Conflict, negotiation, cooperation. Challenges and methods for studying social relations in South Asia

Objectives

The French Association of Young Researchers in Social Sciences in South Asia (AJEI) organizes four days of workshops. For these workshops, we propose that a deliberation be started on the issues and methods, which make possible a comprehension of social relations in South Asia.

These workshops should motivate a reflection about the accuracy of the concepts of conflict, negociation, and cooperation in South-Asian context. To what extent are they likely to inform us about the nature and the modalities of social relations in this region? The deliberation shall revolve around the three transversal themes:

Theme 1: Defining social relations

It is important to determine criteria to define conflict and cooperation, to understand the reasons behind the dynamics, to explain why certain conflicts deteriorate while others stabilise, to define the margin left for negotiations and to analyse the methodological tools that the researcher has for studying conflict and cooperation. It would also be necessary to inquire about the identity of stakeholders, their interests and the strategies that they adopt to express and defend themselves during the processes of conflict, cooperation and negotiation.

Theme 2: Talking about social relations

The construction of social representations and their expression in the society depends on this interplay between discourse and reality, between speaking, reacting and living. It is thus important to question the origin of narratives: who produces the discourse and why, and the consequences of it. How does the discourse influence social realities while the latter also create discourse? Finally, how can the researcher understand social relationships from actors’ narratives, and how should he consider his own speech?

Theme 3: Reading into social relations

We would like to focus on the methods available for reading into and deciphering social relations through their diverse expressions. Interpretation or hermeneutic analysis of discourse, whether they are in written form, in spoken form, in images or implicit, enable us to understand the modalities operating in the expression of social relations. But, it is also possible to read into conflict, negotiations, or cooperation in space, by referring to a geographic analysis of social relations. It seems particularly heuristic to address the spatial dimension of social relations, and more precisely the issues and significations of their constant overlapping with spatial relations.

Programme

Consult detailed programme schedule

Consult the detailed minutes of this seminar (in French)

Coordinators

Lionel Baixas, Lucie Dejouhanet, Pierre-Yves Trouillet. (ateliers2007@ajei.org)

Funding

• French Institute of Pondicherry
• Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH), New-Delhi
• SST, Embassy of France in India
• Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (MSH), France
• Laboratoire GECKO, laboratoire de Géographie Comparée des Suds et des Nords, EA 375, University of Paris 10 - Nanterre.

Venue

• IFP (French Insitute of Pondicherry): 11, Saint Louis Street, Pondicherry - 605 001.
• EFEO (Ecole Française d’Extrême-Orient) : 16, rue Dumas BP 151 Pondicherry - 605 001.

Participants

• Mariam Abou-Zahab, Political Science (IEP Paris, INALCO, Centre de Sciences Humaines, Delhi)
• Olivia Aubriot, Agro-ethnology (UPR 299, Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Emmanuel Bon, Economy (Université Paris X, Nanterre)
• Cleetus Burton, Modern History (Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Christoph Eberhard, Anthropology (Université Paris 1, Panthéon-Sorbonne)
• Agathe Garandeau, Geomatic (Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Laurent Gayer, Political Science (Centre de Sciences Humaines, Delhi)
• Simon Georget, Geomatic (Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Caterina Guenzi, Anthropology & Indology (CEIAS, EHESS Paris, Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Christophe Z. Guilmoto, Demography (CICRED / CEIAS, EHESS Paris)
• Zoe Headley, Ethnology (Heidelberg University)
• N.K. Kumaresan Raja, Political Science (Anamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India)
• Frederic Landy, Geography (Université de Paris X Nanterre/ CEIAS)
• Marie Lecomte-Tilouine, Anthropology (UPR 299, Centre de Sciences Humaines, Delhi)
• Kamala Marius-Gnanou, Geography (Université Bordeaux 3, Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Sebastien Oliveau, Geography (Université d’Aix-en-Provence)
• D. Parimala, History of Education (University of Delhi)
• Laurent Pordie, Anthropology-Ethnopharmacology (Laboratoire d’Ecologie Humaine et d’Anthropologie-Aix-Marseille et Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Sandrine Prevot, Ethnology (Université Paris X, Nanterre/ Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Marc Roesch, Agronomy / Economy (CIRAD, Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Brigitte Sebastia, Anthropology (EHESS Toulouse, Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Alexis Avdeeff, Anthropology (EHESS, Toulouse)
• Lionel Baixas, Political Science (IEP Paris / Centre de Sciences Humaines, Delhi)
• Turid Beitland, Centre for Study of Civil War (Oslo, Norway)
• Angélique Bernard, Geography (Université Bordeaux 3)
• Marilyne Bonsirven, Anthropology / Ecology (School of Environmental Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi)
• Rachid Bouchiba Geography (Université d’Aix-en-provence)
• Florent Brajot, Geography (Université Bordeaux 3)
• Oriana Briand, Sociology (EHESS, Paris)
• Vanessa Caru, History (Université Paris 7, Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Olivier Chiron, Geography (Université Bordeaux 3)
• Lucie Dejouhanet, Geography (Université Paris X, Nanterre/Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Marion Delpeu, Anthropology (Université Bordeaux 2, Insitut Français de Pondicherry)
• Anthony Goreau, Geography (Université Bordeaux 3)
• Jeremy Grasset, Geography (Universités Paris 7 et Paris 10, Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Jessica Hackett, Antropology (Université d’Aix-en-Provence)
• Pacale Hancart-Petitet, Anthropology (Université Aix-Marseille, Insitut Français de Pondicherry)
• Claire Hazoume, Geography (Université Bordeaux 3)
• Tiphaine Herve, Geography (Université Bordeaux 3)
• Celina Jauzelon, Ethnology (EHESS, Paris)
• Nicolas Laine, Ethnology (EHESS, Paris)
• Bertrand Lefebvre, Geography (Université de Rouen / Centre de Sciences Humaines de Delhi)
• Thierry Le Roy, Geography (Université Bordeaux 3)
• Cécile Madelaine, Agronomy (Université de Montpellier, Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Marion Maignan, Agronomy (Montpellier SupAgro, Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Amandine Monbelli, Geography (Université Bordeaux 3)
• Salima Nekrouf, Geography, (Université de Nantes)
• Charlotte Nicolini, Geography (Université Bordeaux 3)
• Mathieu Pauchet Geography (Université d’Aix-en-provence)
• David Picherit, Ethnology (Institut Français de Pondicherry)
• Olivier Telle, Geography (Université de Rouen, Centre de Sciences Humaines, Delhi)
• Pierre-Yves Trouillet, Geography (Université Bordeaux 3 / Madras University)
• Madamy Velusamy, (Madras Institute of Development Studies)
• Jean-Philippe Venot, Geography (Université Paris X, Nanterre / International Water Management Institute, Hyderabad)
• Raphaël Voix, Ethnology (Université Paris X, Nanterre)
• Rishi Walker Geography (Université d’Aix-en-provence)