Preserving and Sharing over 50 Years of Studying in South Asia
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for South Asia is launching an online archive project to document the memories and stories of alumni who participated on the College Year in India and Nepal (CYIIN) programs, which has had a lasting impact on generations of students and scholars. If you would like to share your stories or files (photos, videos, recordings) to be published on our website, please fill out the form below. If you have any questions, please email us at assistant@southasia.wisc.edu. We can also be found at cyiin@southasia.wisc.edu.
Missed the College Year in India and Nepal Archive Project Launch Event? Click here to check out a recording of the event on YouTube!
Our archive is currently under construction. If you are a past participant and would like to contribute any images, videos, or audio from your program year(s) please follow the link below:
Share your College Year in India and Nepal Story!
Identify past CYIIN groups in our photo gallery here.
We welcome past program participants to contribute to the archive by sharing personal pictures and videos from their time in India and Nepal and by conducting interviews to capture memories and experiences of program participants, staff and all of the rich members of the community that made the program what it was.
Find our CYIIN Interview guide here.
The CYIIN Story
Associate Dean Emerita Joan Raducha and Joe Elder wrote the story of the College Year in India Program. To read it, click here.
Archive Disclaimer:
As a community-generated archive, the Center for South Asia does not guarantee the accuracy of these materials. The CYIIN Submission Agreement requires that submissions adhere to copyright law and that individuals submitting materials have received permission from all featured individuals in recordings, photos, write-ups or other media, where reasonable. If you believe an Archive submission violates these agreements, please consult the CYIIN’s takedown policy
Takedown Policy:
To request that material be taken down or partially redacted, please contact cyiin@southasia.wisc.edu for consideration.
Sixty Years of Asking Questions
Joe and his bride Joann sailed to India in 1951 to teach English in high schools in Tamilnadu. Part of their reimbursement after they returned from India was to receive a free year of graduate study in Oberlin College, Ohio. Joe decided his Master’s thesis would ask the question: “What happens to the caste system among Indian Christians — given the Christians’ formal denunciation of the caste system and the Christians’ lack of belief in reincarnation (the moral justification of the caste system)?” Efforts to answer that question led Joe to sixty years asking further questions about India. In this talk, Joe will describe some of the subsequent questions he has asked — and some of the surprises along the way.