Mountains, Media, Materiality:

The Lived and Imagined Cultures of the Western Himalayas

Why do mountains matter? How do mountains matter? Why and how do dwellers, travellers, writers and artistes of different kinds come to express their understanding of highlands through particular expressions of style and content? What ideas of landscape, aesthetics, connectedness and culture do these understandings convey?

DURATION: 3 DAYS | Starting Date: 17.05.2024 | BATCH: May 2024

This three-day online certificate course delves into these and similar questions to study the multifaceted ways in which mountains spark the human imagination. It aims to introduce a variety of aspects that shape mountain life through experiential, literary, philosophical and visual perspectives. Taking the Western Himalayan terrain as its main area of focus, the course veers through numerous cultural texts from the 19th to the 21st centuries (memoirs, travelogues, paintings, architecture, songs and cinema) to shed light on the diversity of ways that have defined – and continue to define – the relationship between highlands and humanity.

Open for everyone over the age of 18 years to attend, the course will largely take place in the English language. Wherever Hindi or other Himalayan dialects are deployed, translation will be provided. The course will run for two hours every day (six hours in total), which will include opportunities for short exercises and discussion. No prior knowledge of mountain societies or relationship to mountain life is required. A curiosity towards any kind of landscape culture(s) would however lead to a richer engagement with the subject.

Duration:
3 Day Course in May 2024 
Mode:
Virtual Course using Zoom

Skills Gained:

  • An introductory perspective on the relationship between landscape and culture in the context of mountain life.
  • An introductory perspective on the relationship between identity and imagination in the domain of mountain cultures, particularly through a focus on media and materiality.
  • Diverse insights on treating mountains as both natural and cultural entities at one and the same time.
  • An introductory knowledge of the various ways in which cultural texts portray and produce meaning in the context of mountains (from literature to architecture, and music to the visual arts).
  • An introductory knowledge of indigenous, colonial and popular culture perspectives towards mountain life in the context of colonial and pre-colonial hill stations (case study: Himachal Pradesh).

Recommended For:

Recommended for archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, humanities students and practitioners, and just about anyone.

Siddharth Pandey belongs to the Shimla Himalayas of North India, and has a PhD in English and Materiality Studies from the University of Cambridge, UK, where he was based as a Cambridge International and Cambridge Commonwealth Scholar from 2012-19. He is currently a Fellow in Global Humanities at the Käte Hamburger Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (‘global dis:connect’), Munich (Germany), where he is researching the Indian Himalayas through the lenses of ecological aesthetics and dwelling perspectives. He has previously held fellowships and grants in global history, art history, colonial history and global travel cultures under the aegis of LMU’s Centre for Global History, Yale Centre for British (YCBA, Yale University), Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art (London), and the Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT, London). Pandey’s research interests included Himalayan Studies, Environmental Humanities, Materiality Studies, Fantasy Literature, Children’s Literature, Nature and Travel Writing, Craft Studies, Folk Studies and Popular Culture. He has taught and tutored several courses on English, Cinema and Cultural Studies at the Universities of Delhi and Cambridge, and he serves as a guest lecturer on the MA in Heritage Conservation Course at UK’s Durham University.

This three-day online certificate course delves into these and similar questions to study the multifaceted ways in which mountains spark the human imagination. It aims to introduce a variety of aspects that shape mountain life through experiential, literary, philosophical and visual perspectives. Taking the Western Himalayan terrain as its main area of focus, the course veers through numerous cultural texts from the 19th to the 21st centuries (memoirs, travelogues, paintings, architecture, songs and cinema) to shed light on the diversity of ways that have defined – and continue to define – the relationship between highlands and humanity.

Open for everyone over the age of 18 years to attend, the course will largely take place in the English language. Wherever Hindi or other Himalayan dialects are deployed, translation will be provided. The course will run for two hours every day (six hours in total), which will include opportunities for short exercises and discussion. No prior knowledge of mountain societies or relationship to mountain life is required. A curiosity towards any kind of landscape culture(s) would however lead to a richer engagement with the subject.

Duration:
3 Day Course in May 2024 
Mode:
Virtual Course using Zoom

Skills Gained:

  • An introductory perspective on the relationship between landscape and culture in the context of mountain life.
  • An introductory perspective on the relationship between identity and imagination in the domain of mountain cultures, particularly through a focus on media and materiality.
  • Diverse insights on treating mountains as both natural and cultural entities at one and the same time.
  • An introductory knowledge of the various ways in which cultural texts portray and produce meaning in the context of mountains (from literature to architecture, and music to the visual arts).
  • An introductory knowledge of indigenous, colonial and popular culture perspectives towards mountain life in the context of colonial and pre-colonial hill stations (case study: Himachal Pradesh).

Recommended For:

Recommended for archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, and just about anyone.

Siddharth Pandey belongs to the Shimla Himalayas of North India, and has a PhD in English and Materiality Studies from the University of Cambridge, UK, where he was based as a Cambridge International and Cambridge Commonwealth Scholar from 2012-19. He is currently a Fellow in Global Humanities at the Käte Hamburger Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (‘global dis:connect’), Munich (Germany), where he is researching the Indian Himalayas through the lenses of ecological aesthetics and dwelling perspectives. He has previously held fellowships and grants in global history, art history, colonial history and global travel cultures under the aegis of LMU’s Centre for Global History, Yale Centre for British (YCBA, Yale University), Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art (London), and the Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT, London). Pandey’s research interests included Himalayan Studies, Environmental Humanities, Materiality Studies, Fantasy Literature, Children’s Literature, Nature and Travel Writing, Craft Studies, Folk Studies and Popular Culture. He has taught and tutored several courses on English, Cinema and Cultural Studies at the Universities of Delhi and Cambridge, and he serves as a guest lecturer on the MA in Heritage Conservation Course at UK’s Durham University.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is it a certificate course ?

Yes, you will get an e-certificate on completion of the course (during that month)

Will I be able to get a recording ?

You are strongly advised to attend the session in real time since participating in the exercises and group discussions is essential to a holistic understanding of the course. Recording may be made available for a valid reason or in case of an emergency.

Is this course good for me ? I am a beginner.

Yes, this course is tailored for everyone.

What are the general timings of the course ?

The classes are typically scheduled in the evening according to Indian Standard Time. For those in other time zones, we arrange a mutually convenient time as a group before the classes begin.

How do I pay ? Form of payment ?

Indian applicants will be able to pay via a secure gateway provided by Razorpay. Foreign applicants will be able to pay via a secure gateway provided by Stripe.

Are you going to offer this course again?

Please keep checking the website and our social media handles on Instagram and Facebook. We may repeat it in due course.

Is this an online course ?

Yes, this is a virtual course with active engagement with students.

In case of a technical glitch, will the lesson be rescheduled ?

Yes, the lesson will be rescheduled