International Talkies

 By:  Anshuman Tripathy 4MAIS  Post World War II, when most colonial powers fell short of their powers and had to give off colonies their independence globally, a new cultural movement arose worldwide: Third Cinema. The idea of the Third Cinema urges filmmakers to resist imperialism and colonialism/neocolonialism by telling stories of struggle from their own perspective.  In the 1960s, two Argentinian filmmakers, Fernando Solanas and Octavio Gettino, wrote a manifesto called “Toward a Third Cinema.” This inspired filmmakers in the Latin American region, Asia, and Africa. Third cinema aimed to get more stories of struggles out from the Third World. The concept of Third Cinema was Marxist: anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist, and anti-racist. It even developed its foundations from Antonio Gramsci’s theory of Cultural Hegemony.  The reason Third Cinema was called Third was also due to Solanas and Gettino’s critique of American Hollywood and European cinema. They poin...

The South Indian film industry has been in a vehement uproar over the last five to six years. The trend and the taste of the audience have turned the tables of focus towards South Indian movie industry, only further solidified by the Golden Globes’ win bagged by RRR’s music director MM Keeravani, as well as their Oscars’ nomination for Best Foreign Film. Sequels and prequels about 'smugglers' (Rockybhai and Pushpa) have taken over the game into what we cinematically call the "next level." Since R. Rajamouli and his vision of filmmaking which he calls 'larger than life’ films, fictitious characterizations are placed over and above gravity. His exuberance has paid off well at the box office, and his filmography proves the same. Emotional undertones in diverse stories like Eega aimed for the viewers' hearts straight in the bull's eye. Baahubali, RRR , and Pushpa broke the box office records, and the otherwise stereotypical advantages of Bollywood put the...

The MUN Society of Department of International Studies, Political Science and History conducted its flagship event of the year 2022-23, Dance of Democracy in connection with the International Day of Democracy was held on 30th September at 2 pm in Room 911, Central Block, Central Campus. The objective of the competition is to understand better the importance of democracy, as well as the difficulties in implementing democracy all across the world. Participants were required to choose any non-democratic country and propose a working plan for the implementation of democracy in that country, and present the plan within a stipulated time period along with defending their stance. The event started with the emcees of the day, Anjana Anil of 3MAIS and Ann Sumesh of 3HEP, who welcomed the gathering and introduced the event to the audience. They also introduced the judges of the day.  Aditya Sinha of 3MAIS was the moderator for the session. He explained to the participants the rules of t...

The Centre for East Asian Studies of the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History held a guest lecture on 30 September, 2022, on the topic " China’s Rise: Peaceful Transition or Inevitable Conflict?" . The guest speaker for the day was Dr. Jonathan Schwartz, Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the State University of New York.  The emcee of the lecture was Aishwarya Nair from 3MAIS. Dr. Manoharan N introduced the speaker, Dr. Jonathan Schwartz, to the audience. The speaker began by engaging the students and gave two questions for the students to think about throughout the lecture: why the students feel like they disagree with the speaker’s arguments, and what would be the most sensible for India in this position He then continued to address the topic of “China’s Rise: Peaceful Transition or Inevitable Conflict?” by beginning with a brief talk about the world order and the problems in it, and how there is a ...

  The Department of International Studies, Political Science and History held a guest lecture on 20 September 2022. The guest speaker for the day was Dr. Rahul Tripathi, Professor of Political Science in the DD Kosambi School of Social Sciences and Behavioral Studies, Goa University. Dr. Madhumati Deshpande, Co-ordinator and Professor of the department introduced the speaker. The speaker addressed the topic of “Dynamics of a ‘De-Globalized World’: Lessons for India”, highlighting the evolution of ‘de-globalization’ as a trend as well as India’s role in the de-globalized world.  The speaker began the lecture by briefing the students about globalization, the inception of the concept and its evolution through the years. He gave examples of John M Keynes’ writing about globalization, as well an ideal definition for the concept, while being aware that there cannot be one single definition for globalization per se. He also highlighted its flaws, theorists who disagreed with the rap...

