News from CASI
INDIA IN TRANSITION
Media Ecologies of Transnationalism and Liberalization: NRIs, Piracy, and “Blue Films” in 1980s’ India
Darshana Sreedhar Mini
June 9, 2025
In this issue of India in Transition, Darshana Sreedhar Mini (University of Wisconsin-Madison) discusses how sweeping economic and cultural changes in the 1980s led to not only a period of transnational media flows and globalization, but also to a shadow economy of smuggling and piracy that generated intense public anxiety and debate about sexually explicit media in its wake.
Meet CASI's 2024-25 Sobti Family Fellows
Meet Deepaboli Chatterjee & Advait Rajagopal Aiyer: the two brilliant Sobti Family Fellows we've had the good fortune of hosting this past year!
CASI Student Programs
Congratulations to CASI's 2025 Summer Interns and Summer Research Funds recipients!
Read all about their ongoing experiences on the CASI Student Programs Blog!
Summer Research Funds Recipients:
Shivanand Boddapati: PhD Candidate, South Asia Studies and Music
Singing of Heroes, Reform, and Politics: The Burrakatha in the 20th Century
Tejas Harad: PhD Candidate, Annenberg School of Communications
Marathi Protest Music: Contesting Caste, Conceiving Liberation
Evan Tims: PhD Candidate, Anthropology
Imagining Water Futures: Community Perspectives on Climate and Infrastructure in Bengal and Northeast India
Ameen Perumannil Sidhick: PhD Candidate, South Asia Studies
Beyond Oceanic Circulation: The Emergence of Muslim and Christian Community in Malabar, 1500-1800 CE
Aradhita Srivastava: Master of Environmental Studies
The Economic Cost of Air Pollution on Healthcare Infrastructure in Delhi: A Quantitative Analysis
Nazar Khalid: PhD Candidate, Demography and Population Studies
Population-Environment Dynamics
Navya Pande: MSD in Environmental Building Design
Passive Cooling Technologies from Vernacular Architecture
2025 CASI Summer Interns:
Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI): New Delhi
Chloe Norman C’27, Health & Societies and English
Zenan Shen SOM’26, Masters in Public Health (remote)
Saher Saeed Nursing’27, Nursing (remote)
Aravind Eye Care System: Madurai and Pondicherry
Suraj Dumasia C’28, Neuroscience
Kohav Dantara W’27, Healthcare Management and Finance
Prithvi Parthasarathy C’26, Neuroscience
Claire Zhang SEAS’26, Bioengineering and Biology
Andrea Perez Pizarro SEAS’26, Bioengineering
Shahi Exports: Bangalore, Karnataka
Ansh Jakatimath C’26, Philosophy, Politics & Economics (remote)
Gabriella Jean C’27, Economics and Statistics (remote)
SM Sehgal Foundation: Gurgaon, Haryana
Maya Miller C’27, Environmental Studies
Questions about CASI Student Programs?
Please contact casi@sas.upenn.edu
Our Campus & Regional Partners
Perry World House Predoctoral/Postdoctoral Fellowships
Perry World House, Penn's home for global policy engagement, is briefly re-opening its postdoctoral fellow application process. Preference given to scholars whose focus is international peace and security, including but not limited to technology and global politics, and other areas of interest for PWH: climate change, democracy, global justice and human rights, and international peace and security. The position is for one year but potentially renewable for a second year.
APPLY NOW: Deadline: June 15, 2025, 11:59pm EDT
Campus Location
CASI's office is located close to the heart of Penn's campus at the Ronald O. Perelman Center for Political Science & Economics at 133 South 36th Street (Suite 230) Philadelphia, PA 19104-6215.
Visit CASI's BRAND NEW WEBSITE!