spring and has left us an incredible legacy of language, research, and outreach programs that have become the gold standard across disciplines for study abroad. Today, we’ll hear from Dr. Rook-Koepsel about this next era of AIIS, the plans for the future, and what to look forward to this year.

For more information about AIIS programs, visit indiastudies.org.

Produced by AIIS
Intro and Outro music: “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

DIL Futures: Exploring the present and future of the AIIS Digital India Learning initiative

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 21:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we explore the bright and fascinating futures of the AIIS Digital India Learning initiative. Launched in 2019 as a new effort from AIIS President Sumathi Ramaswamy, the DIL program has already awarded several rounds of grants to senior scholars and students creating digital projects on India from across the spectrum of disciplines and methodologies. The initiative has funded work on everything from digital resources on urban planning, to bhakti or devotional digital archives, to image archives of 18th century South Indian textiles, and oral epics and clay modeling digital exhibits.

Joining us today to talk about the current state of the DIL initiative and its broad and promising futures, is James Nye, Director of the Digital South Asia Library and an associate of the Humanities Division at the University of Chicago; Gil Ben-Herut, Professor in the Religious Studies Department, University of South Florida; Haimonti Dutta, Associate Professor of Management Science and Systems in the School of Management at the University of Buffalo; Jajwalya Karajgikar, Applied Data Science Librarian for the University of Pennsylvania; and Deepthi Murali, Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Art History at George Mason University.

www.indiastudies.org/digital-scholarship/

Produced by AIIS
Intro and Outro music: “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

Marriott Memories: The life and impact of McKim Marriott

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 09:00:00 -0600

In this episode, we look back on the work and impact of McKim Marriott, Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, who passed earlier this year on July 3, 2024. Initially, we recorded this conversation as a celebration of work and impact, but after his passing this summer, we wanted to share this as a celebration of work and a remembrance.

Joining us today in conversation on the life and work of McKim Marriott is Nita Kumar, Brown Family Professor Emerita of South Asian History at Claremont McKenna College, Ralph W. Nicholas, William Rainey Harper Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and of Social Sciences at the University of Chicago, Gloria Raheja, Professor Emerita of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota, and Ann Gold, Thomas J. Watson Professor Emerita at Syracuse University.

Produced by AIIS
Intro and Outro music: “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

AIIS and Tech: Languages, Code, Design, and Careers with former AIIS language students

Tue, 28 May 2024 16:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we look to the world of tech and the bridges that AIIS students create between Indian and South Asian Studies and successful careers in technology fields of all kinds. The stereotypical careers that stem from the study of Indic languages and South Asian Studies may be in the humanities, but many AIIS language students have made the jump from South Asian Studies to STEM fields. They have used their diverse language and humanities training to make themselves stand out in a crowded applicant field and have also applied their AIIS study abroad experiences directly into their daily work to allow them to bring fresh perspectives to traditional solutions in tech, whether it is coding, design, or leadership and management. Join us today to speak with three former AIIS language students as we chat about study abroad experiences, how they switched careers from South Asian Studies to tech, and tips on making the leap to a non-traditional career track.

Joining us in this episode is Nicole Hemenway Bratz, former AIIS Sanskrit and Urdu student and current Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Capsle Stories: www.capslestories.com; Tyler Neill, former AIIS Prakrit student and currently a software engineer and Sanskritist living in NYC: tylerneill.info; and Rachael Hyland, former AIIS Hindi and Bangla student and current Senior Content Designer at Intuit. Rachel's blog post on Hindi and product design was a major catalyst for this conversation. You can read her thoughts on combining study abroad, language learning, and product design on the Intuit Design blog.

The AIIS Language Program offers nine-month academic year, summer and semester courses at elementary to advanced levels in many languages, including several that are rarely taught outside of India.

Produced by AIIS
Intro and Outro music: “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

Creating and collaborating through digital projects with the AIIS Digital Sonic and Visual Projects fellowships

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, we explore what it’s like to create born digital projects in India with support from the two AIIS research centers: the Center for Art and Archeology (CA&A) and the Archives and Research Centers for Ethnomusicology (ARCE). Both units share an online archive and digital exhibit space, the Virtual Museum of Images and Sounds, that you can visit and browse at vmis.in.

