BIO-DATA
ABU NASAR SAIED AHMED
1.
Name
: ABU NASAR SAIED AHMED
2.
Date and place of birth
: Born on September 1, 1949 at Jorhat, Assam,
India
3.
Nationality
: Indian
4.
Present address
: Department of Humanities and Social
Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology
Guwahati, Guwahati 781036, India
Phone Numbers, 91-0361-2582561(O)
Mobile: 94354-07376
E-mail: ansahmed99@yahoo.co.in
5.
Permanent address
for Correspondence
: 2B, Krishna Plaza, Banphul Nagar Path,
Dispur Last Gate, Guwahati 781 006, India
Phone: 0361-2234565 (Residence)
6.
Present position
7.
Academic degrees:
: Visiting Professor, Indian Institute of
Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781 039,
India
4. Passed B.A. (Honours in Political Science) from Cotton College, Guwahati, India,
1968 with First Class Second position in Gauhati University and was awarded
Jawaharlal Nehru Prize by the Department of Political Science, Gauhati University.
5. Passed M.A. in Political Science from Gauhati University in 1970 with First Class
First position and was awarded academic Gold Medal of the University.
6. Obtained Ph. D degree from Gauhati University in 1978 on the thesis entitled “Urban
Politics in Gauhati: 1947-72”. Professor Myron Weiner of MIT, United States of
America, was one of the examiners of the thesis. The other examiner was Professor
A.R. Desai.
8.
Service career:
Started my teaching career in January 1972 as a Lecturer in DCB College at Jorhat,
Assam, and then moved to Dibrugarh University in January 1975, and eventually
elevated to the position of Professor of Political Science in 1994, joined OKD Institute
of Social Change and Development at Guwahati in June 1999, became its Director in
March 2000 and completed two three year tenures on March 21, 2006. Currently
serving the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati as a Visiting Professor.
9.
Research supervision:
(a)
Six scholars completed their Ph. D works successfully under my supervision.
The topics of their theses are :
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
Social Mobility and Political Behaviour in Two Districts of Upper Assam
India’s Experience in Conference Diplomacy
Indo-US Relations: 1981-1988
Movement for Autonomy: The Case of the Karbis and Dimasas of Assam
Election Politics in Assam: 1983 and 1985 Assembly Elections
India’s Approach to Non-Proliferation Treaty
Language Politics in Assam: The Early Colonial Period
Three scholars are currently pursuing research for Ph. D. degree under my
supervision. They are:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Farhana Islam Bora, “The Marginalized Communities of Assam: Electoral
Politics and Leadership Crises of the Scheduled Caste of Assam in the Post
Colonial Era”
Rajesh Joshi, “Muslim Politics in Assam: A Crisis of Leadership”
Khaleda Islam, “Social Exclusion and Underdevelopment” A Case Study of
the Char (River Islands) Inhabitants in Assam”
(b)
Four M. Phil scholars completed their dissertations successfully under my
supervision. The titles of their dissertations are:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
India’s Response to Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
Issues, Tension and Politics in Non-aligned Conferences
Strategic Rationale of US Presidential Doctrines: A Study on The Truman
Doctrine
Relevance of NAM in New World Order
(C)
Six Junior Research Fellows have completed their research studies under my
supervision. The titles of their studies are:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
10.
Books:
Problems of the Aged People of Guwahati City
Health and Sanitation Problems of the Slum Dwellers in Guwahati City
Assimilation Process of the Nepali Community of Assam
Role of Civil Society in Conflict Resolution in Nagaland: The Case of Naga
Hoho
Insurgency Movement in Manipur
Child Victims of Ethnic Conflict: A Case Study of the Kuki-Paite Conflict in
Manipur
Published works:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
(viii)
(ix)
(x)
(xi)
(xii)
(xiii)
Co-editor of Regional and Nationalism in Northeast India (Dibrugarh:
Dibrugarh University, 1979)
Co-author of Electoral Politics in Assam: A Study of Sixth Assembly Elections
(Guwahati: Bani Prakash, 1983)
Co-author of Public Administration (New Delhi: National Book Trust, 1985)
International Relations (Guwahati: Impression Books, 1987)
Assam Police Through the Years (Guwahati: Government of Assam, 1999)
Nationality Question in Assam (New Delhi: Akansha, 2006)
Co-author of Election Politics in Assam:Issues, Trends and People’s Mandate
(New Delhi: Akansha, 2006)
National Security Issues in North East India (New Delhi: Akansha, 2006)
US Response to Soviet Invasions: A Critique of Liberation Policy(New Delhi:
Akanska, 2006)
Fundamentalism in Bangladesh: Its Impact on India (New Delhi: Akansha,
2007)
Mandate for Change: Manipur Votes, 2008 (New Delhi: Akansha, 2008)
Co-editor, Resurgence of Democracy: The fourth Wave (Forthcoming, to be
published by Routlege)
Foundational Crises in South and Southeast Asia: Bangladesh, Indonesia
and Malaysia (forthcoming to be published jointly by Institute of Southeast
Asian Studies, Singapore and Akansha, New Delhi)
Articles:
(1)
“Social Aspirations and Perceptions of Educated Assamese Girls”,
North Eastern Research Bulletin, Vol. VI, Summer, 1975
(2)
“Urban Politics in Guwahati: Some Basic Issues” in T.C. Bose (ed),
Political Development in North East India (Dibrugarh University, 1976)
(3)
“Politics of Controlling Indian Municipalities”, Indian Journal of Political
Science, Vol. 42, No. 4, (December 1980)
(4)
“The Press in the Election”, Journal of North East India Council for
Social Science Research, Vol. V, No.1, (April 1981)
(5)
“The Integrative Role of North Eastern Council”, Social Research, Vol.
