From dak at sarai.net Fri Feb 1 19:12:39 2002 From: dak at sarai.net (dak at sarai.net) Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2002 13:42:39 GMT Subject: [Sarai Newsletter]Sarai Newsletter - February 2002 Message-ID: <20020201.13423900@saumya.sarai.kit> Table of Contents Reader Launch @Sarai Talks @Sarai: Media Theorists Series Workshops @Sarai: Media Publics & Practices Series Films @Sarai --------------------------------- I. Reader Launch @Sarai February 27, Wednesday, 6:00 pm February is an important month in Sarai's Calendar... this February marks the first anniversary of Sarai. A constant woe voiced by potential & regular visitors to Sarai is that it is located in one corner of Delhi - a corner rarely frequented by the non-Delhi University public. Yet, despite its seeming inaccessibility, Sarai has grown into a place where academics, artists, media practitioners, students, film buffs, geeks & anyone seeking an intellectually creative environment seek out. For those at Sarai the past year has been an exciting journey marked by new experiences and meaningful relationships that were formed with individuals & organisations worldwide. This Newsletter already reaches almost 1300 people and the membership is increasing everyday... To coincide with its first anniversary Sarai will launch its second publication 'Sarai Reader 02: The Cities of Everyday Life'* This year's Reader brings together a diversity of engagements with urban spaces and mediascapes across the globe. Scholars, media practitioners, critics, researchers and activists use a flow of images, data, memories and realities to create a  fascinating array of original interventions in thinking about cities today. With essays, images, analyses, and manifestoes "The Cities of Everyday Life" reflects on the contemporary urban condition, detours into the back alleys of the global city, takes on media representations of terror and war, examines the politics of information, anticipates the futures of digital urbanism, registers the details of media flows,  explores representations of the city, and looks at globalisation from below. The Reader consists of essays on Urban Morphologies, 9/11 - Media City, Representation & Performance, Politics of Information & Digital Urbanism. A separate section is devoted to writings from, and on, cities spanning from Mexico City to Calcutta, Beirut to Sarajevo to  LNJP basti in Delhi. For more information on 'Sarai Reader 02: The Cities of Everyday Life' log onto www.sarai.net/journal/reader2.html Ashis Nandy launches the book with a Public Lecture. February 27th will also be an Open Day at Sarai to facilitate interaction between us and the Public. II. Talks @Sarai Media Theorists Series* Both talks will take place at 4:00 pm, in the Seminar Room, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi - 110054. 1. February 8, Friday Cinema & New Media Thomas Elsaesser Professor of Cinema Studies, University of Amsterdam 2. February 14, Thursday Cultural Citizenship & Global Immigration Toby Miller Professor of Cinema Studies, New York University III. Workshops @Sarai Media Publics & Practices Series All workshops will take place in the Seminar Room, CSDS. 1. January 31 - February 1 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Introduction to Cyberculture with Patrice Riemens He will discuss the following issues: i.Digital Divide and how to address it ii.Hackers & 'Hackerism' iii.From Proprietary Knowledge to Intellectual Property iv.Networked Communities Patrice Riemens is an independent theorist and cyber activist, and a geographer at the University of Amsterdam. He is visiting as a part of the exchange programme between Sarai and the Society for Old and New Media, Amsterdam - www.waag.org 2. February 11 10:00 am - 1:00 pm Contemporary Cinema: The Transformation of Cultures and Disciplines with Thomas Elsaesser & Toby Miller This workshop will look at how new technologies, and systems of production, distribution and delivery have altered the place of film in contemporary culture.   Presentations include Thomas Elsaesser: `Can Cinema History Save Postmodernism' & Toby Miller: 'Global Hollywood: Uncle Jack's Friends, Foes and Flows' Discussants will include members of the Sarai research programme, the faculty of the Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia & independent film and new media scholars. 