Full event recording below:
Role, Status and Power : The Many Identities of Women in Indian Visual Culture
Professor Nalini Rao will show the representations of women in Indian( South Asian) Art to explore issues of identity, status, and empowerment. Their multiple roles in society both in private and public life, and contribution to society was shaped by cultural traditions and historical circumstances.
Dr. Rao's research into art and Architecture is extensive and covers many parts of the subcontinent where art is preserved. The Ancient, the Buddhist and classical influences before the start of the Christian era, the medieval period of the Mughals and later the colonialist, including and up to modern times.
Dr. Ramanath has studied recent policies affecting women in India. She will engage Dr. Rao in a conversation tying the past with the present.
Dr. Nalini Rao holds a Ph.D. in Art History from UCLA and another in Ancient History and Archaeology from the University of Mysore, India. Rao's specialization includes South and Southeast Asian Art, Ancient and Modern. Presently she is Associate Prof. of World Art in Soka University of America, Ca, U..S.A. where she teaches, Indian History, Art and Religion, Ancient and Modern Art and Architecture, Rao is the author of many books, some of which include, The Hindu Monastery in South India: Social, Religious and Artistic Traditions (Harper &Row 2020), (ed.) Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilization: New Perspectives Boundaries and Transformations, (ed.)Sangama: Confluence of Art and Culture during the Vijayanagara Period, Royal Imagery and Networks of Power at Vijayanagara: A Study of Kingship in South India, Lothal, Belur, and Sravanabelagola. She has published numerous research articles, curated Indian Art exhibits and organized international conferences. She is the Chair of Dr. S.R.Rao Memorial Foundation for Indian Archaeology, Art and Culture and Chair, Taksha Center of History and Archaeology, Director of Academic Affairs ICHRRF.
Dr. Ramya Ramanath, Ph.D is Associate Professor at DePaul University in Chicago and chairs its International Public Service degree program. Her research, spread over three continents, draws on disciplinary perspectives in organizational behavior, urban sociology, planning, anthropology, and political science. Her publications focus on the behavior of international and domestic nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the context of their interactions with government agencies, other NGOs, and intended beneficiaries. Ramanath teaches courses on the management of international NGOs, sustainable international development, cross-sector interactions and policy implementation. In the years prior to her academic career in the U.S., she helped start a micro-finance institution in Southern India and worked in housing finance and development agencies in both urban and rural India. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, a Master’s in Social Work, both from India, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Design & Planning from Virginia Tech.
