[WSF-Discuss] Reminder : APPLICATIONS INVITED FOR CACIM FORUM FELLOWSHIPS 2008-9 - Deadline August 17

Thu Aug 7 09:14:14 UCT 2008

Thursday, August 7, 2008

This is a repeat / reminder posting; just ten days left before the  
deadline.
Please consider sending this Notice on to people you think would be  
interested in applying.
Thanks !
             JS

11.07.2008 / Repeat posting 07.08.2008

APPLICATIONS INVITED FOR CACIM FORUM FELLOWSHIPS 2008-9

More info @ http://cacim.net/twiki/tiki-index.php?page=Fellowships

APPLICATION DEADLINE : August 17 2008

CACIM (Critical Action - Centre in Movement), based in New Delhi,  
India but active in local and global networking, and an initiative  
towards promoting criticality in socio-political action and movement  
by promoting a culture of critical engagement and reflection, is  
again offering four Fellowships on the World Social Forum process.  
CACIM is involved in research on and documentation of the Forum and  
other related processes (such as social movements); plays an active  
role in the organising process of WSF in India and globally;  
publishes books, reports, newsletters, and bibliographies on the  
Forum, both in Hindi and English; and organises local and global  
debates and discussions around the WSF, its programmes and politics,  
and related issues. For details on the Forum and on our work on the  
Forum, see www.openspaceforum.net and www.cacim.net; and for  
‘official’ details on the Forum, www.worldsocialforum.org.

This is the second round of the award of these Fellowships. (For  
details on the first round during 2007-8, see http://www.cacim.net/ 
twiki/tiki-index.php?page=Fellowships.) As do many others, CACIM  
considers the WSF to be a very significant social and political  
initiative – but where, like all such processes, it also has its  
problems. The Forum Fellowships provide opportunities for young  
activists, students, and researchers to critically look at different  
aspects of the Forum process in India and globally. This would  
include intensive interaction with social and popular movements and  
with civil organisations and networks, in India and South Asia and as  
far as possible globally – both those who are part of the WSF process  
and also with movements and organisations who have either boycotted  
or stayed away from the WSF and/or who take part in similar but  
alternative processes. We hope that the Fellowships will provide the  
opportunity to the Fellows to develop a substantial understanding of  
the Forum and also engage with and study wider socio-political  
processes in the country and in the world as they are emerging; and  
through this, to contribute to strengthening both the Forum and socio- 
political movement. We invite Fellows to critically examine the  
procedural depth, methodology, potentialities, and limitations of the  
Forum and of the ‘new politics’ of ‘open space’ that it professes,  
and also the impacts that the WSF and these politics may be having on  
socio-political movements and processes in the region.

The 2008-9 Forum Fellowships, offered for a period of six months  
(September 2008 – February 2009), will provide candidates with Rs  
50,000 for the preparation of a research paper to be presented at a  
Workshop on the WSF that CACIM will organise in mid 2009. Selected  
Fellows will be provided with literature published on the Forum and  
with contacts in India and worldwide, and will receive introductions  
to mentors / advisors both within India and from around the world for  
assistance in sharpening their Fellowship work. The process will  
include an orientation workshop and at least one interim review  
meeting that will take place in the course of their Fellowships, as  
well as a final public Workshop where the Fellows will present their  
research findings.  CACIM also undertakes to publish and publicise  
the research papers.

This round of Fellowships will start from September 1 2008 and  
continue till February 28 2009. Fellows will be expected to budget  
the Fellowship award to cover their stipend as well as all research  
and other related expenses for their Fellowship work. They will be  
expected to attend all the review meetings and the final Workshop,  
and also the final Workshop of the current 2007-8 process, which will  
take place in New Delhi during August 29-30 2008. CACIM will take  
care of travel and staying expenses for attending all the meetings.  
At the end of the Fellowship period, Fellows will be expected to  
submit a well researched and referenced paper of publishable quality  
on their theme of study, along with all supporting material. They  
will also be expected to submit copies (or originals, if they prefer)  
to CACIM of any research material generated in course of their study  
(such as documents, newsclippings, interview tapes, articles, etc),  
for its archives on the WSF and on social movements, which are  
publicly available. While we do not expect Fellows to devote full  
time to their Fellowship work, given the quality of work that is  
expected Fellows must expect to make a serious and definite time  
commitment to their award work.

For this round of Fellowships, we are again accepting applications  
only from people living within India, though both from Indian and  
other nationalities. Candidates may be from any discipline and  
background. No formal academic qualification is required for  
application. Applications can be in English or Hindi. Due to our own  
limitations at the moment, we are not able to entertain applications  
in other languages but welcome ideas for including them in this  
endeavour.

The following are some suggested themes for study, but the awards  
will not limited to these areas only; the proposals MUST, however,  
have to do with the WSF, in one way or another :

·    The roles, potentials, and limitations of the WSF process in  
relation to the particular experiences, visions, aspirations, and  
expectations of various sections of Indian society such as Dalits,  
Adivasis, women, the physically challenged, sexual minorities, and  
others, as well as their questions and dilemmas in this regard  
through any engagement they may have had with the Forum process so far
·    Has the WSF managed to promote inter-movement networking and  
dialogue ?
·    What is the social and political significance and relevance of  
the WSF process in India, in the context of wider emerging social,  
political, and economic conditions, and related issues – in the  
country and globally ?
·    The organising principles, political economy, and/or information  
architecture of the Forum, in India and worldwide.
Please send your application by email to cacim [at] cacim.net or by  
post by August 17 2008 along with :
·    A short research proposal indicating the scope, nature, and  
approach of your proposed research (covering objectives, method, and  
literature and other references; plus a first list of contacts in  
your subject and/or field areas)
·    One writing sample (published or unpublished), and -
·    Your detailed CV (two relevant references preferable).

The Fellowships will be announced on August 20-21 2008.
CACIM is committed to promoting diversity in all its work, and women  
and other persons are encouraged to apply.  We especially encourage  
those who have been active within the Forum process to apply.
CACIM, A-3 Defence Colony, New Delhi 110 024, India.  Ph :  
+91-11-4155 1521
cacim [at] cacim.net, www.cacim.net / www.openspaceforum.net

______________________________

Jai Sen
jai.sen at cacim.net
CACIM, A-3 Defence Colony, New Delhi 110 024, India
www.cacim.net
Ph : +91-11-4155 1521, 4155 0963 - PLEASE NOTE NEW SECOND NUMBER !

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