FGV welcomes first Visiting Professor to take up the Chair of Indian Studies

Prof. Kuldip Singh

Following up on an agreement  signed last year between Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to establish the Chair of Indian Studies, FGV welcomed this month Prof. Kuldip Singh, the first visiting professor to take to take up the Chair of Indian Studies. He will be based at FGV's School of Social Science and History (CPDOC) in Rio de Janeiro for one semester and teach the undergraduate course "India in Contemporary Times" and "India in Global Politics with Focus on Asia" at graduate level. He will also give one public lecture at FGV in the second half of the semester.

Kuldip Singh is Professor of Political Science and Head of the Department of Political Science at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) in Amritsar. He holds an M.A., M.Phil and PhD from GNDU and wrote this doctoral thesis on the Politics of Soviet Aid to India between 1955 - 1971. His recent publications include:

• "Global Warming and Central Asia: Political and Social Context" Man and Development Vol.33, No.2 June 2011.
• "Contextualising Central Asia in Contemporary Global Order"  in Emmanual Nahar (ed.)
  India´s Foreign Policy; Problems and Prospects ( New Delhi. 2011)
• "Environmental Challenges and Central Asia with Focus on Water Related Problems"
  Contemporary Central Asia (Special issue 2011)
• "Russia's Deideologized Drive for Globalisation", World Focus , No.382 October 2011
• "India , Central Asia and the Changing Contours of War on Terrorism", World Focus. No.383-84, Nonvember- December 2011

The Chair of Indian Studies comes into being as we witness the emergence of India and Brazil as key players in international affairs. There is growing consensus around the world that many challenges, such as climate change and nuclear proliferation, cannot be dealt with without taking into account the positions of these two countries. For this reason, it is crucial that Brazil and India understand each other’s perspectives. Besides having similar geopolitical ambitions, both countries are dealing with analogous domestic challenges, like inequality, a lack of social inclusion and accelerated urbanization. To strengthen cooperation, and to learn more about each other, new forms of interaction must be created to stimulate the communication between actors in civil society and academia in these two countries. The agreement between FGV and the ICCR to create this position represents a significant step in this direction.

Contact Prof. Kuldip Singh via facebook here.