The DIL Summer Student Fellowships for Digital Sonic and Visual Projects has supported two cohorts of students in 2022 and 2023 to travel to India and conduct research at the CA&A and ARCE under the fantastic guidance of Dr. Vandana Sinha and Dr. Shubha Chaudhuri.

We will hear reflections on the process of creating the 2023 DIL summer digital exhibits from beginning to end with Arya Adityan, a graduate student in the Department of Religion at Florida State University, Ava Bush, an undergraduate student completing her B.A. in Art History at Tulane University, Balakrishnan Raghavan, a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Jamphel Shonu, a graduate student in the Department of History at Pennsylvania State University, and Tyler Thom, a graduate student in the Department of Ethnomusicology at the University of Denver. We’ll begin with a conversation at the beginning of the summer program and then catch up with the participants after the program has ended.

Explore the digital projects on the VMIS website:
Arya Adityan - Oral Epics and Narratives: Villupāttu
Ava Bush - People’s Art: Clay Modelling in Ancient India
Balakrishnan Raghavan - Oral Epics and Narratives of India: Annanmar Katai
Jamphel Shonu - The Great Monastery of Nalanda
Tyler Thom - The Song Lines of Arnold Bake

For more information on AIIS digital program and fellowships, visit https://www.indiastudies.org/digital-scholarship.
The DIL Digital Sonic and visual Projects fellowships are partially supported by a grant from the US Department of Education.

Produced by AIIS
Intro and Outro music: “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

Sitar, Dhrupad, and breathing into the space of South Asian classical music

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we highlight new forms of innovative research being done on South Asian classical music through the AIIS performing and creative arts fellowship. Sitarist and ethnomusicologist Brian Q. Silver interviews sitarist and AIIS fellow Paul Livingstone. Through their knowledgeable experiences as international performers and dedicated musicians, Brian Q. Silver and Paul Livingstone discuss Paul's AIIS fellowship, the flavor of Dhrupad, and the techniques and freedom of giving space to music.

Paul Livingstone's latest podcasts, live event information, and fellowship inspired works are available online at paulzlivingstone.com and www.soulforceproject.com.

For more information on AIIS fellowships, visit www.indiastudies.org/research-fellowship-programs/.

Produced by AIIS and Paul Livingstone
Intro and Outro music: “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

60th Anniversary Series – Building Collaborations, Relationships, and Shared Homes in US-India Scholarship

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 22:00:00 -0600

This year we have been celebrating a history of scholarship in and through AIIS – exploring the narratives within the walls of the institute and the conversations that have happened thanks to the support of AIIS. In this episode, we turn from history to current research that highlights collaboration and co-creation, a foundational piece of what makes AIIS the American Institute of Indian Studies.

Join us for a discussion on forms of home inspired by the 2016 collaborative conference between Elon University and the University of Madras entitled “To Take Place: Culture, Religion and Home-Making in and Beyond South Asia.” In this conference, “speakers addressed the means and practices by which migrants, displaced persons and various other subcommunities in South Asia establish physical, conceptual and emotional spaces that put them at home or give rise to conflict with other groups.”

With conference co-creators Amy Allocco and James Ponniah we look to how AIIS has supported various forms of institutional collaboration, how concepts of the home shift in spaces and places, and how to successfully build a base (or home) from which to build long-lasting dialog and partners in scholarship.

The following interview is taken from a webinar that took place virtually on November 4, 2022.

*Transcript coming soon*

Produced by AIIS
Music “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

60th Anniversary Series - Collaboration and the Nilgiris Field Learning Program

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 04:00:00 -0500

This year we have been celebrating a history of scholarship in and through AIIS - exploring the narratives within the walls of the institute and the conversations that have happened thanks to the support of AIIS. In this episode, we turn from history to current research that highlights collaboration and co-creation, a foundational piece of what makes AIIS the American Institute of Indian Studies.

The Nilgiris Field Learning Program (NFLP) connects “Cornell faculty and students with practitioners and community members in the Nilgiris, the “blue hills” of southern India. Since 2015, the NFLC learning community has explored a range of issues around sustainability, conservation, livelihoods and education in a region recognized for its biodiversity.” Program members Neema Kudva, Andrew Willford, Pratim Roy, and Anita Varghese join us to explore how AIIS has supported this collaborative work, research methods in ethnographic collaboration and co-creation, what it means to work at the intersection of climate change, health, well-being, development, and study abroad.

