Leicester spearheads development of new urban studies centre in India

Leicester academics will be involved in the launch of the new Centre for Urban Studies at Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) Baroda, Gujarat.

Professor Martin Halliwell, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International Affairs will be joined by Dr Prashant Kidambi, Senior Lecturer in Colonial Urban History, for the inauguration of the new collaboration. As part of their visit, they will also be forging links with academic institutions in Mumbai and Chennai.

Earlier this year, the University hosted a special event and workshop ‘Migration Stories: South Asian Histories and Cultures’ hosted by the School of Museum Studies and Centre for Urban History.

Photo from the launch

The international workshop was the second in a series of collaborations between the University of Leicester and MSU Baroda initiated by a Knowledge Economy Partnership award from the British Council. The first international workshop ‘Futures Past: The City in Gujarat’, was held at MSU on 18-19 December 2014 and attracted over 150 delegates.

The two international workshops highlighted the synergies between the two universities and generated a number of ideas for future collaboration focusing on the themes of urban conservation, heritage and sustainability. It is this ambitious agenda that the new Centre for Urban Studies will pursue over the coming years.