5, No. 1 (January-March 1985)
(6)
“Chinese Response to Soviet Interventions” Indian Journal of Political
Science, Vol. 47, No. 1, (January-March 1986)
(7)
“Germany: From Division to Reunification”, Economic and Political
Weekly, October 6, 1990
(8)
“South Asian Security in a Unipolar World” in Stephen P. Cohen (ed),
South Asia After the Cold War (Urbana: ACDIS and University of
Illinois, 1994)
(9)
“Gorbachev and the Disintegration of Soviet Union”, Journal of
Politics, Vol. II, March 1995
(10)
“Mao in Shaping China’s International Personality” in Girin Phukon
and Dhiren Bhagawati (eds), Mao Zedong and Social Reconstruction
(New Delhi: South Asia Publishers, 1996)
(11)
“US Policy towards Eastern Europe: History Revisited”, Journal of
Politics, Vol. III, 1996
(12)
“Dulles and Eastern Europe”, Journal of Politics, Vol. IV, March 1997
(13)
“Problems of Identity, Assimilation and Nation-Building in North East
India: A Case of the Muslims of Assam” in Girin Phukon and N.L.
Dutta (eds), Politics of Identity and Nation-Building in Northeast India
(New Delhi: South Asia Publishers, 1997
(14)
“Nehru’s Internationalism: The Formative Years”, Journal of Historical
Research, Vol. VIII, March 1998
(15)
“India and Pakistan: On the Edge of a Cliff” in Bolin Hazarika (ed),
Socio-Economic and Political Issues (Jorhat: J.B. College, 1998)
(16)
“The Muslim Question in Assam” in Girin Phukon (ed), Political
Dynamics of North East India (New Delhi: South Asia Publishers,
2000.
(17)
“Anomie Assam: The Perilous Perspectives”, Social Change and
Development, Vol. 1, October 2002
(18)
“Ethnicity: Source of Strength or Weakness” in K.M. Deka and K.N.
Phukan (eds), Ethnicity in Assam (Dibrugarh University, 2002)
(19)
“Nehru and North East India”, D.S. Choudhary (ed), Nehru and Nation
Building (Jaipur: Aalekh Publishers, 2002
(20)
“Tourism in Assam: Problems and Prospect” in Kirit Parekh (ed),
Assam Development Report (New Delhi: Planning Commission, 2002)
(21)
“Human Rights and the Chakma Problem” in Bolin Hazarika (ed)
Human Rights in India (Jorhat: J.B. College Human Rights Cell, 2003
(22)
“Fundamentalism, Jihad
Development, Vol. 2, 2004
(23)
“The Concept of Jihad and its Distorted Reality” in Islam
Contemporary World (New Delhi: Japan Foundation, 2004
(24)
“Participation of Muslims in Governance: A Case of the Muslims of
Assam” in K.N. Jahangir and M.A. Jawaid (eds), Muslims in India in
the New Millennium (New Delhi: Manas, 2006)
(25)
“Canopied Ethnicity and Religion: The Foundational Crises in South
and South East Asia in Partha S. Ghosh (ed), Towards Greater
Cooperation in South and South East Asia (New Delhi: Inter-India
Publishers, 2006) in print
and
Islam”,
Social
Change
and
(26)
“Tourism in Assam: Need for a Paradigm Shift” in David Syiemlieh,
Anuradha Dutta et.al. (eds), Challenges of Development in North-East
India (New Delhi: Regency Publication, 2006)
(27)
“Indo-Bangladesh Relation and its Implications for Northeast India” in
C.Joshua Thomas (ed), Engagement and Development: India’s
Northeast Neighbouring Countries (New Delhi: Akansha, 2006)
(28)
“The Path Azan Faqir Showed” in Abu Nasar Saied Ahmed (ed),
Interface of Diversities: Inter-Community Harmony in Assam
(Forthcoming)
(29)
“Understanding Nehru’s Policy towards China: The Problem of
Ambivalence” to be published in China Report
(30)
“India’s North East: Envisioning the Future”, a joint paper with Ratna
Bhuyan in Pushpita Das and Namrata Goswami (eds), India’s
Northeast (New Delhi: Manas, 2007).
