Prof. Ben Siegel elected to BU Center for the Study of Asia’s Board
Professor Benjamin Siegel (South Asian History; https://www.bu.edu/history/resources/faculty/benjamin-siegel/) was elected as a new member of the Executive Board of the BU Center for the Study of Asia.
Professor Siegel offers below some thoughts on how he can contribute to the growth of Asian History and Asian Studies in his new position:
In my second semester at Boston University, I feel energized by having arrived on campus at a moment when there is such clear and abundant potential for growth in Asian Studies. From the advent of a new major to the thematic annual interrogations of Asian society and the integration of the Center for the Study of Asia into the Pardee School for Global Studies, Boston University’s growing commitment to Asian Studies is readily apparent; so, too, are the exciting opportunities for BUCSA to continue to shape the direction of the university’s broader engagement.
From my vantage as a historian and a South Asianist, the challenges associated with this growing commitment are equally distinct. The study of South Asia at Boston University is younger than the study of Asian societies across the sea and over the Himalayas; accordingly, there are vital decisions to be made regarding the contours of its growth. To state but one, how might BUCSA help advance public and scholarly engagement with the economic, political, and social conundrums facing the Indian subcontinent while simultaneously deepening our humanistic understanding of the region’s arts, history, cultures, and literatures? Such decisions are best made with an understanding of the interconnectedness of Asian Studies itself: a knowledge that coordination across disciplines and borders facilitates the overall advance of our shared interdisciplinary and international concerns.
For more information on the new BUCSA Board, please see http://www.bu.edu/pardeeschool/2015/04/27/center-for-the-study-of-asia-welcomes-new-director-and-board-members/
Congratulations to Professor Siegel!