The following interview is taken from a webinar that took place virtually on October 4, 2022 and is part 1 of 2 webinars this fall featuring India-US collaboration and AIIS.

*Transcript coming soon*

Produced by AIIS
Music “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

60th Anniversary Series – Robert P. Goldman on AIIS, Sanskrit Pedagogy, and Emerging Trends in Sanskrit Research

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 11:00:00 -0500

In this episode of our 60th anniversary series, we have the unique honor of speaking to a scholar who has been part of the foundational landscape of Sanskrit scholarship and education in the United States, Robert Goldman, Professor of the Graduate School and Catherine and William L. Magistretti Distinguished Professor of Sanskrit Emeritus at the University of California Berkeley. Besides helping to shape Sanskrit pedagogy in the US and publishing influential translations of a wide variety of Sanskrit literary works, Dr. Goldman has also been very active with AIIS - first as a junior and senior fellow, then a trustee and vice president of the institute.

As we look back on sixty years of AIIS, not only has the institute supported research across disciplines and created an important support system for the study of India in the United States, but AIIS has also been a critical part of language pedagogy for undergraduate and graduate students. In this episode, we’ll hear about AIIS and its role in development of Sanskrit pedagogy and scholarship in the US, Dr. Goldman’s own work and intersections with the institute, and the future of AIIS, language study, and Sanskrit in the US.

Visit aiis60.org to explore interactive timelines, a founding history of AIIS, information on centers and programs, and to stay up to date on AIIS 60th anniversary events.

Produced by AIIS
Music “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

60th Anniversary Series – A. N. Singh and Rakesh Ranjan on the history of the AIIS Hindi program and Hindi pedagogy

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 04:00:00 -0500

In this episode of our 60th anniversary series, Dr. A. N. Singh, AIIS Hindi program head, interviews Dr. Rakesh Ranjan, Senior Lecturer and Language Coordinator at Columbia University and former AIIS Hindi Language Program Director and current AIIS Language Committee member. In their interview, they discuss the early days of the Hindi language program at AIIS and its growth, the unique format and characteristics of the AIIS language programs, and current challenges and future directions of Hindi language learning.

A note to our listeners - the following interview is in Hindi. For those who would prefer an English transcript, you can download a pdf translation of this episode on our website, www.indiastudies.org.

60th Anniversary Series – Sandria Freitag and Thomas Metcalf on fellowships, friendships, and AIIS

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 02:00:00 -0500

This year, the American Institute of Indian Studies turns 60! To celebrate the history of AIIS, we have launched a year-long series of audio interviews exploring the history of AIIS over the last 60 years including the founding of the institute, its impact on scholarship and students, and the future of AIIS.

In this episode of our 60th anniversary series, Sandria Freitag, Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of History at NC State University and leader of the CAORC-AIIS faculty development seminars, interviews Thomas Metcalf, Emeritus Professor of History and Sarah Kailath Professor of Indian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and former AIIS Senior fellow and Chair of the Board of Trustees. In their interview, they reminisce about the early days of AIIS research fellowships, the memorable relationships created through AIIS over the years, and the forms AIIS programs should take in the future.

Visit aiis60.org to explore interactive timelines, a founding history of AIIS, information on centers and programs, and to stay up to date on AIIS 60th anniversary events.

*Transcript coming soon*

Produced by AIIS
Music “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

60th Anniversary Series - Philip Lutgendorf and Sara Simons on AIIS and Family, Memories, and Support

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 13:00:00 -0500

In this episode of our 60th anniversary series, former AIIS President and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Asian and Slavic Languages and Literature at the University of Iowa, Dr. Philip Lutgendorf, interviews Sara Simons of Philadelphia, former Career Advisor in the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as former AIIS fellow and current benefactor. In their interview, they discuss the Simons family’s many links with AIIS, Sara’s memories of the institute and of cultural life in Delhi over the years, and her decision, together with her brother, as longtime friends of AIIS, to support the Junior Fellowship program.

Visit aiis60.org to explore interactive timelines, a founding history of AIIS, information on centers and programs, and to stay up to date on AIIS 60th anniversary events.

