Connections and Contradictions: Community empowerment in India
Twelve students will travel with Professor Adam Pine (G.U.E.S.S.) and Dr. Rebecca de Souza (Communication) to Bangalore, India from June 12- July 2, 2018. The study abroad program will be the third Pine and de Souza have led to the country.
While in Bangalore, Pine and de Souza will collaborate with local teachers and activists to instruct and lead students. In the morning, students will meet in a classroom at an eco-sanctuary called Visthar (where they will also reside), learning about topics such as the history, culture, and social and economic rights of people in the region. In the afternoon, students will go into the city of Bangalore to participate in activism and service learning.
On past programs, students have visited with Vimochana, a women’s advocacy group; the Indian Social Institute, which addresses particular conditions within India that create tension; and Ondede, which advocates for sexual rights. Students have even been able to meet with leaders of these advocacy groups, including Akkai Padmashali from Ondede, a high-level advocate who has spoken at organizations such as the United Nations regarding the rights of sexual minorities in India.
The program connects students to the larger world through exploring community, social change, and globalization in the city. While there, students will work on a project for three weeks. Past projects have focused on urban planning, sustainability, culture, health, communication, international relations, women’s rights, and religion.
Rather than traveling to multiple cities, students will remain in Bangalore for the duration of the program. Pine and de Souza believe this one-city immersion helps students recognize the nuances of experience for those living in Bangalore.
The incredible population growth and economic development in Bangalore can make it easy to overlook the city’s past and the continuing present challenges. De Souza grew up in Bangalore (her parents still live there), but she noted that the booming technology industry has radically changed the face of the city—so much so that she can have trouble recognizing places.
With new structures constantly being built and global multinational corporations frequently in sight, it can be easy for students to assume the Indian city is just like a modern American city. Due to this impression, Pine and de Souza endeavor for students to see the contradictions and nuances of life in a globalizing urban center. Pine noted that in a single day, students can visit a cupcake shop which is affordable for tourists but costs a day’s wages for poorer residents, and then visit slums to see the living conditions of those in poverty. Through these experiences, Pine and de Souza hope students will look at home (both where they physically live and nationally/ locally where they live) with a different lens and get a bit uncomfortable with it.
Because India is a “democratic, socialist, and secular” country as per its constitution, while in Bangalore, students will hear the Muslim call to prayer, even as the majority of the country practices Hinduism. Since religion plays an immense role in citizens’ daily lives, Pine and de Souza tell students not to be surprised by people publicly discussing or asking about one’s religion, as well as politics—which can take some getting used to for students accustomed to private discussions of such matters in the United States.
Students will also encounter open, high-level debates regarding politics and religion in the newspapers. Pine and de Souza want students to consider how their experiences with these different cultural practices can lead to a better understanding of their actions within and perceptions of culture in the United States.
Ultimately, Pine and de Souza’s goal for the program is to have students tackle stigmas, stereotypes, and myths, and feel safe studying abroad while becoming empowered to bring about change in their own community.