“South Asia is often underestimated in Germany!”

The 4th German South Asia Day is taking place at the University of Erfurt – what was the deciding factor in choosing this venue, and what role does the University of Erfurt play in German South Asian studies?
German South Asia Day is an initiative of the “Modern South Asia” working group of the “German Society for Asian Studies”. This working group sees itself as an interdisciplinary platform for the exchange of ideas on the politics, society, economy and culture of South Asia within the German-speaking world. The fact that the 4th German South Asia Day is now taking place at the University of Erfurt has less to do with firmly established South Asian studies in the strict sense than with a particular local constellation: Erfurt does not have a dedicated South Asia Institute, but it does boast a remarkable concentration of South Asia-related research across various disciplines. Colleagues are working on South Asia or South Asian interconnections from the perspectives of religious studies, history, theology, cultural studies, social sciences and Arts and performance studies. The South Asia Day offers an excellent opportunity to bring together these previously rather scattered approaches and to integrate the University of Erfurt more closely into German-language South Asian studies.

What is the overarching mission of the German South Asia Day – and to what extent has this objective evolved since the first event?
The mission is to network, raise the profile of and further develop, on an interdisciplinary basis, academic engagement with modern South Asia within the German-speaking world. South Asia is so diverse historically, socially, religiously, politically and culturally that the region cannot be adequately understood from the perspective of a single discipline. The South Asia Day therefore creates a forum where different disciplinary perspectives come together. Since the first events, this objective has expanded further: It is no longer just about exchange within the discipline, but also about raising the profile of academic research in policy circles, providing graduate service and bringing South Asia-related expertise into socially relevant debates – such as those on democracy, migration, religion, digitalisation, climate, gender or global interdependencies.

The event brings together academics from across Germany. What specific kind of networking or collaboration do you hope to gain from the conference in Erfurt?
We hope that the South Asia Day will forge new connections between researchers working on related topics but who are often based in different disciplines, institutes and networks. Many South Asia-related research approaches exist side by side without always being systematically linked. A particular focus is on supporting early-career scholars. It is particularly important for PhD students and postdocs to be able to present their projects within a specialised yet interdisciplinary framework, to receive feedback and to gain access to specialist networks. Such encounters can lead very directly to further collaborations – such as joint panels, publications, research proposals or teaching formats.

The programme does indeed cover a broad spectrum of panels – ranging from political theory to bodily knowledge and dance, right through to literature and urbanity…
Yes,the thematic spectrum was deliberately kept broad because it reflects the diversity of contemporary South Asian studies. South Asia cannot be understood from a single disciplinary perspective. Political, cultural, religious, literary, aesthetic and urban issues are deeply intertwined and require new lines of inquiry that bring these perspectives to life. The programme therefore follows the principle of showcasing the full breadth of current research approaches. The panels highlight the topics currently being explored in the field – ranging from political systems and social change, through gender discourses, performance and digital worlds, to literature, religion and ecology.

Alongside the academic panels, there will also be a concert featuring traditional raga music on Friday evening. What significance do such cultural events hold for an academic conference?
Cultural events such as the raga concert are more than just a supporting programme. They open up different avenues of engagement with South Asia than academic lectures do: through sound, practice, the body, aesthetics and experience. This is particularly important for an interdisciplinary conference, as it demonstrates that knowledge is conveyed not only through text or analysis, but also through musical practice and performative formats. At the same time, the concert creates an open space for interaction and makes the conference accessible to a wider audience from the university and the city. Another avenue is opened up by Sara Keller’s exhibition at the Brunnenkirche in Erfurt on “Holy and Healing Water”, which devotes a separate section to India and is based on the project “INDIA. Life by the Water”. This brings together academic questions, artistic engagement and public accessibility.

Ursula Rao’s keynote address is entitled “Time as Infrastructure: Reflections on Service Culture in Digital India”. Why was this particular topic chosen for the opening – what does it say about the spirit of the times in South Asian studies?
The keynote was chosen because it uses a very concrete example to illustrate just how deeply digitalisation has penetrated everyday life, public administration and the service economy in India today. Ursula Rao asks not only why digital infrastructures exist, but also how they actually function: through constant temporal coordination between platforms, public authorities, companies and users. The concept of “temporal infrastructure” highlights the fact that digital systems do not automatically run smoothly. In order for insurance payouts to be made, food deliveries to be carried out or welfare benefits to be granted, people must bridge deadlines, delays, waiting times and differing institutional rhythms. It is precisely here that power relations emerge: who has to wait, who can speed things up, who can submit data retrospectively or bypass processes – these are distributed unequally across society. The keynote thus exemplifies an important trend in contemporary South Asian studies: it examines major transformative processes such as digitalisation not in the abstract, but on the basis of everyday practice, infrastructure and social inequality.

