South Asia CIES Special Interest Group

South

Asia

SIG

What is the mission of the SASIG?
The goal and mission of the SIG is to create a community of education researchers, policymakers, and practitioners interested in educational and social change issues in South Asia and among the South Asian Diaspora. The group aims to provide the much needed space for discussing and exchanging current research, policy, and best practices from the region and beyond and to serve as a networking forum for graduate students, practitioners, policy makers and researchers.

What benefits are there for becoming a member of the SASIG?
Networking! Being part of a community with similar interests opens doors! We plan to expand our organizing efforts by connecting with various South Asian research groups and university centers across the world. Also having an audience at CIES that understands your work on some level is helpful.

Who is on the current executive board and how long is their term?
The board was elected at CIES 2011. Each member serves a 2-year term. The current board members are:

CHAIR: Nita Kumar (Claremont McKenna College) [bio]
PROGRAM CHAIR: Radhika Iyengar (Earth Institute, Columbia University) [bio]
SECRETARY: Mousumi Mukherjee (University of Melbourne) [bio]
GRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE: Matthew Witenstein (Claremont Graduate University) [bio]

There seems to be a core group already, why do you need more members?
The more members we have, the more time we are allocated at the conference for our panels and the more funds we have for our activities and initiatives.

I want to present on a SASIG panel. What do I have to do?
Please refer to our SIG homepage to read more about the call for papers for CIES 2011.

Does this mean I have to become a member of CIES and the SASIG to submit a proposal?
Yes. In order to submit a proposal (and to eventually present) on a SASIG sponsored panel, you must be a member of CIES and the SASIG.

Why should I pay?
Your small $10 contribution goes a long way. Part of this money goes to CIES central board as our year dues and any remaining funds can be used to host events and other initiatives, such as financial support for students or scholars in South Asia to attend the conference or a small reception at the conference.

What initiative has been taken so far for SIG members?
In spite of the fact that this is a very young and small growing SIG, we are already in the process of initiating a Ph.D dissertation award for students and an official publication process through the SIG. We will keep you updated with all this new initiatives and more through our monthly newsletters, SIG blog http://sasigcies.wordpress.com/ once you become member of our SIG. The number of SIG highlighted panels during annual conference depend on SIG membership. Therefore, the SIG counts on your membership participation to be able to grow to bring more professional opportunities for you.