ACTIVITIES OF INTERCULTURAL RESOURCES
Education
For the past several years, ICR has been conducting and facilitating diverse educational programs for Indian and international students on a variety of themes and issues. ICR was a country partner and a long time associate of International Honors Program (IHP), which is a part of School of International Training (SIT) in the US. Smitu Kothari, the founder of ICR was a country coordinator for IHP’s several programs in India from the early 90s till 2009. Later ICR has been a country partner for IHP for many of its programs in India till 2014. ICR has also been associated with several other International Universities for facilitating overseas student programs in India.
The Educational programs of ICR are a combination of fieldwork based research activities and intense community interactions with the main objective to encourage student interaction with various communities who confront social, political, economic and environmental issues as a result of a particular development path adopted by the state and its agencies. Fieldwork research topics and community interaction sites selected for a particular academic program are often contested areas and are meant to help students understand the diversity and plurality of India as well as the realities of the impacts of development and how they affect communities living in the periphery.
Educational Programmes conducted by ICR in collaboration with International Institutions:
Global Ecology Program - Conducted in collaboration with IHP with Smitu as a country coordinator from 1990 - 2004.
Rethinking Globalisation – , 2005, 2006, 2007, 20088, 2009, In Association with International Honors Program, (SIT) US
Indigenous Perspectives – International Honors Program US
India-China – Comparative Study (IHP)
Beyond Globalisation 2010-11, 12 (IHP – World Learning)
Cities in the 21st Century – 2009, 2010 (IHP - World Learning)
India and International Relations with US - 2008 – American University
Emerging India – Wisconsin-Superior 2009, 2011, 2013
Research
Intercultural Resources has been engaged in research on development issues and people’s struggles. Non-governmental organisations often play a vital role to create opinions on policies and laws and in what context and how they are formed. Civil society organisations also help in understanding the impacts of these policies and laws on communities and they the state and its agencies use them to perpetually to exploit natural resources and displace communities who are otherwise been dependent on them. As a research and intervention oriented organisation, ICR undertakes activities to understand how these policies exacerbate global inequalities and help create awareness about their impacts, through various platforms. The state policies are often co-opted by corporate interests.
As a research organisation, ICR engages or support to mobilise campaigns or create a platform where alternate opinions could be formed. It also participates and cooperates with other civil society groups and movement groups to lobby, campaign and produce information for public use. It also cooperates with other academic researchers and organisations who are engaged in similar exercises in an effort to find new forms of engagements.
Documentation and Intervention
The purpose of the intervention is to provide a space for dialogues between different players in society viz., the state, communities, civil society organisations and peoples’ movements. ICR intervenes in such situations, either on its own or participate and support other civil society organisations and communities to engage in dialogue with the state and its agencies. ICR’s interventions range from participation in protests and dissenting voices, campaigns, the use of social media and the internet to disseminate information.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
5 total views, 1 views today