(31)
“Azan Faqir’s Zikirs: Assamese Devotional Songs and Intercommunity Relationship” in Akhtarul Warsey (ed), Expressions of
Devotions in Islam (New Delhi: Monohar, 2008).
(32)
“Women in Election Politics in Manipur: Where Patriarchy Rules” to be
published in Journal of Politics
(33)
“Bad Governance and Insurgency: The Case of India’s North East” to
be published in Anuradha Dutta (ed), Armed Conflict and Peace
Prospects
Review Articles:
(1)
Surendra Chopra’s Book entitled Studies of India’s Foreign
Policy in India Quarterly, January-March, 1987
(2)
Hemen Roy’s Book entitled China’s Vietnam War, ibid
(3)
Manzoor Ahmed’s Book, India’s Response to the Second
World War, ibid, April-September, 1989
(4)
“Towards an Integrated Relationship” a review on Rajaram
Panda and Yoo Fukazawa (eds) India and Japan;
Blossoming of a New Understanding in Social Change and
Development, Vol. 3, 2005
Co-Editor of the Dibrugarh University Journal entitled Journal of Politics, Volume II,
1994, and editor of the second volume of Institute’s Journal Social Change and
Development (2004)
Published more than 100 popular articles in Assamese and English on various socioeconomic and literary issues. Translated into Assamese Ho Chi Minh’s Prison Diary,
Russian novel How the Steel Was Tampered by Nikolai Ostovosky and two
important articles of Karl Marx on India. Besides, a book in Assamese entitled Jenny
Marx (wife of Karl Marx) has been recently published.
11
Research projects completed:
(a) Devolution of Financial and Administrative Powers on the Panchayat Raj
Institutions in Assam, Manipur and Sikkim, sponsored by the 11th
Finance Commission
(b) Knowledge, Awareness and Practice of sanitation in Rural Areas of
Kamrup District of Assam, sponsored by the UNICEF
(c) Election Politics in Assam, 2004 sponsored by the Indian Council of
Social Science Research
(d) Development Intervention in North East India: A Policy Document,
Sponsored by the ICCO, the Netherlands
(e) Flood and Marginalized Communities of Assam: The Problem of
Livelihood Entitlement of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe
People of Dhemaji and Dhakuakhona, an inhouse study
(f) Social Ramifications of the Asian Highway, sponsored by the Indira
Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi
(g) Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism in Bangladesh and its Impact on India’s
Foreign Policy sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs
(h) Election Politics in Manipur sponsored by the Ministry of Home Affairs
(i) “Religion, Ethnicity and Politics in South and South East Asia:
Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia” sponsored by Ministry of External
Affairs.
(j) “Asian Highway and Entrepreneurship culture in Assam” sponsored by
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi.
Ongoing research projects:
(i) “Islamic Seminaries (Madrassas) in Assam”, funded by Ministry of
Minority Affairs.
(ii) “Islamic Cultural Heritage in India’s North East”, sponsored by Indira
Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi
12.
International fellowship awarded:
I was awarded Fulbright Post doctoral Fellowship in 1981 to do a post-doctoral
research on US Response to Soviet Invasion of Hungary, Czechoslovakia and
Afghanistan, and my placement was in the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign,
USA.
I was offered the status of a Visiting Fellow/Professor in four research institutions
in Southeast Asia; these are (i) Institute for Social Science Studies at Universiti Putra
Malaysia, Selangor, (ii) Research Centre for Society and Culture at LIPI (Indonesian
Institute of Sciences), Jakarta, (iii) Centre for Strategic and International Studies at
Jakarta, and (iv) Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. I delivered a series
of lectures in these institutions and in National University of Singapore on:
•
•
•
13.
Islam in South Asia, India’s Northeast: A Gateway to Southeast Asia;
India’s Northeast: A Gateway to Southeast Asia
Ethnicity and Religion in South and South East Asia
International conferences participated with papers:
(b) Asian Relations Conference in the University of Wisconsin, USA in
November 1981
(c) South Asian Conference in Chicago, USA, in April 1982
(d) Afro-Asian Conference in New Delhi in April 1984
(e) South Asian Security Conference organized by the Ford Foundation in
Kathmandu, in March 1992
(f) Asia Pacific Region in New International Order, organized by Indian
Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, in October 2000.