3. February 28 - March 1, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Information Politics Participants include Radhika Singha, Reader, Modern India History, JNU; Ravi Srinivas, Independent Researcher; Vijay Nagraj, Amnesty International & Mazdoor Kissan Shakti Sangathan. The workshop explores perspectives of information within the Law, State, Media & Social Advocacy. It also focuses on issues relevant to Intellectual Property Rights & arising from the Free Software Movement. IV. Films @Sarai All screenings are on Fridays, at 4:30 pm, in the Seminar Room. Screenings will be followed by discussions at the Interface Zone. The films are listed in the order of screening. 1. February 1 The Matrix (1999), 130 min Dir. Andy and Larry Wachowski A wildly cinematic futuristic thriller, "The Matrix" combines traditional science-fiction premises with spanking new visual technology. It toys with the boundaries between reality and fantasy in unique and interesting ways. The central figure of the hacker, Neo, leading a double life, is suddenly confronted with a frightening prospect : what he thinks is the real world is no more than a computer-generated dreamscape, a virtual reality created by the artificial intelligence that really controls things to distract our human minds, while our bodies are systematically plundered as an energy source to keep those nefarious machines up and running. There's a great deal that's familiar about "The Matrix" starting with its sturdy themes of alternate realities, the deadly rivalry between men and machines, the resilient power of the human mind and the creeping dangers of conformity. The special effects, which are not as numerous as those in many science fiction pieces, are flawless. 2. February 15 King of Dreams (2001), 30 min Dir. Amar Kanwar "King of Dreams" is a film about men and sexuality in India. The film travels through territories that are in a way different from the familiar. It's about many identities wrapped around a single search...How many fantasies does a man have in his lifetime about sexual union? How important is it for him to physically penetrate another human being, how often do dreams about penetration substitute for the act itself? And what does this have to do with power and its perpetuation, with culture and clothes, jobs, trucks, football and festivals? Do all men become the same when they approach union with the object of lust. Where does love fit into the scheme of things? "King of Dreams" was made as part of the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship Program, India. Directed by Amar Kanwar, an independent documentary film maker based in Delhi, it received the Jury Award in Film South Asia, 2001, Festival of South Asian Documentaries, Kathmandu, Nepal. It was also part of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival 2001 and International Short & Independent Film Festival Dhaka, 2001. 3. February 22 How to Live in the FRG (1990), 83 min Dir. Harun Farocki "How to Live in the FRG" is Farocki's amazing dissection of modern life in Germany- a country he calls "a training camp in which techniques for living are practiced by the professionally living." Composed entirely of 32 short scenes taken from instructional and training classes, these films, sometimes hilarious, and at times ominous, show rehearsals of real life situations acted out in practice sessions for dealing with life in modern day Germany where each citizen has a specific role to play. Says the director, "Social reality is driven to the level of absolute clarity." Harun Farocki, is regarded as one of the foremost exponents of the 'essay' film genre. Most of Farocki's films examine an almost always socio-political theme from a decidedly subjective point of view. They are films which, as Farocki himself once said, are directed against television, against non-committal and easy consumption. His unique style joins formal and political concerns and closely links image and text. ---------------------------------------------------------- * These are in collaboration with the Society for Old & New Media, Amsterdam ------------------------------------------------- That's the calendar of events for February. We hope to see at least some of you here soon. And we look forward to your comments and suggestions. Cheers, Ranita. The Sarai Programme Centre for the Study of Developing Societies 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi - 110054. Tel: 3960040, 3951190 Fax: 3928391, 3943450 email: dak at sarai.net www.sarai.