Ms Jahangir delivered the annual Centre of South Asian Studies Lecture on South Asian Public Affairs.

Professor Venkatachalapathy, of the Madras Institute of Development Studies, examines the ways in which swearing and abusive language have changeover the years, and how this reflects and informed changes in Tamil-speaking society.

The 43rd annual Kingsley Martin Memorial Lecture was delivered by Professor Ajay Skaria, of the University of Minnesota, who imagines thinking about religion alongside Gandhi: using some of Gandhi's comments and writings to pursue questions which were not those Gandhi was considering, in a process he calls a 'faithful betrayal'.

Dr Sherman, of the London School of Economics, examines one of the pillars of Nehruvian India: socialism. She demonstrates how India had, by 1960, developed its own distinctive brand of socialism and socialist thought and how this more 'individualistic' socialism shaped Indian society, politics and economy.

Dr Buehler, of the School of Oriental and African Studies, introduces a legal and constitutional history of Indonesia before going on to examine the role of Islamist activists looking to create a constitution based on Shari'a law. He also looks at how the nature of Indonesia's democracy shapes the way in which politicians present themselves to the electorate with regard to Islam and piety.

Professor Brown, of Royal Holloway, University of London, examines empirical and historical data on China and India, investigating the role of the state and changing strategies to achieve success in a new global environment.

Dr Condos, of Queen Mary, University of London, investigates the representations of colonial British character. He argues that the commonly presented traits of stoicism and courage masked an underlying fear and vulnerability, and that the pervasive anxiety in British colonial society precipitated violence and led to the placing of absolute power being placed in the hands of remote colonial officials.

Professor Su from Mandalay Technological University and a Charles Wallace Burma Trust Visiting Fellow at the Centre of South Asian Studies, examines the nature of the architecture and cultural heritage of central Yangon, arguing that, although both authenticity and integrity have to some extent been compromised, it still reflects the UNESCO World Heritage Convention Operational Guidelines – ‘The respect due to all cultures requires that cultural heritage must be considered and judged primarily within the cultural contexts to which it belongs’.