THE CENTRE FOR HUMAN SCIENCE 

Embassy of France, New Delhi (India)

Olivier Guillaume (Director C.S.H.)

The Centre for Human Sciences (Centre de Sciences Humaines or
C.S.H. for short) is one of the two French research centres in
India, the other one being the French Institute of Pondicherry
(Institut Francais de Pondichery or I.F.P. for short).
Established in 1989 and entirely funded by the French Government
(Ministere des Affaires Etrangeres/Sous-direction des Sciences
Sociales et Humaines), it is an autonomous section of the Office
of the Counsellor for Cultural, Scientific and Technnical
Cooperation of the Embassy of France.
Apart from the director, there are research fellows, affiliated
to Indian universities or research institutions. The fellowhsips
can be awarded not only to French nationals but to any citizen
of the E.E.C. The director of the C.S.H. is assisted by a
scientific committee consisting of eminent French scholars and
representatives of the major French research institutions.
The role of the C.S.H. is to implement joint research programmes,
and to disseminate information about research.

RESEARCH PROGRAMMES

Areas for research are identified in consultation with French and
Indian scholars. The programmes currently under way relate to
archaeology, history, anthropology, political science,
interantional relations and cognitive sciences.

I-INDO-GREEK HISTORY AND NUMISMATICS. 
Dr. O. Bopearachchi, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
(CNRS), is studying a collection of terracotta coin-moulds which
seem to have been found in pre-Kushan archaeological layers in
and around the well-known ancient site of Rohtak, and were used
for the mass production of counterfeits of Indo-Greek coins.

2-STUDY OF THE TOWN OF CHANDERI (MADHY PRADESH). 
An Indo-French team led by Prof. G. Fussman, College de France,
and Prof. K.L. Sharma, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and
consisting of historians, sociologists, linguists, architects and
town-planners, has undertaken to study the development of
Chanderi since its foundation in the 13th century. Automatic
cartography is extensively used in collaboration with the Agence
d'Urbanisme pour l'Agglomeration Strasbourgeoise.

3-ROCK ART STUDIES 
Dr. M. Lorblanchet, CNRS, is collaborating with the Indira Gandhi
National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi, in rock art studies.
They intend to launch a joint field research project for a
comparative study of a painted rock shelter in India (Jhiri, near
Bhopal) and a painted cave in France (Marcenac, Dordogne).

4-ANCIENT TRADE BETWEEN ROME AND INDIA. 
Prof. A. Tchernia, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes et Sciences
Sociales (EHESS) has undertaken a study of the trade links
between ancient India and the Mediterranean sea during the Roman
period, using mainly the Roman amphorae found in India as
evidence, as well as texts and coins.

5-DIFFUSION OF THE POTTER'S WHEEL
Through a micro-morphologic analysis of ancient pottery found in
northwestern India, an ethnoarchaeologist, Dr. V. Roux, and a
ceramologist, Dr. B. Lyonnet, both from CNRS, endeavour to
differentiate hand-made from wheel-thrown pottery in order to
ascertain the date of the appearance of the potter's wheel and
the way this discovery was diffused.

6-INDO-PERSIAN HISTORY AND CULTURE
Studies have been carried out on various aspects of the
Indo-Persian culture, such as music, the art of the book and the
miniature etc. Closer links have been established between Indian
and French specialists of this period. A workshop was held in
Paris and a joint seminar in India is envisaged.

7-INTERSTATE RELATIONS IN SOUTH ASIA
Dr. G. Boqu‚rat, research fellow at C.S.H., is studying the
history of interstate relations betwee India and its neighbours
of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

8-ANTHROPOLOGY OF DOMESTIC RITUALS OF THE ZOROASTRIANS IN INDIA
E. Phalippou, a visual anthropologist and research fellow at
C.S.H., is studying the domestic rituals among the zoroastrian
community of Bombay and Pune, especially the Irƒnis who, from the
end of the 19th century onwards, have immigrated and settled in
India.

9-THE TABLIGH JAMA'AT (NIZAMUDDIN, NEW DELHI) AS A SOCIAL AND
COLLECTIVE MOVEMENT
The research on the Tabligh Jama'at, conducted by M. Ghalmi, a
political scientist and research fellow at C.S.H., focuses mainly
on the modes of socialising and communal conducts among members
of this organisation.

Lately, two collaborative projects have been launched, one in
cognitive sciences, the other one in archaeology.
The project in cognitive sciences has started with a first
Indo-French seminar held in Delhi in December 1992.
The archaeological project is located in Bangladesh and involves
a joint excavation on the site of Mahasthan (Bogra district). The
French director of the project, scheduled to start in February
1993, is Dr. J.-F. Salles, CNRS. Mahasthan was a major urban site
of the Mauryan period (3rd century B.C.) till the 17th century.

DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ABOUT RESEARCH

In order to popularise in India the achievements of French
research, the C.S.H. has defined a programme policy of
translation of scholarly French articles for publication in
Indian leading journals. The C.S.H. also organises, in
collaboration with various Indian academic institutions, lectures
by eminent French visiting scholars, and it contributes to the
setting up of joint seminars either in India or in Frnace.
The C.S.H. has opened a human sciences resource unit consisting
mainly in a computerised reference catalogue of institutions and
researchers in the field of the sciences of man and society in
India as well as in France.  Specific data bases have also been
compiled, such as one of Indo-Persian institutions and
researchers in India, and one of political scientists in Delhi.
The C.S.H. also has a research library, open to scholars of any
nationality, which contains over 5000 volumes and subscribes to
more than 85 scholarly journals mostly published in India.

The C.S.H. has a small guest-house on its premises for visiting
researchers and students from France or any other country (for
reservation, contact C.S.H.).


BROCHURE AND FURTHER INFORMATION ARE AVAILABLE FROM:

Centre for Human Sciences