The Ashoka Centre for China Studies (ACCS) has been set up to build China Studies at Ashoka University as an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary area studies program with a strong commitment to disciplinary depth and language learning. Launched by a variety of capacity-building initiatives that enhance the study on China nationally, the Centre for China Studies is committed to becoming a leading institute on China-related research and collaboration across academic disciplines, and foster a greater understanding of China across academic, policy-making, and public audiences in India. The ACCS is chaired by Ambassador Shivshankar Menon and Professor Srinath Raghavan serves as the Faculty Advisor. The ACCS Faculty Committee comprises Professor Upinder Singh, Professor Ashwini Deshpande, and Professor Nayan Chanda. The Centre will set the academic research focus and strategy for China studies, develop coursework and degree programs, and facilitate educational exchanges for faculty and students, and through the creation of a hub at Ashoka support the development of China Studies across prominent institutions in India.
The China India Visiting Scholars (CIVS) Fellowship is an opportunity for academics, policy experts, and professionals to develop a deeper understanding of China's development experience across various fields.
The 9-month fellowship provides up to 10 fellows each year with a grant of INR 350,000 to collaborate with an International China Scholar and produce comparative work within the domain of Economics and Development. Applications for CIVS Fellowship are currently open.
As a part of CIVS, fellows will collaborate with international experts with deep knowledge of China and visit them. These experts may be based in China, Taiwan, or the ASEAN region. The visit will enable Fellows to build their network in East Asia and ASEAN, and access high-quality resources on China through existing hubs of knowledge. Fellows may continue to work at their current position while pursuing the fellowship.
The China Studies Post-doctoral Fellowship (CSPF), offered jointly by Ashoka University (India) and the Harvard-Yenching Institute (US), is an opportunity for recent PhDs in China Studies to conduct a two-year study on China under the guidance of established scholars and simultaneously teach courses on China at top Indian universities.
The fully-funded fellowship is open to scholars who have either completed their PhD anytime after 2012 or will complete their PhD by Spring 2021 Semester, with their research specifically focussed on China (utilizing Chinese language sources) across various disciplines of humanities and social science. These include, but are not limited to, anthropology, archaeology, cultural studies, economics, geography, history, international relations, language and literature, legal history, philosophy, political science, religion and sociology.
The Mandarin Language Teaching Program, or MALTEP, aims to develop and implement Mandarin language programs for Indian students. MALTEP is a part of our effort to support the study of China in India.
The program will place five Mandarin language instructors at top Indian universities and business schools over the next three years. These instructors will develop and implement Mandarin teaching programs for host universities in India for a period of two years. The program will provide two years of Mandarin study to undergraduate and graduate students, the first year of which will build foundational written and verbal capacity in the language. The second is customizable – universities could offer Mandarin courses tailored to the needs of specific disciplines and industries.
Mandarin Language Scholars
The Mandarin Language Scholars Program is an opportunity for young Indian scholars and practitioners to develop a working knowledge of the Mandarin language for research, teaching, or professional work, through one-year intensive Mandarin Language training in Taiwan.
A fully funded program, the fellowship is open to applicants from different backgrounds-academia, research, or practitioners. The applicant must have a proven record of working with or on China. For instance, scholars applying to the fellowship should either be pursuing their Masters’ or PhD in China Studies (or an associated field) or have finished their PhDs no earlier than 2016. Practitioners who work in a field with a specific focus on China can also apply.