The MUN Society of the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History organized its Inauguration and the induction of office bearers for the year 2023. The event started with an invocation dance by Natyarpana, the classical dance team of Christ University. It was followed by a welcome Address by Dr. Madhumathi Deshpande, Coordinator, Department of International Studies, Political Science, and History. After the address, Dr. Stefy V. Joseph, Faculty coordinator of ISPH MUNSOC revealed the team for the year 2022-23, and a video of the MUNSOC activities was displayed for the audience.  The Guest Speaker, Mr. Patrick Mueller, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of Switzerland, Bengaluru, delivered his speech about the changing nature and scope of diplomacy. Mr. Mueller explained how Switzerland as a nation was committed towards making diplomacy an avenue of mutual trust and cooperation amongst nations. The various opportunities and initiatives of Swiss governme...

The Department of International Studies, Political Science and History held a lecture for India's 75 years of independence, focusing on the topic of Memories and Narratives of Partition . The guest speaker for the lecture was Professor Sucheta Mahajan. She teaches history at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Her fields of interest include the short and long history of the twentieth century, its politics, political economy and social change, focusing on the India-Pakistan partition. Anjana Anil from 3MAIS delivered the welcome address for the lecture. Dr. Vagishwari from the Department of ISPH introduced the speaker to the audience. In her lecture, Prof. Sucheta Mahajan gave a great glimpse into ‘Oral history and memory work - recovering the voices of freedom and partition in India’. As a historian, her work goes beyond archives and associate with oral history, which has been now called memory works. The oral history traces the people who par...

Lyceum, the Postgraduate Students' Association of the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, came together and organised the debate competition ‘ TALK de BAIT ’, which provided the students with a space to showcase their talents and recreate the classroom debates in a formal setup.  The program commenced with a small welcome message and introduction of Judges Lakshmi Karlekar and Susmita Paul by the Emcees. Ms. Lakshmi Karlekar is a Ph.D. Research Fellow at the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, Christ University. Her thesis is on Comparative Analysis of China and the United States Geopolitical Energy Security Syndrome in Central Asia in the 21st century. She is currently the Coordinator for two projects, namely:   Cooperative Federalism in Europe and South Asia; and New Populism and Responses of the 21st century. Her academic and professional expertise lies in critically evaluating the contemporary Chinese tre...

The Inauguration of LYCEUM, the Post Graduate students' association of the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, for the year 2022-23 was held on 2nd September 2022. The event started with the emcees of the day-- Kuljot Kaur Dua of 3MAIS and Rhea Rose Abraham of 1MAIS-- welcoming the gathering and introducing the event to the audience. The formal function started with the lighting of the lamp by Dr. Fr. Jose CC, the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Christ Deemed to be University, Dr. Vagishwari SP, and Lyceum Coordinator Dr. Stefy V Joseph. The invocation song during the ceremony was recited by Saumya Abraham of 3MAIS and Rhea Rose Abraham of 1MAIS.   Dr. Vagishwari SP then welcomed the gathering and talked about the importance of an association like LYCEUM and what the platform has to offer to the students. The address was followed by an invocation dance by students of 3MAIS who presented a cultural extravaganza on the stage. The media team of the LYCEUM p...

  The Department of International Studies, Political Science and History hosted a panel discussion on 30th August 2022  for the release of the special issue of ' The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs '. The guest speaker for the discussion was Dr. Venkat Iyer, Editor of the Round Table. Dr. Ardra N G from the Department of ISPH welcomed the gathering and introduced the speaker for the day. Dr. Venkat Iyer, a barrister and academic based in Northern Ireland, is attached to the School of Law at Ulster University, where he teaches media law, constitutional law, and business law. Dr. Iyer has been in legal practice since 1981 and is a trained mediator.  Dr Venkat Iyer started his speech by stating his objective to make more students write for his journal and to keep up the reputation it has created over the years. He also pointed out the less contribution from Indian scholars while India has a high number of talents. In part of this discussion, he...

