Professor J. P. Singh returned to George Mason this Fall deeply moved from the experience of conducting ethnographic field research in Kenya, especially the days he had the opportunity to visit Kibera and Mathare, two of Nairobi's biggest slums. His ethnographic field notes reveal the contours of social networks, participatory politics, and people's tireless efforts to fight poverty and deprivation.
Overall, Professor J.P. Singh had an incredible summer. He finished an overdue book manuscript, wrote a couple of scholarly articles, finished drafting two book chapters for another book, published a co-edited UNESCO book on cultural diversity and globalization, worked with colleagues on another co-edited book on science and technology, conducted field research in India and Kenya, and attended a workshop on science diplomacy at Exeter College, Oxford University, organized by University College London. He also directed the web development and other efforts for a new journal he will edit -- Arts & International Affairs. Personally, he finished work on a novel, wrote two op-eds, hiked in the Himalayas, added Paella and lamb Roganjosh to his cooking repertoire, and listened to a great deal of opera including attending the spectacular but controversial production of William Tell at Covent Garden, London.
September 15, 2015