Sebastian Schneider – författare

This volume traces how the discourse of skill evolved in colonial and postcolonial India, from the mid-nineteenth century to the present neoliberal era. It introduces the concept of skill ecology to capture the broader political, economic, and social environment within which skills emerge, transform, and acquire meaning. Skill is examined here not merely as a technical attribute but as a historically contingent category, shaped by state policy, capitalist ideologies, and hierarchies of power.Focusing on industrial training from the late colonial period – particularly the 1930s – through Nehruvian state-led industrialisation and into the era of neoliberal reform, the book explores how skilling became a terrain of collaboration and contestation between the state and the capital. It also reveals how social relations influence the legitimacy of skills, determining what forms of labour are seen as ‘skilled’ or ‘unskilled’ and for whom.Combining perspectives from history, political science, and colonial and postcolonial studies, this interdisciplinary work offers fresh insights into the politics of labour and development in South Asia. It will be essential reading for scholars and researchers in modern history, political science, sociology, economics, social policy, and Asian studies.

This volume traces how the discourse of skill evolved in colonial and postcolonial India, from the mid-nineteenth century to the present neoliberal era. It introduces the concept of skill ecology to capture the broader political, economic, and social environment within which skills emerge, transform, and acquire meaning. Skill is examined here not merely as a technical attribute but as a historically contingent category, shaped by state policy, capitalist ideologies, and hierarchies of power.Focusing on industrial training from the late colonial period – particularly the 1930s – through Nehruvian state-led industrialisation and into the era of neoliberal reform, the book explores how skilling became a terrain of collaboration and contestation between the state and the capital. It also reveals how social relations influence the legitimacy of skills, determining what forms of labour are seen as ‘skilled’ or ‘unskilled’ and for whom.Combining perspectives from history, political science, and colonial and postcolonial studies, this interdisciplinary work offers fresh insights into the politics of labour and development in South Asia. It will be essential reading for scholars and researchers in modern history, political science, sociology, economics, social policy, and Asian studies.

At the Tipping Point Taking a deliberately kaleidoscopic approach, the exhibition 1.5 Degrees and the accompanying catalogue encourage us to address the climate crisis in a curious, innovative, participatory, and active way. More than 30 international artists, including melanie bonajo, Laure Prouvost, Julian Charrière, Otobong Nkanga, Marianna Simnett, Ernesto Neto and the collective SUPERFLEX, explore the complex interdependencies between humans, nature and technology, and search for solutions, from plants as data repositories, algae as energy sources and microorganisms as empathic dialogue partners. Including all parts of the museum collections as well as new outdoor installations at the National Garden Show BUGA, the book presents various models of how to use the means of art to reshape the coexistence of species and emphasizes the hope-giving potential of creativity and innovation.