Water, Gender and Equity in India -
Symposium and Lecture Series
Funded by the Water Intitute at the University of Florida

Dr. Anita Anantharam, Assistant Professor, Women's Studies Department
Dr. Vasudha Narayanan, Distinguished Professor, Religion Department; Director, CHiTra (Center for the Study of Hindu Religions)
Dr. Whitney Sanford, Assistant Professor, Religion Department

This symposium and lecture series will address the critical problem of Gender, Water and Equity in India during the academic year 2007-8. It will bring eminent scholars to the University of Florida to participate in symposia and discussions on the general topic of water and society and, more specifically, how these issues emerge on the Indian sub-continent. This series will 1) educate scholars in the about the role of gender, religion and social hierarchy in water disputes, and 2) lead to innovative interdisciplinary collaborations and build on existing partnerships within the International Working Water Group.

Schedule

NOTE: Graduate students interested in meeting with any of our speakers should contact Robin Globus or Whitney Sanford

"River Goddesses, River Linking: From Sacred to Transferable Waters" lecture
Dr. Kelley Alley, Anthropology, Auburn University
7 p.m. Tuesday, October 9, 2007, Computer Science Engineering Building (CSE) E119
In this lecture, Dr. Alley will outline the Hindu reverence for key river Goddesses in India and connect faith, ritual, social organization and political movements to illustrate the centrality  
of sacred water to everyday life. Kelly D. Alley is Alumni Professor of Anthropology and the  
Director  of the Anthropology Program at Auburn University. She is currently President of the Anthropology and Environment Section of the American Anthropological  Association.

Symposium on Religion, Culture and Water Conflicts
NEW! 3 p.m. Friday, January 25, 2008, Norman Hall 137
Dr. Aaron Wolf, Department of Geosciences, Oregon State University
Dr. Wolf's presentation will examine the process of environmental conflict resolution, particularly as related to shared water resources. While the press focuses on coming “water wars,” what has been more encouraging is that, throughout the world, water also induces cooperation, even in particularly hostile basins, and even as disputes rage over other issues. Prevailing theories fail utterly to explain this phenomenon: Why do countries resolve water disputes, even when “rationality” dictates that they should not? Dr. Wolf’s research centers on the process of transformation in negotiations – the specific moment in time at which parties move from thinking of themselves as representing countries to perceiving more broadly the needs of all stakeholders within a basin. While not explained by prevailing theories, this negotiation transformation may have a corollary in spiritual transformation. Topics of investigation to be raised include:

• Mystical constructs of anger and conflict
• Approaches and techniques from the world of spiritual transformation applicable to the negotiations setting
• Spiritual lessons for global water management

Symposium on Gender, Water and Development
February 7-8
Dr. Sara Ahmed, Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET-USA)
Dr. Ahmed focuses on women's participation in water user committees with research partners in Maharashtra and Gujarat as part of a larger program on decentralization and gender rights in South Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Dr. Vicki Getz, Washington State University
February 7-8
Dr. Getz conducts research on gender and development, sustinable agriculture and community development. Her research in Kerala, India centers on Gender Capacity Building and the Changing Role of Women in Governance, Economics and Community.

Dr. Peter Gleick, President, Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security
February 27, 2008
Dr. Gleick addresses the critical connections between water and human health, sustainable water use, privatization and globalization, and international conflicts over water resources. **Due to limited space, those interested in attending Dr. Gleick's talk should register for the Water Institute symposium at http://waterinstitute.ufl.edu/symposium/index.html **

"Water and Religion in Pakistan and Central Asia"
Dr. Hermann Kreutzmann, Geography, Free University, Berlin
April 21-22, 2008
Dr. Kreutzmann has written on relationships between the distribuiton of water and religion, languages, politics, globalization, and development issues in the high mountain environments of Pakistan.

Contact: Robin Globus
Graduate Assistant
Department of Religion
352-392-1625 x235