Utkal University

Background
The Global Center for Rural Studies is a Center of Excellence initiated under RUSA 2.0 in the year 2018-19. The center is created to undertake primary research on rural areas, rural issues and rural policies. In this context one of the foremost aims of the center is to document the languishing traditions, to look at the transitions that are fast taking place in the rural space. Along with this the center aims at making collaborations with different government departments and NGOs for disseminating various public policies meant for the rural population and to make impact assessment of these policies and recommend for suitable changes. The center also intends to publish articles in reputed journals, publish books, monographs and to create a good literature base on ruralsocieties.

Vision

To make Global Center for Rural Studies a Center of Excellence in research on rural institutions, rural processes, rural socio- political and economic issues, rural development policies and programmeswith documentations, advocacy and generating a literature base on ruralstudies which will boostacademic, development and policy researches on the rural space.

Mission

To prepare a bibliographical volume with some classic and updated studies across time and space on rural society in order to bring out the various dimensions and dynamics that can be taken up for further research.
To document some of the languishing institutions and practices of the rural society in monographic forms for their preservation, transmission to the new generation and future utilization.
To launch advocacies and to disseminate important information and policy responses among young rural dwellers who can serve as sensitizers and change makers in the rural society.
To undertake collaborative primary research on rural issues.

Organizational Structure

The Center has the following organizational structure:

Activities and Achievements

The Center of Excellence has undertaken different activities over the years. Its activities include Documentation, Collaborations, Dissemination, Bibliographic compilations, organizing discussions on Rural issues, Rural interventions, approaches to undertake research in rural areas etc.

Publication ofBibliographical Volume on Rural Studies

Keeping its mandate for preparing bibliographical literature base for further researches in rural studies, the center decided to prepare an Annotated Bibliography on rural studies across countries and in the country and the state as well. It took the authors around six months to make this compilation. The book has been published with Gyan Publishing House, New Delhi in December,2021. These 304 paged compilations try to provide a wholesome idea about the nature of research works that have been carried out in the rural space of different countries.The analysis incorporated in the book is an interdisciplinary one. It looks into the literature relating to rural society, its tradition, transition, continuities and changes from various dimensions i.e., political, social, economic, management and policy perspectives.The ISBN No. carried by the book is 13:9788121261432

Preparation of Monographs

The center decided in its meeting to prepare a Monographic Series on “Our Rural Treasures”. After discussion with some domain experts the center chalked out ten thematic areas to write the monograph. This monograph series contains primary data on rural traditions and practices of Odisha. These are:

Rural Taboos of Odisha: Unveiling the Silent Practices
Rural Cuisines of Odisha: A Reflection on the Traditional and Indigenous Food Varieties ofKendrapada District of Odisha
Rural Handloom Haat of Odisha: An Analytical Insight
Rural Economy of Odisha: Some Salient Remnants
Potentials and Problems of Rural Markets of Odisha: An analysis of Two Tribal Haats of Odisha
The Jagannath Cult and Rural Settlements in Odisha: A Tale of SohalaSasana
Indigenous Rural Games of Western Odisha: Heritage and Habits
Understanding Customary Law in Rural Context: A Case Study in Odisha

Publications in research Journals

The center has published one article in a U.G.C. care listed journal in 2021.

CSR and Community Development: A Study of Project Villages of NALCO Foundation in Damanjodi Mining Area of Koraput, ORISSA JOURNAL OF COMMERCE U.G.C. CARE Listed Group-I, A Peer Reviewed and Referred Journal
The second article The Political Economy of CSR and Rural development submitted to NIRD Journal is under review.

Advocacies and Dissemination Workshops

The centre hasorganised two important workshops relating to

Workshop on Inequality and its Impact during COVID19

This workshop was organised by the CoE on GCRS in the university on 19^th February,2021 in collaboration with OXFAM, India. Two student representatives from the rural and tribal background were represented from each P.G. Department being nominated by the Heads of the Departments. The India Inequality Report 2020 was disseminated among the students by the guests. Then it was followed by a student workshop where through group work students expressed their ideas on “Inequality” and its dimensions manifested in rural India and the group leaders along with their teams made presentations on the situations of inequality and strategies needed to overcome them.

Workshop on Reproductive Health and Rights of the Youth-23rd November,2021

The Center also organised a public workshop on “Reproductive Health and Rights of the Youth” on 23rd November,2021 atHotel Ginger incollaboration with OXFAM, India. In this workshop a primary study-based research report was disseminated among the participants. The study was a research study on the reproductive health status of the girls at Muzaffarnagar of Uttar Pradesh and in Kalahandi district of Odisha. This research was based on a social norm identification. The study captured the voices and the photos of the practices from the respondents. The taboos during the reproductive age and the access of the rural girls to reproductive health care were captured through photos and voices. The photos were put on display and the voices were represented by the representative from these rural communities and discussions were initiated.

Discussion Series

The Center organised a series of discussions on every Wednesday among young research scholars of the university on various rural social issues, rural policies and programmes, perspectives to study rural societies and various research designs, methods and tools that can be used for rural studies. This was done with a purpose to inspire students to focus their researches on rural society and to develop a lens to look at the issues, institutions and interventions in the rural society with a critical perspective. This inspired the researchers to provide new approaches to their rural studies.

Proposed Activities for Future

The Center proposes to prepare two more Monographs on Odishan rural folklores and festivals during January– March2022.
The Center is negotiating to edit a book on Odishan Rural Culture.
The Center proposes to organise a workshop on ‘Indigenous knowledge and Sustainable Development’.

All these activities will be winded up by 1^st March2022.

Snapshots of The Activities and Achievements of the Center
Workshops:
Inequality workshop