International Honors Lecture at UA Looks at Issues of Political Protest

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The advisory board of The University of Alabama International Honors Program will host a public lecture on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 5 p.m. in 205 Gorgas Library featuring a presentation by Dr. Simanti Lahiri, UA assistant professor of political science.

Lahiri will discuss “The Motivation and Effectiveness of Suicide Protest in Southern Asia” in her lecture that is part of International Honors Week at UA.

“The continued and increasing use of suicide as a form of political protest remains puzzling to scholars,” says Lahiri. “Due to the extreme nature of the tactic itself, it is logical to ask if the costs outweigh the benefits for movements that choose to engage in this particular form of political expression,” she says.

Lahiri holds a master’s degree in the politics of Asia and Africa from the University of London, and she earned her doctorate in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was also a fellow at the Helen Kellogg Institute of International Studies at Notre Dame.

Her lecture is based on a book she is currently working on and includes several months of fieldwork in India and Sri Lanka; it also incorporates her research in comparative politics, the politics of South Asia, political violence, social movements, terrorism, protest and democratization.

The IHP advisory board was formed in June 2008 and serves as a link to the local international community for UA students in the program.

The public lecture is open to students, faculty, staff and members of the community. For more information about the event, call 205/348-5554.