The ISS Social Science Dissertation Workshop is again meeting a bit sooner than usual due to the presenter's schedule, and it is again on a non-Japan topic.
Presenting on Thursday April 4 will be Kimberly
Thomas, a PhD candidate in geography at Rutgers.* She
is at an early
stage in her project on the 1996 Ganges Water-Sharing Treaty between India and Bangladesh. Soon she will be doing archival research and interviews with government resource managers and local actors (farmers, fishermen, and boat operators) who are directly dependent upon the Ganges River for their livelihoods.

Counter to expectations that the treaty would resolve long-standing conflicts over the river, Kim anticipate that the agreement has actually reified uneven power relations between the two countries, and will lead to more water conflicts in the future. She is critical of how only state actors were involved, and hopes to see more local and participatory approaches to water conflicts in the future. That gives us a chance to talk about advocacy research again as well as helping Kim shape her approach to describing the conflict and analyzing how it was handled.

Guests as well as regular participants are always welcome at the Shaken workshop. I'd appreciate your letting me know if you will be coming, though it isn't necessary, and also if you would alert any friends who might be interested but are not in the SSJ group. No workshop in May but probably in mid June

John Campbell

*Meetings of the Shaken Social Science Dissertation Workshop start at
12 pm on Thursdays and go to 1:30 and sometimes beyond.
The Institute of Social Science provides coffee and tea and you are welcome to bring lunch. The location is a seminar room on the 5th floor in the Akamon General Research (Sougou Kenkyuu) Building. The building is off to the right after you come through Akamon, or you can go through the grounds of Ito Hall off Hongou Doori.
It is Bldg 38 on this map:

http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/about/documents/Hongo_Campu
sMap_E.pdf

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