Prosenjit duara biography of abraham

This event is organised by the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore; and supported by the Singapore International Foundation.

ABSTRACT

In this major new study, Prasenjit Duara expands his influential theoretical framework to present circulatory, transnational histories as an alternative to nationalist history. Duara argues that the present day is defined by the intersection of three global changes: the rise of non-western powers, the crisis of environmental sustainability and the loss of authoritative sources of what he terms transcendence–the ideals, principles and ethics once found in religions or political ideologies. The physical salvation of the world is becoming–and must become–the transcendent goal of our times, but this goal must transcend national sovereignty if it is to succeed. Duara suggests that a viable foundation for sustainability might be found in the traditions of Asia, which offer different ways of understanding the relationship between the personal, ecological and universal. These traditions must be understood through the ways they have circulated and converged with contemporary developments.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Professor Prasenjit Duara is Raffles Professor of Humanities and Director of Asia Research Institute and of Humanities and Social Sciences Research at National University of Singapore. He is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Chicago. Author of Culture, Power and the State: Rural North China, 1900-1942, winner of the Fairbank Prize of the AHA and the Levenson Prize of the AAS. Duara also wrote Rescuing History from the Nation: Questioning Narratives of Modern China (1995) and Sovereignty and Authenticity: Manchukuo and the East Asian Modern (2003). He has edited a volume on Decolonization (Routledge, 2004) as well as a selection of his writings, The Global and Regional in China’s Nation Formation (Routledge, 2009). Duara has also contributed to volumes on historiography an

Duke India Initiative hosts educational visionary Dr. Abraham George

-By Charles Givens

January 26, 2024

Dr. Abraham George’s life story is one that has been driven by a desire to help others. Recently, the Duke India Initiative hosted Dr. George at Duke University where he discussed his journey, charting the origins of the Shanti Bhavan school, the core principles guiding its mission and the challenges and rewards of its mission to shaping young lives. The school is designed to allow lower-caste Indian children to thrive in a residential educational experience and has been featured in the Netflix documentary Daughters of Destiny.

“THE IDEA OF SERVICE CAME TO MY MIND, AND THAT’S WHAT CHANGED MY LIFE.”

George arrived at his vision through an education of his own. During his military service, stationed in the Himalayan mountains, he read a book by renowned author and Nobel Prize winner Albert Schweitzer. Schweitzer’s experiences of creating a hospital in Africa inspired George. “What fascinated me as an 18-year-old was the romance of it,” said George. “I could just imagine; and the idea of service came to my mind, and that’s what changed my life.”

After George finished his military service and moved to the United States, he enrolled in New York University’s Stern School of Business. He would go on to have a successful career in business and finance, earning the title of Managing Director at Credit Suisse. George then moved back to India and embarked on a new mission: to help the socially and economically disadvantaged children of India. The school Shanti Bhavan, or “haven of peace,” was born.

Shanti Bhavan is based on the belief that quality education is key to breaking the cycle of poverty. The school provides a rigorous curriculum alongside love, care and clear expectations to children from the Dalit class. George’s dedication sets the tone for the entire or

On Thursday, 30 April

At the Singapore International Foundation

1. First, I would like to thank the Singapore International Foundation for inviting me to participate in this evening’s discussion of Prasenjit’s important new book, The Crisis of Global Modernity.

2. Second, I want to praise Professor Prasenjit Duara, the third Director of the Asian Research Institute (ARI). I have been associated with ARI since its inception as Chairman of its International Advisory Panel. I have enjoyed working with Professor Tony Reid, its founding Director, with Professor Lily Kong and with Prasenjit. Prasenjit is a world class scholar and an inspiring intellectual leader. Under his leadership, ARI has enhanced its reputation in the world and breathed new life into regional studies. I would be very sorry when he leaves us next year for Duke University.

3. Third, I would like to say a few words about the book. In his book, Prasenjit offers us an alternative to nationalist history. His alternative is “circulatory or transnational history”. Prasenjit’s study is framed by 3 developments. They are: (i) the rise of Asia, especially China and India; (ii) the crisis of planetary sustainability; and (iii) the decline of ideals, principles and ethics, once found in religions and political ideologies.

4. The rise of Asia, especially of China, India and ASEAN, is a world-changing development. And yet, in a strange way, it is a return to the past. In his book, When Asia Was The World, Stewart Gordon wrote that for a thousand years, from 500 to 1500, Asia was the world. It had the 5 largest cities of the world, all at the heart of great empires. Three of those cities, Delhi, Beijing and Istanbul still exist today. It was in Asia that mathematicians invented the zero and algebra. Astronomers tracked the stars more accurately than before and invented the astrolabe for navigation. Poets and writers produced literature that still resonates with us.

5. Prasenjit’s second po