Across Borders and Generations: UoH and Mahidol University Co-Host Landmark Conference on the Indian Diaspora in Asia

The Center for Bharat Studies, Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia, Mahidol University, Thailand, in collaboration with the Center for the Study of Indian Diaspora (CSID), University of Hyderabad, successfully organized an International Conference titled “Situating the Indian Diaspora in Asia”, during April 23-24, 2026, at Mahidol University, Thailand. The conference brought together more than 40 scholars from across the world, including the USA, Japan, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Singapore, who have presented papers on various aspects of the Indian diaspora’s roles, representations, and transnational connections across historical and contemporary contexts. It provided the scholars a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue on how diasporic communities have shaped—and continue to shape—Asian societies.

The conference Keynote speaker was Professor Ajaya K. Sahoo, who delivered the Keynote lecture titled “Theorizing the Homeland: Perspectives from the Indian Diaspora,” followed by two plenary speakers, Prof. Brinda J. Mehta, Mills College, California, USA, and Prof. Amarjiva Lochan, Delhi University who spoke on “Postcolonial Kala Pani Writings in French” and “Situating  Indian Diaspora in the Study of Humanities and Social Sciences” respectively.

The papers were presented under several sessions over the two days including: Historical Memory, Cultural Exchange, and Intercultural Creativity in the Indian Diaspora in Asia; Indian Diaspora in Myanmar and Thailand; Contemporary Transformations of the Indian Diaspora in Asia; Diaspora Engagement, Cultural Continuity, and Transformation in the Indian Diaspora of Southeast Asia; Indian diaspora and Gender issues; Cultural Heritage, Identity, and Transnational Belonging in the Indian Diaspora in Asia; and Historical Trajectories and Digital Transformations of the Indian Diaspora across Asia and Beyond. The conference also featured a documentary film on the Indian Diaspora and heritage in Thailand.

The organizing committee of the conference comprised Dr. Nunthiya Duangphummas, Dr. Sophana Srichampa, Prof. Amarjiva Lochan, Prof. Ajaya Kumar Sahoo, Dr. Renu Muenjanchoey, and Dr. Usawadee Srithong.