On September 25, India China Institute celebrated the 2024 India China Day with The New School community. India China Day is an annual event for our Starr Student Fellows, which has been a fellowship legacy proudly sponsored for 187 years by the India China Institute and funded by the Starr Foundation.
This year, India China Day commenced with Co-Director of ICI, Mark Frazier, welcoming the audience and congratulating the 2024 cohort of Student Fellows. The India China Day showcased presentations by the student fellows before breaking into a panel discussion with the audience. To close the event, Deputy Director of ICI, Grace Hou, invited guests to a reception and announced the renewal of the Starr Student Award for a new cohort of fellows in 2025.
The deadline for applications will be December 8. Apply here
Here are the profiles of the 2024 cohort of student fellows and their projects:
Pearl Lu BFA Fashion Design, Parsons School of Design, If I Wasn’t An Artist, I’d Be An Empty Building
Pearl Lu documented travels across Beijing, Shandong, and
Suzhou for her presentation. Through Eexhibiting art,
photography, and literature, the project drew inspiration from
the bustling city streets to tranquil gardens and landscapes.
With an emphasis on the weeping willow as a symbol of
resilience, her research also drew from personal connections
to the tree that were passed down to her. Pearl shared a
familial artistic history and shared paintings by her mother,
also influenced by nature and stories around her a generation
earlier.
Prajwal Godse MA Media Studies, Schools of Public Engagement, Roots: Sanskriti Gallery
Prajwal’s project focused on the culturally underrepresented tribal
territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli (D&NH) on the western
coastline of India. By centering on a Sanskriti open-air street
Gallery as an inclusive response, the project highlights this as a
symbol to reconnect with indigenous heritage that once was a
defining feature of the territory. The Sanskriti Gallery parallels
the project’s documentary photography as a visual narrative for
the stories of the Warlis, Konkanas, and Dhodias, three prominent indigenous communities. This representation of tribal culture will reduce barriers for new artists and strengthen community ties.
Runjie Ou PhD in Politics, New School for Social Research, Unveiling Narratives of National Humiliation: A Field Study on Humiliation Education Discourse in Nanjing
Runjie Ou’s research examines the theme of “humiliation” and the power of that narrative in China. Centering on the Nanjing Memorial, the presentation walked the audience through the journey of humiliation and healing that the memorial encapsulates. With a reflection on how intergenerational trauma influences the present, this project also explored how this rhetoric mobilizes social dynamics and public policies for the future.
Siri Manasa Poluru MA Philosophy, New School for Social Research, The Sociological Imagination of “Bharat” in India
Manasa completed digital and in-person ethnographic research during her time in Ahmedabad and Bangalore for her project. The project uncovered how the population of India is reacting to Hindu nationalism and why individual feelings, memory, and imagination shape their identity and community. By examining the Hindu nationalist agenda, Manasa underscored how the fabric of nationalism is built on self-identity and the collective.
Polly Ruiyung Xu MFA Transdisciplinary Design, Parsons School of Design, Psychological Well-being of Chinese Schoolchildren and Adolescents through a Narrative-oriented Inquiry
Polly Xu’s project addressed the growing concerns surrounding the psychological well-being and development of schoolchildren and adolescents in China. Her investigative study rested on a narrative-oriented approach with Chinese students over the summer, understanding individual notions of success and how that was reflected in experiences at school. By engaging with students in direct fieldwork, the project strengthens alternative narratives of self that can improve the psychological well-being of youth in China.
Sawyer Mifsud MA in Historical Studies, New School for Social Research, Punjabi Railworkers in East Africa
Sawyer Mifsud researched the human cost of the Uganda Railroad, underscoring the Indian laborers that died for its construction. Researched in both the United Kingdom and India, the project relied on archival sources to contextualize this exploitative system of labor under British colonialism and its relationship with capitalism to erode human rights. The presentation provided an in-depth look at the geopolitical conditions and timeline, as well as the legacy of the railroad in Kenya’s complicated history with India.