Centre for the Study of Local Cultures
The Centre for the Study of Local Cultures (CSLC), better known as the CSLC, is a research centre at Kuvempu University located in the rural village Shankaraghatta in the Shimoga district of Karnataka (India). It was founded in 2004-2005. The study of local cultures in India has so far been confined to the traditional approach of the departments of folk culture, English literature and socio-anthropological studies. There is a need to release the study of local cultures from these confines and to put it in a broader framework of interdisciplinary studies. Recognizing this, some of us, from within the Kuvempu University and the Research Centre Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap in Belgium came together to set up the Centre for the Study of Local Cultures (CSLC). Financial assistance for this project is provided by the Flemish Interuniversity Council – VLIR. The long-term goal of the Centre for the Study of Local Cultures is to become an internationally renowned research centre on South-Indian culture and society, which cultivates deep links with the local society and its cultural traditions. Brief history There are four phases in the elaboration of the idea to develop a Centre for the Study of Local Cultures (CSLC): (a) In the