*Transcript coming soon*

ERRATA: At one point in this conversation, the play Ghasiram Kotwal is mistakenly attributed to Girish Karnad, rather than Vijay Tendulkar. The discussants apologize for the error.

Produced by AIIS
Music “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

60th Anniversary Series - Sumathi Ramaswamy and Ralph W. Nicholas on History, Founding, and Reach of AIIS

Sat, 12 Feb 2022 22:00:00 -0600

In this inaugural episode of our 60th anniversary series, current AIIS President and James B. Duke Professor of History at Duke University, Dr. Sumathi Ramaswamy, interviews former AIIS president and William Rainey Harper Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and of Social Sciences at the University of Chicago, Ralph W. Nicholas. During their interview, they discuss the history of the institute, its founding in a specific political atmosphere, Dr. Nicholas’ presidency during a unique time in US-India relations, and the impact of AIIS across scholarly fields.

Visit aiis60.org to explore interactive timelines, a founding history of AIIS, information on centers and programs, and to stay up to date on AIIS 60th anniversary events.

Produced by AIIS
Music “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

AIIS Filmmaker Fellows

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 22:00:00 -0600

In this episode, we will highlight the innovative visual and multimodal work of former AIIS fellows and filmmakers. AIIS offers four categories of research fellowships: Junior fellowships, Senior long-term and short-term fellowships, and Performing and Creative Arts fellowships - and within any of these categories, the form that research takes can be moulded to fit what the fellows see as the best format for their work. Several of our fellows have explored visual storytelling as the medium through which to explore their research questions and communicate their findings to the public and back to the communities that they have studied.

Joining us in this episode:

Natasha Raheja, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Performing and Media Arts at Cornell University. Her projects explore questions of migration, belonging, and citizenship. S Natasha is the director of Cast in India, an observational portrait of the Bengali metal workers who manufacture New York City manhole covers. She is currently working on Kitne Passports?, a documentary featuring Pakistani Hindu migrants in India from different caste backgrounds and an experimental film series tracking human, animal, and object movement across the India-Pakistan border; films in this series include: A Gregarious Species, Kaagaz ke Chakkar, and Enemy Property.

Harjant Gill, associate professor of anthropology at Towson University. His research examines the intersections of masculinity, modernity, transnational migration and popular culture in India. His films include: Roots of Love which looks at the changing significance of hair and turban among Sikh men in India; Mardistan (Macholand) which explores Indian manhood focusing on issues of sexual violence, son preference and homophobia; and Sent Away Boys which examines how provincial communities across northern India are transformed by the exodus of young men giving up farming to seek a better life abroad. His website is HarjantGill.com .

Zoe Sherinian, Professor of Ethnomusicology and Division Chair at the University of Oklahoma. She has produced and directed two documentary films: This is A Music: Reclaiming an Untouchable Drum (2011), on the changing status of Dalit (outcaste) drummers in India, and Sakthi Vibrations (2018), on the use of Tamil folk arts to develop self-esteem in young Dalit women at the Sakthi Folk Cultural Centre.

Nita Kumar, retired Brown Professor of South Asian History at Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, California. Her research is on both the history of modern India, Hinduism, Islam, and modernity, and the anthropology of urbanism and education. Shankar's Fairies is Kumar's first feature film after two documentaries and two plays. The script is about the power of story-telling and the context of a 1962 India. It is based on her research with children plus the memories of her childhood, bringing together the 'education' from a Catholic school and a domestic servant, Shankar, who told fantastical stories.

For more information on AIIS fellowships, visit www.indiastudies.org/research-fellowship-programs/.

Produced by AIIS
Music "Desh" by Stephen Slawek

CAORC-AIIS Faculty Development Seminars

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 09:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we’ll explore the joint work of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers, or CAORC, and AIIS in supporting faculty at community colleges and minority-serving institutions. CAORC has been partnering with member centers since 2017, organizing two-week international study abroad trips focusing on enriching faculty development opportunities through the exploration of complex global issues like climate change, religious and ethnic diversity, and the complexities of urban sustainability.

Joining us today to explore the work of CAORC and AIIS is Sandria Freitag, Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of History at NC State University and leader of the CAORC-AIIS faculty development seminars; Maria del Carmen Paniagua, Associate Professor in the Math Department in Ivy Tech-Community College-Bloomington, Indiana; Mukila Maitha, Associate Professor of Geography, Department Chair, and Coordinator of both the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Drone Technology Program at Harper College; and Amar Sawhney, Professor of Architecture, Building Construction, and Interior Design and Miami Dade College alongside Jessica Barnes, senior lecturer in Geography at Northern Arizona University.