Saturday’s roundtable is entitled “Niche or Necessity? Gender Perspectives and Academic Careers in South Asian Studies”. How important is it to you that structural and career policy issues are explicitly placed on the agenda?
This is very important to us because an academic conference does not merely address specialist content, but also the conditions under which scholarship is produced. The roundtable is funded by the University of Erfurt’s Equal Opportunity Office and is intended to appeal particularly to female academics and researchers in the early stages of their careers. On the one hand, it addresses very specific questions regarding academic careers: which topics are funded, which are considered “niche”, and which are regarded as central? On the other hand, we want to highlight that gender perspectives are assessed very differently in various academic contexts – for example, in Germany, South Asia or the USA. Such questions concern not only individual career paths, but also the structure of the field and the question of what knowledge is considered relevant in South Asian studies.

South Asia – that is, the Indian subcontinent comprising countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – is one of the most populous and culturally diverse regions in the world. Why, then, is this region often underestimated by the German public?
Yes, South Asia is often underestimated in Germany, even though India in particular is now a key economic and innovation player. India is not only a major market but also an important hub for IT, digitalisation, services, industry, research and, increasingly, global supply chains. Nevertheless, the German public still frequently perceives India through outdated stereotypes – such as poverty, spirituality, crises or exoticism. These perceptions obscure just how rapidly the region is changing and the significance it holds for global issues relating to technology, energy, trade, skilled labour, climate policy and geopolitical realignment. This is precisely why nuanced research into South Asia is important. It can demonstrate that India and the region as a whole are not only culturally and historically significant, but also of direct economic and political relevance to us, as illustrated by bilateral agreements between India and Germany. At present, a great many students are also coming to Germany from India to pursue their education, which will further strengthen our mutual relations.

Many panels address highly topical issues: Hindutva nationalism, migration, the erosion of democracy, and digital infrastructure. How political can or should South Asian studies be?
South Asian studies must take political and social developments seriously. This is also in line with the self-image of the ‘Modern South Asia’ working group of the German Society for Asian Studies: it sees itself not only as an academic network, but also as a forum for pooling and disseminating expertise on South Asia. When panels address topics such as Hindutva nationalism, migration, the erosion of democracy or digital infrastructure, this is precisely the aim: to provide academically sound knowledge on current developments and to situate them within broader social, political and cultural contexts. In this sense, South Asian studies can and should be politically relevant – as a historically informed, source-based and critical analysis. It can thus contribute to public debates and demonstrate why a nuanced understanding of South Asia is necessary today.

Several colleagues from the University of Erfurt are also represented at the South Asia Day – for example, from the Department of Religious Studies. What, then, are the university’s particular strengths in South Asian studies?
The particular strength of the University of Erfurt lies in the fact that South Asia is represented here in many fields, even though there is no dedicated South Asian Institute. Colleagues work on South Asian topics within the Department of Religious Studies, the Department of History, the Department of Catholic Theology, at the Max-Weber-Kolleg, in the “Religion and Urbanity” research group and within the ICAS network, which is working on “Metamorphoses of the Political in the Long Twentieth Century”, addressing topics relating to South Asia. The Annemarie Schimmel Research Centre at the University of Erfurt is also significant in this context. It is dedicated to the estate of the internationally renowned scholar of Islam and religious studies, Annemarie Schimmel, and thus embodies a research tradition in which South Asia, Islam, the history of religion and the history of transcultural knowledge are closely intertwined. Furthermore, numerous PhD students and postdocs in the aforementioned disciplines hail from the region and bring their own perspectives to Erfurt’s research landscape.

The conference is being organised by the Department of Religious Studies and the Max-Weber-Kolleg. How does the South Asia Day fit into the broader research foci of these institutions?
Very well indeed, because topics such as religion, urbanity, globalisation, migration, knowledge production, cultural interconnections and social change are central to research in Erfurt – and, at the same time, to South Asian studies. This is also evident in the graduate centre “Glocal Religiosities”. This programme explores how religious practices and negotiations of belonging emerge at the intersection of local traditions and global dynamics. It is precisely these global-local interconnections that can be examined particularly well using South Asia as a case study. One aim of the conference is therefore to bring together the existing research approaches in Erfurt more effectively, to facilitate dialogue amongst colleagues, and to raise the University of Erfurt’s profile both nationally and internationally as a centre for South Asian studies.

Will the papers and discussions from South Asia Day be documented or published – and if so, in what form?
A traditional conference proceedings volume is not planned at this stage. However, we would like to expressly encourage the development of joint publication projects arising from individual panels – such as articles, special issues or other collaborative formats. We would also like to draw attention to the opportunities offered by academic information services. They provide vital infrastructure for research, visibility, open access and the long-term documentation of academic work. The South Asia Day is therefore intended not merely to be a one-off event, but also to provide impetus for sustainable academic communication.

How can the insights gained from the event subsequently feed back into teaching or public discourse?
The insights from the conference are intended to have a lasting impact on several levels. For teaching, the South Asia Day offers many points of connection: current debates on India and South Asia – for example, on religion, politics, urbanisation, gender, migration, digitalisation or ecology – can be directly incorporated into seminars, final-year dissertations and early-career research projects. At the same time, we would like to open up South Asia-related research more widely to the university and the city. Formats such as the Raga concert or the exhibition on “Sacred and Healing Water” contribute to this by linking academic questions with cultural practice and public engagement.