(g) Development Perspectives in the New Millennium: Forging IndiaPakistan Partnership organized by Indian Council of Social Science
Research, New Delhi, in July 2001
(h) Indian Parliament in 50 years organized by Konrad Adenauer
Foundation in collaboration with Center for Policy Action, in New
Delhi in April 2002
(i) Islam in Contemporary World, organized by Japan Foundation, in
New Delhi, in March 2004
(j) Towards Greater Cooperation in South and Southest Asia
organized by OKD Institute in Collaboration with Japan Foundation
in Guwahati in November 2004.
(k) Sustainable Community Development, organized by Universiti
Putra Malaysia, July 20-22, 2010
14.
Participated about two dozens of national seminars
15.
Seminars organized:
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
(viii)
(ix)
(x)
State Politics in North East India ( March 1986)
Harold Laski and His Political Ideology ( March 1994)
Fifty Years of Independence: India’s North East (April 1998)
Flood and Water Resource Management in North East India
(February 2000)
Society and Governance in Arunachal Pradesh (October 2001)
National Security Issues in North East India (March 2002)
Towards Greater Cooperation in South And South East Asia
(November 2004)
Communal Harmony in Assam (January 2006)
16.
Served as a member of the regional selection committee of Fulbright
fellowship.
17.
Served as an expert member of the UGC team to monitor the Special
Assistant Programme in different universities in India.
18.
Expert member of Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi
19.
Acted as the resource person in academic programmes of different
universities in India
20.
Life member of Asom Sahitya Sabha, Indo-American Centre for
International Studies (IACIS) formerly known as American Studies Research
Centre, Hyderabad, India, North East India Political Science Association
and Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka.
21.
Associated with Arms Control, Disarmament and International Security at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
22.
Achievements as the Director of the present Institute (2000-2006):
I joined the present Institute, named Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social
Change and Development, Guwahati, in June 1999 and became its Director
in March 2000. During my tenure as the chief functionary of this premier
research Institute, I have achieved the following:
o procured a plot of government land for the Institute to develop
its permanent campus,
o developed Institute’s website,
o started the Foundation Day Lecture,
o improved the working conditions in the Institute by providing
computers to all the faculty members and at least one computer
to each of the four personnel divisions namely, library,
administration, accounts, research and a few for the use of the
research fellows,
o prepared a vision document so that the Institute would be able
to grow at a desired pace,
o secured the recognition of the Dibrugarh University as a
research Institute and the process of similar recognition by the
Gauhati University is in progress,
o started the publications of the Institute’s seminar papers,
o started the publication of Institute’s research journal and six
monthly newsletter,
o fully computerized the library under a software package called
SOUL and now started digitalization of the library resources,
o secured two massive grants from the Ford Foundation – (a)
$250,000 to create an endowed chair namely Professor of
Peace Studies and (b) $450,000 to create a center within the
Institute to start an area study programme covering North East
India, South and South East Asia,
o established networking with three important research institutions
– (a) International Centre for Ethnic Studies at Kandy, Sri
Lanka, (b) Institute of South East Asian Studies at Singapore
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
23.
and (c) South Asian Studies Network (SASNET) at Lund
University, Sweden,
established academic relationship with different important
bodies such as Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Rural
Development, Ministry of Telecommunication, Ministry of Coal
of the Union Government, UNICEF, ICCO of the Netherlands,
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Family Health
International, and American Center, Calcutta.
raised Institute’s corpus fund from Rs. one crore to Rs.2.85
crore,
institutionalized the career advancement scheme for the faculty
and non-faculty employees of the Institute,
initiated and completed the task of framing a set of service
condition rules for the employees of the Institute,
created two distinct cells in the Institutes – peace studies
programme and area study programme,
started organizing at least two national seminars/workshops in
each academic year,
organized one international seminar and is planning to have at
least one international seminar once in three years,
started organizing at least three seminar talks by visiting foreign
scholars in each academic year,
Referees:
Professor Stephen P. Cohen, Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution,
Washington DC, USA
Professor Chris Smith, King’s College, London
Shri L.C. Jain, ‘Tharangavana’, D-5, 12th Cross, RMV Extension, Bangalore
Professor B.B. Bhattacharya, Vice-Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University,
New Delhi
Professor B.K. Roy Burman, Honorary Adviser, Indira Gandhi National Centre
for the Arts, New Delhi
Professor Salleh Hassan, Director, Institut Pengajian Sains Social, University
Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
Dr. Abu Nasar Saied Ahmed
Visiting Professor
Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati
August 2010