'Epidemics in South Asian History: A review of medical, political and social responses' conference to be held in Burdwan, India on 7th, 8th and 9th November 2006. (360G-Wellcome-079951_Z_06_Z)

Epidemics in South Asian History: A review of medical, political and social responses A lot of the valuable research that this meeting will showcase is being carried out by staff in the smaller South Asian universities, whose contributions are often ignored in well-known publications; similarly, many UK-based associations for the study of the history of medicine remain unaware of the range and richness of this work, generally to their own disadvantage. This situation generally exists because scholars attached to the smaller South Asian universities have relatively weak links with the major international communities of historians of medicine, particularly those in the UK and Europe, where there has been a great interest in the subject over the past two decades. Apart from seeking to redress this situation, the proposed meeting also aims to highlight the significance of the study of the history of medicine at a university where a notable level of commitment towards the subject already exists. A joint meeting with the Wellcome Trust Centre would help advertise Burdwan University's efforts to propagate the post-graduate study of the history of medicine, science and technology, which would be useful both nationally and internationally. It is hoped that Burdwan University's efforts will receive greater publicity through a major international conference, which is likely to stoke greater government support for these educational ventures (activities in Burdwan University do not go unnoticed by the Government of West Bengal, which funds educational activities through the state). Burdwan University's intellectual resources could be useful to UK-based historians of medicine, as it offers the possibility of creating new collaborations and an effective base for Wellcome Trust-funded scholars seeking to carry out research in the region (research visas need to be sponsored by recognised universities and the university's department of history could be very helpful in this regard). Burdwan's history department is in keeping with the Wellcome Trust Centre agenda of seeking to expand interest in the history of medicine internationally; a goal in sync with the Wellcome Trust's history of medicine division's own goals.