Auburn library to host events leading up to Camden Conference

The Auburn Public Library is set to participate as one of the hosting libraries of The Camden Conference. Leading up to this year’s conference, the library will host events on Jan. 10, 25 and Feb. 8.

The Camden Conference was founded in 1987 as a nonprofit, non-partisan educational organization whose mission is to foster informed discourse on world issues. The 2024 Camden Conference, scheduled for Friday-Sunday, Feb. 16-18, is “India: Rising Ambitions, Challenges at Home” and will take place in Camden.

This year’s topic focuses on India, which is closing in on the world’s largest population and the second-largest economy. At the same time, it also is becoming a unique democracy, widely involved in global affairs. Programs will bring to light several questions regarding its younger generation and its leadership in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a news release from Donna Wallace, Adult Services manager at the library.

Dr. Anita Charles will be the speaker for a Jan. 10 event at the Auburn Public Library. “Issues of Inclusion in Indian Education: Gender, Caste, Disability” is her topic. Submitted photo

The first talk, “Issues of Inclusion in Indian Education: Gender, Caste, Disability,” will be given by Dr. Anita Charles at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, in the Androscoggin Community Room at 49 Spring St., and online via Zoom.

Charles will discuss her experiences in India, particularly focused on topics of social justice. She will give details of a research project around inclusion and disability in Indian schools and will share anecdotal stories and pictures of her time in India.

Charles is the director of Secondary Teacher Education and senior lecturer at Bates College in Lewiston. She has twice been a Fulbright scholar in India, in 2016 and 2023. She has visited India six times, and three of her five grown children are from India.

The second talk, “Film Screening & Discussion — Leaving Home: Traditional Marriage in India,” is set for 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, in the Androscoggin Community Room.

The final talk, a book discussion on Suchitra Vijayan’s “Midnight’s Borders: A People’s History of Modern India,” will begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, in the ground floor Conference Room.

Books will be available starting Jan. 3 and can be picked up at the Reference Desk on the second floor. Because of funding provided by the Camden Conference, the copy of the book is yours to keep.

For the library’s planning purposes, registration is required. When registering, indicate whether attending in person or online. If attending virtually, the Zoom link will be emailed on the morning of the program.

To register for any of these events, visit auburnpubliclibrary.org or call the Reference Desk at 207-333-6640, ext. 4.

For more details on the 2024 conference, visit camdenconference.org.