Upcoming Events

Join us for a screening and discussion of "Disha Swarajyachi" (Towards Self Governance) which explains how participatory governance works in the Indian village of Mendha-Lekha. Some topics the documentary focuses on include: the legal rights and associations between the public and the environment, women’s participation, majority and consensus voting, blending direct and representative democracy, youth engagement, and resistance to empire.

Dr. Milind Bokil, the academic lead for this documentary, will facilitate our discussion and answer questions. Dr. Bokil has written numerous books on participatory democracy and civil society in India. He is visiting the University of Massachusetts Amherst all the way from India as a part of his “De-Tocquevillian” tour of New England’s Town Meetings and welcomes discussion and questions comparing these two participatory deliberative governance institutions.

Any questions about the event can be directed to Sawyer Rogers: @email. If you would like to join via Zoom or would like to receive updates on the event, please fill out this form before the morning of the event.  

This public informational event will feature a moderated discussion of the MA Ballot process, including current poll data on the nine questions that will appear on ballots in November 3rd and expert overviews of some of the questions. The panel will feature SBS faculty and graduate students, and will be moderated by student leaders of the UMass Amherst Chapter of the Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science National Honors Society. This public service event hosted by undergraduate political science majors aims to provide information, context, and background to the UMass community of faculty, students and staff, in addition to the wider public, in advance of the election. This event is free and open to the public