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dak at sarai.net Sat Feb 2 19:20:33 2002 From: dak at sarai.net (dak) Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2002 19:20:33 +0530 Subject: [Sarai Newsletter]SPECIAL LECTURES SERIES Message-ID: <02020219203305.00974@saumya.sarai.kit> The Departments of Political Science and History, University of Delhi, invite you to hear Professor Arjun Appadurai speak on '‘Grassroost Globalization in the Era of Ideocide' 7th February (Thursday), 2 PM. The venue: Room 115, Arts Faculty Building, Delhi University, South Campus. Professor Appadurai is Samuel N. Harper Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago where he teaches in the Departments of Anthropology and South Asian Languages and Civilizations. He is also Director of the Globalization Project at the University of Chicago. His writings include Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization (1996) and Worship and Conflict Under Colonial Rule: A South Indian Case (1981). He is one of the founding editors of the journal Public Culture and was the founding director of the Chicago Humanities Institute at the University of Chicago (1992-1998), during which time he held the Richard J. and Barbara E. Franke Professorship. The lecture will be followed by a discussion and we look forward to your participation in it. Prof Appadorai will also be speaking on the following days: 5th February, 2:00 pm on 'The Civilization of Clashes' Room no 22, Arts Faculty Building, Delhi University 6th February, 3:00 pm on 'Our Terrorists, Ourselves: Notes on the Epistemology of Insecurity Teen Murti Memorial Library *For any clarification, please ring up 98-100-53793 or contact Nayanjot Lahiri* Reader-in Charge, Department of History, South Campus. Warm regards, The Sarai Programme Centre for the Study of Developing Societies 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi - 110054. Tel: 3960040, 3951190 Fax: 3928391, 3943450 www.sarai.net From dak at sarai.net Thu Feb 7 18:06:18 2002 From: dak at sarai.net (The Sarai Programme) Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 18:06:18 +0530 Subject: [Sarai Newsletter]MEDIA THEORISTS SERIES Message-ID: <02020718061804.01053@saumya.sarai.kit> Dear Friends, Sarai invites you to the first lecture in the Media Theorists Series on CINEMA & NEW MEDIA by Thomas Elsaesser Professor of Cinema Studies, University of Amsterdam Friday, 8th February, 4:00 pm at the Seminar Room, CSDS, 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi - 54 Thomas Elsaesser is a well-known scholar of cinema. His essays on film theory, film genre, film history and television have appeared in over seventy collections and anthologies. His publications as author and editor include New German Cinema: A History (1989), Medium: Television in Transition (1994)and Weimar Cinema and After: Germany's Historical Imaginary (2000). Warm Regards, Ranita Programme Coordinator The Sarai Programme Centre for the Study of Developing Societies 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi - 110054. Tel: 3960040, 3951190 Fax: 3928391, 3943450 www.sarai.net From dak at sarai.net Mon Feb 11 16:49:14 2002 From: dak at sarai.net (The Sarai Programme) Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 16:49:14 +0530 Subject: [Sarai Newsletter]MEDIA THEORISTS SERIES Message-ID: <02021116491400.00979@saumya.sarai.kit> Dear Friends, Sarai invites you to the second lecture in the Media Theorists Series on CULTURAL CITIZENSHIP & GLOBAL IMMIGRATION by Toby Miller, Professor of Cinema Studies, New York University on Thursday, 14th February, 4:00 pm at the Seminar Room, CSDS, 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi - 54. Toby Miller's writings have reflected on cultural policy and the state, the cultures of film, television and sport, as well as the new international cultural division of labour. His books include 'The Well Tempered Self' (1993) and 'Technologies of Truth' (1998). He has also co-authored 'Contemporary Australian Television' (1994) and 'Global Hollywood' (2001). Warm Regards, Ranita Programme Coordinator The Sarai Programme Centre for the Study of Developing Societies 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi - 110054. Tel: 3960040, 3951190 Fax: 3928391, 3943450 www.sarai.net From rsundar at del2.vsnl.net.in Tue Feb 26 22:05:43 2002 From: rsundar at del2.vsnl.net.in (Ravi Sundaram) Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 22:05:43 +0530 Subject: [Sarai Newsletter]live audio of Sarai Reader 02 launch Message-ID: <5.0.2.1.2.20020226220452.020a7538@del2.vsnl.net.in> We are happy to announce that the launch of the Sarai Reader 2 : The Cities of Everyday Life and the Public Lecture by Ashis Nandy - "The City of The Mind" will be relayed live worldwide on an audio stream . Time 7 p.m Indian standard time , Wednesday the 27th, February 2002 Simply go to www.sarai.net at that time and click on the live stream icon.