Towards Inclusive Collectives, Communities and Cultures
“The birds that herald dreams Were exiled from their song, Give some tree the gift of
green again. Let one bird sing.”
—Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Formally registered in 1976, over the past four decades of its existence SIEDS (Society for Informal Education and Development Studies) has been a unique experiment in collective politics and functioning. Over the decades the core concerns of SIEDS have evolved around human dignity and rights; social harmony and peace; transformative and constitutional justice, decentralised democracies and inclusive development.
While responding to multiple issues related to gender, class, caste, religion, environment, local self-governance and basic entitlements for the rural and urban poor, the attempt has been to weave together responsive activism with reflective analysis and a critical aesthetics.
The search has been for processes of change that while rooting themselves in specific cultures and communities draw from more universal notions of justice, peace and human creativity.
About Us
“Before this night is over and before the new dawn rises Maybe we can sit here in the shade and talk Not afraid to question
the dent in the dream or the words missing from the story”
—Jackie Kay
Plurality, diversity and democracy have been the cornerstones around which SIEDS has evolved both
its programmatic priorities and institutional culture.
A Collective History
Core Programmes
Research
What the books taught me, I’ve practiced What they didn’t teach me, I’ve taught myself I’ve gone into the forest and wrestled with the lion. I didn’t get this far by teaching one thing And doing another
—Lalla Ded
Gender & Community
They tried to bury us. They did not know we were seeds!
—Mexican proverb
Culture
What happened before its coming was more or less irrelevant. everything that took place at their coming, and afterward, was vitally significant, It was the Dreaming that was of relevance, that is eternal
—Dreamtime
Networking
Why struggle to open a door between us when the whole wall is an illusion
—Rumi