For more information about CAORC-AIIS faculty development seminars, visit www.caorc.org/faculty-development-india.

Produced by AIIS
Music "Desh" by Stephen Slawek

Language Programs in a Pandemic

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 13:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we spotlight the AIIS immersive language programs in India and their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Joining us to discuss the monumental task of taking a country-wide language program online in a matter of weeks is Dr. Rebecca Manring, AIIS Language Committee Chair and Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University; Dr. Ahtesham Khan, Language Coordinator at the AIIS Head Office in India; Taylor Hamilton, recent graduate student in South Asian studies from the University of Washington; and Thomas Crowley, PhD Candidate in Geography at Rutgers University.

For more information about AIIS language programs, visit https://www.indiastudies.org/language-programs/

Produced by AIIS
Music "Desh" by Stephen Slawek

AIIS Book Prize Winner Dipti Khera and The Place of Many Moods

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 12:00:00 -0600

In this episode we'll speak with AIIS Book Prize winner Dr. Dipti Khera, Associate Professor of Art History in the Department of Art History and Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, about her new book The Place of Many Moods: Udaipur’s Painted Lands and India’s Eighteenth Century. We'll hear about Dr. Khera's experience with the American Institute of Indian Studies, navigating the publishing landscape, the expansive world of moods and aesthetics, and the complexities of interdisciplinary scholarship.

Joining us to discuss the AIIS Book Prize and lead us into discussion on The Place of Many Moods is Dr. Deborah Hutton, Professor of Art History at The College of New Jersey.

The Place of Many Moods is out now through Princeton University Press. You can learn more about this project through Dr. Khera's rich, multimodal book website: theplaceofmanymoods.org.

Produced by AIIS
Music "Desh" by Stephen Slawek

All India Museum Summit Initiatives

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 12:00:00 -0600

In this episode we’ll learn about the museum initiatives from the AIIS Center for Art & Archaeology to share best practices in museum curation and exhibition development between the US and India. The Center for Art & Archeology held its All India Museum Summit in July of 2019 in New Delhi and that event spawned a five-day virtual curatorial workshop in August 2020 and a second workshop to take place in late November and early December of this year.

Resources:
The American Institute of Indian Studies
All India Museum Summit Virtual Workshops
Virtual Museum of Images and Sounds

Produced by AIIS
Music "Desh" by Stephen Slawek

American Institute of Indian Studies Podcast

The Drama of Democracy: Performance and Politics with Dr. Lisa Björkman

The Next Era of AIIS

DIL Futures: Exploring the present and future of the AIIS Digital India Learning initiative

Marriott Memories: The life and impact of McKim Marriott

AIIS and Tech: Languages, Code, Design, and Careers with former AIIS language students

Creating and collaborating through digital projects with the AIIS Digital Sonic and Visual Projects fellowships

Sitar, Dhrupad, and breathing into the space of South Asian classical music

60th Anniversary Series – Building Collaborations, Relationships, and Shared Homes in US-India Scholarship

60th Anniversary Series - Collaboration and the Nilgiris Field Learning Program

60th Anniversary Series – Robert P. Goldman on AIIS, Sanskrit Pedagogy, and Emerging Trends in Sanskrit Research

60th Anniversary Series – A. N. Singh and Rakesh Ranjan on the history of the AIIS Hindi program and Hindi pedagogy

60th Anniversary Series – Sandria Freitag and Thomas Metcalf on fellowships, friendships, and AIIS

60th Anniversary Series - Philip Lutgendorf and Sara Simons on AIIS and Family, Memories, and Support

60th Anniversary Series - Sumathi Ramaswamy and Ralph W. Nicholas on History, Founding, and Reach of AIIS

AIIS Filmmaker Fellows

CAORC-AIIS Faculty Development Seminars

Language Programs in a Pandemic

AIIS Book Prize Winner Dipti Khera and *The Place of Many Moods*

All India Museum Summit Initiatives

AIIS Book Prize Winner Dipti Khera and The Place of Many Moods