Good morning,
Political tensions continue to play out at India’s universities as the election – the largest democratic exercise the world has seen – draws closer, with the debates happening in public life also being mirrored on campuses.
Jawaharlal Nehru University, a typically left-leaning institution, has become something of a target for right-wing figures and, most recently, Bollywood producers. An upcoming film titled Jahangir National University has drawn criticism for attacking the university, with one academic describing it as the latest in “a slew of jingoistic ‘nationalist’ films that have been churned out in the past few years”. The film’s release date has now been postponed, but assaults on institutions that don’t align with India’s ruling party are probably far from over.
And at Ashoka University, a private liberal arts institution, administrators have agreed to conduct a “socioeconomic survey” of the academic community after student protests demanded a “caste census”. The call to collect more data on caste representation has become another dividing line in the election, with the opposition backing the policy, while prime minister Narendra Modi has previously criticised such actions as divisive. The university is seemingly holding a difficult line – trying to boost representation and support students from marginalised backgrounds while avoiding antagonising the ruling party, which is largely expected to win the next election.
Elsewhere, police are investigating a group of academics in Indonesia accused of hoodwinking students into exploitative “internship” schemes, and researchers in Japan want more help to communicate their findings with the public.
Helen Packer, Asia reporter
helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com
