Note: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the workshop has been postponed to 2020. Revised dates will be announced when they are decided, and the application window will be reopened. Candidates who have already submitted their applications will be considered for selection without the need to re-apply. The Caravan regrets the postponement.
Modern, democratic, plural India needs an expanding set of public intellectuals, capable of both providing astute, original analysis and engaging the general reader. The editors of The Caravan offer a workshop for individuals looking to develop their skill at writing commentary on social, political, economic and cultural issues. Ultimately, we hope that some workshop participants will be able to contribute analytical and argumentative essays to the Perspectives section of the print magazine and also our web-exclusives section.
Over two Saturdays in October, in lectures and group discussions, participants will study pieces of exemplary analytical and argumentative writing for popular audiences, and learn the rudiments of both style and substance that stand behind them. Participants will be assigned an extensive list of readings both before and during the workshop. They will also work with our editors to develop a pitch for a short analytical essay, and draft the essay in the week between the workshops’ two meetings. The editors will provide guidance and feedback on improving the work, and suggest further readings and exercises to individual participants who are keen to develop their abilities further.
Applicants should already hold or be pursuing a post-graduate degree, and should have an established record of expertise in their field of study. We welcome applications from students, researchers and working professionals, with backgrounds in the social sciences, the natural sciences or the arts. A proven interest in popular writing and a demonstrable ability to work across disciplines and/or languages will count in a candidate’s favour. Candidates from marginalised communities are encouraged to apply. The editors will strive to select participants from across a wide variety of social backgrounds and intellectual interests. Selected candidates from beyond Delhi who can demonstrate financial need will be eligible for a small stipend towards overland travel to and from the city.
Your expertise is indispensable, your ideas matter, your perspective is important and your voice is unique. Let’s take them to the reading public.
Age: 18 to 35 years
Date and Time: TBD
Location: Delhi Press, Jhandewalan Extension, Delhi
To apply, write to the Executive Editor, Vinod K Jose, at [email protected], with the subject line “Analysis Writing Workshop—2019,” by midnight on 5 September 2019. Please attach the following materials with your application: a cover letter explaining your interest in the workshop and describing why you are a strong candidate; your CV; a brief statement describing your credentials in any areas of demonstrated expertise outside your formal education and experience, as well as any languages other than English in whose intellectual discourses you are immersed or actively engaged; two writing samples, preferably analytical pieces aimed at a non-specialised audience, each of no more than 1,500 words; two brief pitches, of no more than 200 words each, outlining analytical or argumentative pieces that you could contribute, which would suit The Caravan and contribute significantly to public debate. (Please familiarise yourself with our archive of analytical pieces here.)