The seventh edition of the Young South Asia Scholars’ Meet (YASM), which was organised with the support of the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, and the Departments of International History & Politics and Anthropology, took place between 2-5 June 2021. This international conference has been taking place since 2010 over various location in Europe and was postponed from last year to an online format in 2021 due to the pandemic.

YSASM 2021 aimed to create an opportunity for an exchange of ideas on issues pertaining to South Asia, while bringing together PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and early career scholars working on South Asia to share their research. The conference was also attended by scholars working on other regions with a larger thematic interest in the region and specific topics.

Its broad theme was ‘The Everyday State’ in South Asia. Presenters joined the online conference from four different time zones over a period of four days. The topics of the eight panels in the conference consisted of the following: Everyday State and Adivasi-Dalit Politics; Constructing Narratives: Media and the Everyday State; Caste, Class, Labour and the Everyday State; Penal Punishments and the Everyday State; Infrastructure, Materiality and the State; Mobility and the Everyday State; Memes and the everyday state; Bureaucratic Representations, Records and the Everyday State.

Each panel raised significant questions over the functioning of the everyday state in historical and post-colonial contexts using a variety of methodologies, which led to stimulating deliberations between the presenters, attendees, and the chairs. Specifically, the presentations tackled the everyday state in three ways. First, the ways in which the state manifests itself through regulation of everyday activities, such as digital media, cinema, documentation, and time. Second, how this regulation is carried out through policing, punishment, further legal regulations, and appeal to socio-religious sentiments. Third, and most importantly, the presenters showed how the everyday state is continuously challenged, and its regulation contested through resistance from below. This resistance takes several forms, such as protests, gendered reclamation of political and geographical spaces, or workplace and caste politics.

Three special events in the conference received much appreciation from the attendees. First, the keynote speech by Professor Ranabir Samaddar was crucial in setting the conceptual stage for discussions on the ‘everyday state’ in South Asia. Professor Samaddar pointed out the insecurities of the state, and its constant efforts at legitimizing itself. These legitimizing efforts by the state include the same power it uses for its own security. This leads to deviations from its own laws, while its efforts at calculation become a means of knowing its subjects. Calculation becomes especially important during crises, such as the current pandemic, where the neoliberal state is faced with questions of life, that is, who lives and who dies, even as it tries to enhance its welfarism. Therefore, Professor Samaddar’s lecture showed how state’s validation came about through a balancing of love and fear in everyday life. His key arguments lay at the heart of the discussions in the panels that followed.

Second, the roundtable discussion on the theme Nationalism, COVID-19 and the Everyday State brought together a wide range of perspectives from South Asia, with debates on the daily struggles by migrants, political reconfigurations in the region, financial turmoil, and most importantly, the interlinkages between health and governance. Third, the meet and greet sessions allowed space for informal networking among scholars, creating opportunities for future collaborations and in-person interactions. Moreover, the mixers were an additional space for carrying forward conversations from the panels into constructive dialogues.

Note from the organizers: The organizers, Meenakshi Nair Ambujam (ANSO) and Amal Shahid (IHP) are grateful to AHCD and their respective departments for their encouragement. Specifically, the participation of Professors Gopalan Balachandran (IHP) and Shaila Seshia Galvin (ANSO), AHCD Executive Director Christine Lutringer, Nitin Sinha, Prabhat Kumar, Lipin Ram, Rusha Das, Lucy Dubochet, Deval Desai, Atiya Hussain, Somabha Mohanty, Abdullah al Shakil, and Amishi Panwar as chairs and discussants was immensely appreciated. Finally, the administration of the departments, the AHCD and the Graduate Institute collectively ensured that the event was carried out smoothly.