MRF Special Lecture Series by Dhiren A. Sadokpam
- Manipur Research Forum-
MANIPUR RESEARCH FORUM
Working Office: 78 NTH, JNU, New Delhi – 110 067, India
Regd. Office: Wangkhei Yonglan Leirak, Imphal East, Manipur
Phones: 24101590, 26741782, 9350967057, 9810855536, 9810350719
http://www.manipurresearchforum.org/
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Dear All,
As part of the Special Lecture Series of Manipur Research Forum (MRF), it is pleased to announce that MRF is organising a special Lecture on 31 October 2009 at 4:30pm. The speaker of the Lecture is Mr. Dhiren A. Sadokpam. He will speak on the theme of "The Story of Understanding History: Some thoughts from a work in progress". The lecture will be held in the Centre for Philosophy, Room No. 235, SSS-I, JNU, New Delhi.
We will be grateful, if you could agree to take part in the Special Lecture.
Speaker: Mr. Dhiren A. Sadokpam,
Executive Editor, Eastern Quarterly;
Member, Manipur Research Forum (MRF) and
Guest Faculty, AJK, Mass Com, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Theme: "The Story of Understanding History: Some thoughts from a work in progress".
Venue: Room No. 235, SSS-I, JNU
Date: 31 October 2009
Time: 4:30 pm
Abstract
There are many informed people who are not historians, professionally trained or unofficially acclaimed. This fact, however, has not been able to disentangle oneself from the question: Why do we get affected by 'history' and our own 'understanding of history'. This question becomes an unwieldy thought when we think about the history of Manipur. We belong to a generation that has posed very uncomfortable questions related to our past and have directed them to the 'custodians' of previous generations accused of 'fabrication'.
Beginning with how the history of the Northeast or Manipur is missing or 'deliberately left out' from the official history of India and why was there a collective 'silence' over the same. Even more difficult was how we had readily accepted a history 'imposed' upon us even prior to the birth of the 'Indian' republic. These are sufficient 'affective' grounds for many to develop a history that is not necessarily a historical but often preceded by strident slogans.
These slogans seemed to have set the preconditions in our earnest enterprise of the writing or recording our own historical 'truth'. In the process, we have more or less been able to collect and build an arsenal of counter offensive, not defensive data. This, many individuals not previously bracketed within the so called 'official historians' or 'academic historians' have had an intense glimpse of Manipur's history. They have also joined the running bandwagon of 'rediscovering truth' or 'historical enquiry'.
To the discomfiture of many 'officially' established experts on the history of pre-colonial Manipur, the development has further widened the discourse over history as a 'discipline' guided either by the 'empirical evidence model' or 'constructed narratives'. The consequential fallout of these engagements have been 'disturbing' if not 'disastrous'.
While rejecting the imposed and 'fabricated' grand history and trying to write our own 'unique' histories, most of the projects end up rejecting each other's history. The impact of this process gets well reflected in the spawning of political missions at cross purposes in the region.
All are cordially invited.
Sd/-
Atom Sunil Singh
Convener
Manipur Research Forum (MRF)
http://www.manipurresearchforum.org/
This Education announcement was sent to e-pao.net by Atom Sunil Singh (Manipur Research Forum) . You can contact the sender at atomsunil(at)gmail(dot)com
This was webcasted on October 29, 2009 .
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