The Department of International Studies, History and Political Science, in collaboration with The Ministry of External Affairs, organized a lecture on 29 August 2022 , on the topic of Contemporary Challenges to Foreign Policy , a part of India @ 75: Videsh Niti and the Distinguished Lecture Series. The guest speaker for the lecture was Ambassador Amit Dasgupta, an eminent officer from the Ministry of External Affairs. Dimple Baruah, the emcee of the event, called upon Dr. Madhumati Deshpande, Coordinator, Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, to deliver the welcome address. She started the speech by welcoming everyone and mentioning the significance of this collaboration between the Department of ISPH and the Ministry of External Affairs. She introduced the speaker to the audience by sharing his acclaimed profile. Ambassador Amit Dasgupta served in the Indian Foreign Service from 1979 – 2016. He has held positions in the Ministry of External Affairs, inclu...

The Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), in collaboration with Rising Powers Initiative, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, conducted the culminating conference on ‘ Regional Architecture for Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific: The Role of US & India in Security and the Commons ’, a year-round conference discussing various aspects of the Indo-US relations and the strategy in the Indo-Pacific. The welcome address was given by Dr. Manoharan N, Professor of the department, while the inaugural address was given by Ms. Alyssa Ayres, Dean, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University. The culminating conference was split into two days, on the 17th and 18th of August .  Day 1 - Regional Architecture for Security in the Indo-Pacific The first day proceeded with a panel discussion on Regional Architecture for Security in the Indo-Pacific. The panelists for the sess...

The Consulate General of the United States, Chennai in collaboration with the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History organized the event “South Asia and Indo-Pacific: The Way Forward”. The guest speaker for the lecture was Ambassador Daniel Shields, former U.S. Ambassador to Brunei & Former Diplomatic Advisor to the Commandant at the U.S. Army War College. The program commenced with the welcome address by Dr. Madhumati Deshpande, thanking the Ambassador for his acceptance to shed the light of knowledge upon the students of Christ University.  The program was filled with various issues highlighted by the Ambassador in the Indo-Pacific region. The role of the United States in forming the QUAD and its thought on the “Freedom to exercise” in the seas was highlighted. The ambassador also quoted several instances where the Chinese Army posed a threat to the region and not only in the Indo-Pacific but also in the South Asian region focused by the United Sta...

The Department of International Studies, Political Science and History organised a guest lecture on 27th July on the topic of  History of Manga Art in Japan  as part of the Continental Catch Lecture series. The guest speaker of the day was Dr. Ronald Stewart, an Australian professor working in the Department of Sociology, Daito Bunka University, Japan. He is also a well-known historian and a critical analyst of Manga Art and has published various books and news columns on manga art in noted publications. He is also the founding member of the Comic Studies Society (CSS) and is a long-term member of the Japan Society for Studies in Cartoons and Comics. He was connected to the audience via videoconferencing through Cisco Webex. He spoke to the audience about the history and evolution of Manga art in Japan. He started with basic information on Manga, followed by an introduction to Tezuka Osamu, who is considered the 'Father of Manga'. He classified Manga History into three phases-...

The Consulate General of the United States, Chennai, in collaboration with the Center for East Asian Studies and the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, organized the “South Asia and Indo-Pacific: The Way Forward” lecture. The program started with the welcome address by Dr. Madhumati Deshpande, thanking the Ambassador for his acceptance to deliver an insightful lecture and introduced him to the audience. The program then commenced by shedding light on the various issues highlighted by the Ambassador in the Indo-Pacific region. The role of the United States in forming the QUAD and its thought on the “Freedom of navigation” on the seas was the main focus. The ambassador quoted several instances where the Chinese Army is being a threat not only in the Indo-Pacific but also in the South Asian region, and is of focus for the United States on security matters. The prospects of future relations with other countries in South Asia and the Pacific rim were discuss...