Conceived by the late Nicky Grist and finished by Martijn van Beek and Fernanda Pirie, we are pleased to announce the release of the volume Modern Ladakh. Click here for more information or to order a copy.

We have recently received a link to a online petition concerning the threatened closure of the Istituto Italiano per l'Africa e L'Oriente (IsIAO) to which our hosts in the Rome IALS conference are affiliated. The petition is addressed to the President of Italy, requesting  him to use his authority to prevent the institute being closed.

The Insitute has been associated with a distinguished lineage of scholars working on Tibet and other areas.

If you would like to sign the petition click here on on the link above.

As the finishing touches are being put to LS 22, Editor Kim Gutschow has set a deadline of 30th September 2008 for LS 23 submissions. Please view the submission guidelines for further information.

LS 23 is shaping up already with an interesting feature article from Alexander Andreev entitled Russian Travelers in Ladakh.

Further to the volume on Health and Environment proposed at the recent Rome Colloquium, Dr Richard Lee has posted this abstract for discussion.

Abstract

Indigenous people living in geographically remote places have been a favorite “target” for anthropologists, epidemiologists, and explorers. The physical and spiritual environment and the biologic characteristics of isolated populations are of interest to scholars pursuing the origin and the limits of human activities. Infectious disease has been a particularly popular subject of field research and speculation. The examples of epidemic catastrophes among island people and following the European entrance into the Americas have established a pessimistic and hostile attitude to the intrusion of urban, cosmopolitan visitors among remote villagers. However, remote does not automatically mean isolation! This is especially true for Ladakh. The history of travel and trade through Ladakh destroys the notion that the region is the equivalent of a remote island. The migratory pattern of birds adds to the transport of animal and human pathogens through the region. Ladakh has protected and maintained its traditional culture for more than a millennium despite the waxing and waning of plagues and invaders. Its stability is perhaps because it is remote enough to be left alone most of the time but accessible enough for infectious pathogens to circulate and maintain immunocompetence throughout the population.


Please forward any correspondence To:
Richard V. Lee, M.D.
7664 East Quaker Road
Orchard Park, NY 14127
716-667-3304 phone/fax
dmdrvl@buffalo.edu

14th IALS Colloquium

We are pleased to announce that the 14th IALS Colloquium will take place in Leh, Ladakh, from 16th to 19th July 2009.


Call for Papers
We welcome proposals for papers on a wide range of topics related to Ladakh.  All papers should be based on original research, reflecting material not previously published.

Call for Film/digital media
We welcome screening of videos and films related to Ladakh, both documentary as well as feature. Preferred language is English, or with English subtitles.

All proposals are subject to review.

Please send abstracts of approximately 250 words by 1st December 2008 to: Monisha Ahmed, Hon. Secretary IALS

IALS Membership is required for Program participation.

If you are a IALS member interested in being the next Treasurer and Membership Secretary then please contact Francesca Merritt. Francesca is currently looking for someone to understudy/assist with treasurer and membership administration. If you are looking to get more involved in the IALS then this is a perfect opportunity to learn the ropes from a long standing and highly valued member of the Executive Committee.

Further to the members' news post documenting the sad loss of Dr Keith Ball, the obituary published in the Guardian can now be viewed online.

Keith Ball
We regret to announce that Dr Keith Ball died on 9 January aged 92 after suffering from a long deteriorating illness. Keith’s connection with Ladakh dates back to 1980 when – already well into his 60s – he joined the Bristol University expedition to Zangskar. Together with Jonathan Elford, he subsequently contributed a chapter on “Health in Zangskar” to Himalayan Buddhist Villages, the set of research papers on Zangskar edited by John Crook and Henry Osmaston). On his own and in association with Dr Tsering Norboo of the Sonam Memorial Hospital in Leh, he later wrote a series of research papers on silicosis, high-altitude oedema, tetanus and respiratory illness in Ladakh. John Crook, who led the Bristol expedition, remembers him as “a patient doctor to us all” and notes that “his warm personality soon attracted villagers to him.”  Everyone who knew Keith  - whether in India or in Europe - will remember those same qualities of warmth, patience and careful research.

Peter Marczell
We have recently heard of the death of our colleague Peter Marczell in late 2007. Peter was Hungarian-born but was based in Geneva for most of his adult life. He initially earnt his living as a market researcher, but in the early 1990s embarked on what became a series of studies on the Hungarian scholar Alexander Csoma de Kőrös who had stayed in Ladakh in the 1820s. Peter’s researches culminated in a two-volume study Alexander Csoma de Kőrös, consisting of a set of essays and transcripts of archival records, which was published by the Asiatic Society of Bengal earlier in 2007. He had been suffering from a serious illness for some time, but was able to take part in the IALS conference in Rome in September. Peter had been a member of the IALS Advisory Committee.
 
 
Kim Gutschow
Kim gave birth to a daughter, Yeshe Johanna Gutschow Rai, at home on December 30, 2007. Kim reports that “after a small bout of jaundice, Yeshe is now well and claiming her place in the family song and dance” alongside her elder brother Krishan and sister Tashi.

Seb Mankelow
Seb became a father in November (Seb's wife Jaj, and Kim were both sporting bumps at the Rome Colloquium) with the birth of Erin. As a consequence Seb can occasionally be found working on the IALS website in the early hours of the morning...

The IALS Executive Committee is currently discussing the possibility of introducing reduced membership rates for the under fives!

Aside from a wide spectrum of fascinating papers, the 13th IALS Colloquium witnessed the election of a new IALS Executive Committee. John Bray takes over the helm as President, Monisha Ahmed has filled John Bray's old post as Hon. Secretary, Francesca Merritt continues (much to everyone's relief!) as Hon. Treasurer and Membership Secretary and Kim Gutschow takes up the reigns of Ladakh Studies as Hon. Editor.

Amongst other developments the LS team are focusing on updating and expanding the existing IALS presence on the internet. This includes modernising the existing website; creating an online forum; regular postings of news and events relating to Ladakh and IALS members; and a gallery of unusual photographs.

Watch this space for more information. If you would like to get involved please contact the webmaster or if you would like to contribute material please use the online submission.


picture credit: Patrick Sutherland