Prof. Sumit Mukerji, Director of Centre for Studies on Bengali Diaspora explaining the mission and vision of the Centre

Ms. Helen LafaVe, Hon’ble
Consul General US and the Hon’ble Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh Mr. Zokey Ahad were present on the occasion.

Outreach Awareness Programme on Immigration

An Outreach Awareness Programme on Immigration was organized by the Centre for Studies on Bengali Diaspora, University of Kalyani at Kanchrapara College on June 2, 2022. The objective of the programme was to enlighten young aspirants intending to go abroad either as students or researchers or for jobs. Many Indians become permanent residents and enter into matrimonial alliance on foreign soil. The primary target group for the programme comprised the students. Prof. Manas Kumar Sanyal, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, University of Kalyani inaugurated the program with an inspiring speech after the welcome address delivered by Dr. Pranab Kumar Bera, Principal, Kanchrapara College. This was followed by a presentation by Prof. Sumit Mukerji, Director, Centre for Studies on Bengali Diaspora, University of Kalyani in which he delineated the rules and regulations to be followed by new immigrants in a foreign land and the precautions to be adopted in the event of unforeseen contingencies. Dr. Debalina Debnath, Assistant Professor, Department of Folklore, University of Kalyani, spoke on the pertinent topic of marriage of immigrants on foreign soil and the various relevant issues related to it. Dr. Pratip Chattopadhyay, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, spoke on the urgent issue related to passport and visa which is vital to all new immigrants. The audience listened with rapt attention and there was a question answer session.

International seminar entitled Renegotiating the Dichotomy of Homeland and Motherland, Migrant Bengali Community on alien soil

On June 20, 2016, the Centre organized its second major programme, an international seminar entitled Renegotiating the Dichotomy of Homeland and Motherland, Migrant Bengali Community on alien soil. The seminar was inaugurated by Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Prof. Malayendu Saha. Prof. Basabi Fraser of Edinburgh University made a presentation entitled “Where is Home? Reflections on Bengali Consciousness”. Prof. Krishna Sen, Professor (retd.) Calcutta University made her presentation on The Digital Bengali. Prof. Chittabrata Palit, Professor of History (retd.) and UGC Emeritus Fellow Jadavpur University made a presentation on The Bengali Diaspora in the US. Prof. Neil Fraser of Edinburgh University chaired a session.

7 Days International Inter-Disciplinary Workshop on Migration for Better Life: Challenge and Response in a Globalized World

•  The 7 days international, interdisciplinary workshop entitled Migration for Better Life: Challenge and Response in a Globalized world organized by the Centre for Studies on Bengali Diaspora and Faculty of Arts and Commerce, University of Kalyani, was held from July 3, 2018 to July 9, 2018 at Vidyasagar Sabhagriha, University of Kalyani.
• Eminent dignitaris graced the occasion on the opening and closing days.
•  There were 42 participants including 30 teachers from Colleges and Universities and 12 research scholars of diverse academic disciplines.
• Participants from ten different disciplines were represented.
•  Eighteen scholars of repute from both within and outside the University acted as resource persons.
• Nineteen lectures and 5 addresses were delivered at different stages of the workshop
• The participants also had the opportunity to make oral presentations.
• The workshop created a lively and vibrant academic ambience and opened up new horizons of inter-disciplinary research

The Workshop was c0-sponsored by Higher Education Department, Government of West Bengal

21 Days Summer School on Diaspora

The primary objective of the Summer School is to equip young learners with multi-disciplinary
academic inputs on Diaspora Studies which is a specialized field of knowledge. It does not fall within the purview of any particular academic discipline, but may be broadly described as a sub field of Area and Culture Studies. At the same time, Diaspora Studies is related to many fields of knowledge like Sociology, History, Geography, Anthropology, Political Science, Economics, Literature, Law, Media Studies, Refugee Studies, etc. Its research potential is substantial and the proposed Summer Training is envisaged as a stimulant to inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary research, cutting across the boundaries of social and physical sciences and also the multi lingual domain of literature. It is also of portentous significance because of its relevance to Policy Science, specifically the formulation of policy by the Government. The course has been designed with the aim of initiating the learners to diverse and inter related domains and with the purpose of enkindling their interest in innovative research whose possibilities unfold best in a multidimensional and multi-disciplinary academic ambience. Teachers of different faculties made presentations which encompassed the entire gamut of Humanities like International Relations, Political Science, History, Sociology, Economics, English, Bengali and Hindi literature Geography, Law, Library and Information Science, Film Studies and Folklore. Number of Participants: 40
Date : July 2, 2019- July 22, 2019

ONE DAY INTERNATIONAL WEBINAR ON “GLOBAL MULTICULTURALISM” August 10, 2020

When the world was gripped by the COVID 19 crisis whose repercussions in the political, socio-economic and cultural domains, have been far reaching. It has significantly influenced policy formulation, both domestic and foreign, by governments all over the world. The Diaspora communities and immigrants interspersed throughout the globe have encountered a multicultural identity crisis. In the present scenario, it is pertinent to address the seminal question whether the concept of Multiculturalism still retains its validity and efficacy or whether it is besieged by an existential challenge in view of the modified policy of various countries towards immigrants.
Dr. Ananda Mitra Professor of Communication, Wake Forest University, USA Owner of Management Learning Laboratories was a Speaker. His Topic was Multiculturalism, Immigrants and Foreign Policy.
Dr. Bhaswati Sarkar Professor, Centre for European Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University was another Speaker. Her Topic was Immigrants in Multicultural Europe sans Multiculturalism.

The Indian Diaspora in South East Asia and the Indian National Army: Overseas Nationalism in historical perspective on February 24, 2022

Bose has been the object of intense attraction, attention and emphasis. However, while the spectacular achievements and significant impact of the I.N.A. as an indirect catalyst of India’s freedom struggle, have deservedly been the subject of investigation and analysis, a vital area of research has remained relativelyunexplored, that is the role of the Indian Diaspora as a potent catalytic force behind the I.N.A. Literature on the subject has been sporadic with a peripheral rather than central focus. No comprehensive work on the subject has been produced as yet in a macro-level perspective. The seminar unfolded how the Diasporic communities of South East Asia acted as the catalyst behind the catalyst that is I.N.A. It is worthwhile to ask what prompted them to join the I.N.A. in thousands when majority of them were devoid of political consciousness and nationalism was a far cry. When Subhas Chandra Bose envisaged Total Mobilization for raising a gigantic force, he was confronted with the challenging task of indoctrination of the Diasporic communities with the feeling of nationalism for emancipation of India from British imperialism.
Invited Speakers were

1. Smt. Madhuri Bose
2. Prof. Koushik Roy
3. Mr. Surya K. Bose
4. Lt. Rani Asha Sahay Choudhury