
2024 CONFERENCE
THE CAMDEN CONFERENCE‘s mission is to foster “informed discourse on world issues.” We do this by means of our February conference, our community events at libraries during the autumn and winter, and our student education programs in high schools, colleges, and universities around Maine. Learn more >
INDIA:
Rising Ambitions, Challenges at Home
February 16-18, 2024
Seventy-five years after independence, India is on track to have both the world’s largest population and the second largest economy. It is pursuing a unique path as a democracy and as an ambitious player in global affairs. Possession of nuclear weapons gives it prestige globally and confidence in its security amid unstable neighbors. Domestically, a diverse, complicated, multicultural mosaic of issues—from poverty, caste, religion, to repression of women and minorities—pose unrelenting challenges for democratic institutions.
How will a younger generation of Indian leaders choose its priorities? What’s at stake for China, Russia and the United States as India expands its role in the global economy and becomes a more assertive leader in the Indo-Pacific region?

Latest News

Camden Conference in the World ~ December
Seeing two people who once shared our stage in Camden

The Indian Kitchen: Crossroads of Cultures
I want to start by reminding us all that the

In Memoriam
Charlotte Singleton, 1944-2023 The Camden Conference community is mourning the
Events Calendar
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The Indian Kitchen: A Crossroads of Many Cultures (Falmouth Memorial Library)
The Indian Kitchen: A Crossroads of Many Cultures (Falmouth Memorial Library)
The Falmouth Memorial Library is pleased to host the Camden...
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Film Screening: Devdas (Merrill Memorial Library)
Film Screening: Devdas (Merrill Memorial Library)
The Indian movie Devdas stars the world's biggest movie star, Shah Rukh Khan, as a wealthy young law grad who spirals into depression when his hopes of marrying a woman he has known since childhood are dashed by his family.
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Life and Music of Ustad Shafaat Khan (Portland Public Library)- Rescheduled
Life and Music of Ustad Shafaat Khan (Portland Public Library)- Rescheduled
Presented in partnership with the Portland Public Library and the...
Ustad Shafaat Trio: “Music to Heal the Soul” (Hannaford Hall @ USM) – RESCHEDULED
Ustad Shafaat Trio: “Music to Heal the Soul” (Hannaford Hall @ USM) – RESCHEDULED
Mesmerizing. Virtuosic. Poetic. Master sitar player, Ustad Shafaat Khan enthralls...
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Women’s Identity in India: Old Views, New Views (Strand Theatre in Rockland)
Women’s Identity in India: Old Views, New Views (Strand Theatre in Rockland)
One in five of all women in the world live...
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South Asia’s Climate Challenges and Pathways to Positive Solutions (–ZOOM–)
South Asia’s Climate Challenges and Pathways to Positive Solutions (–ZOOM–)
What can we extrapolate from the specific case of climate change challenges in South Asia? In this examination of how climate change manifests itself globally and regionally, we'll explore South Asia's specific climate change challenges, an exercise that can inform the global climate change narrative.
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Caste: A Crash Course ~ In-person and Zoom (Lithgow Public Library)
Caste: A Crash Course ~ In-person and Zoom (Lithgow Public Library)
AUGUSTA — Sonja Thomas plans to present “Caste: A Crash...
A Rich Tapestry of Food Representing India’s Unity through Diversity (Rockland Public Library)
A Rich Tapestry of Food Representing India’s Unity through Diversity (Rockland Public Library)
The concept of "Unity in Diversity" is a fundamental aspect...
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Caste: A Crash Course (Rockport Public Library)
Caste: A Crash Course (Rockport Public Library)
Professor Sonja Thomas will deliver a presentation about the caste...
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Bill Taylor Award Winning Essays

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES


Testimonials
The weekend couldn't have been better planned or managed. What a rich and charming experience it was.
….the speakers were all first-rate and were all lovely individuals, and Indira Lakshmanan was everything you could ask for in a moderator. The venue, the peripheral events, the flow of the programming, the questions we got from the audience – all of it was a delight. I think the format, especially, is something I might want to draw on for other conferences I'm involved in… In short, I've been to many, many conferences as this certainly rates as among the very best.
What a phenomenal and timely program. Every speaker and every panel hit it out of the park. While we were reviewing how much my wife and I learned over the weekend, I realized that the speakers themselves very likely learned or developed new ideas themselves. And since they have a far larger impact on the events of the day, their experience from the weekend may have even more value than ours. Thank you to the Camden Conference. Five stars to the Camden Conference organization.
I was impressed by the skills, background and range of speakers … I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend such a conference.

I found this year’s Camden Conference to be absolutely amazing. For me, it was … one continuous increasingly gratifying experience from beginning to end. The panel members were all extremely knowledgeable in their areas of expertise. They were articulate and they all were extremely insightful. They truly were committed to helping all of us become better informed about this chaotic world we live in. The panel represented such a wonderful degree of diversity. More importantly is the fact that such diversity could have differing opinions and find common ground.

I found this the most relevant and meaningful Conference I’ve attended (and I’ve attended a lot). A wonderful, stimulating event in mid-winter Maine. I plan to attend the Conference annually.” Conference attendee
“The audience was very engaged, the questions were excellent, and it was very stimulating to hear people with diverse opinions debate with each other.

Camden is the next Davos!

Thank you again for inviting me to the Camden Conference, which was truly a wonderful experience. As I have told colleagues and friends everywhere, it was one of the best organized and best attended conferences I have ever spoken at. It was also, even more importantly, one of the most interesting. What a great cast of speakers. Please call upon me again if you think I will fit the topic of a future conference.

The conference, in my opinion was as good as I could hope for. It was wonderful. Such a terrific and credentialed and scholarly faculty. It was tremendous. And I learned a huge amount. I might not be so stupid when I hear talk about immigration and consider inserting my “two cents worth” - Thank you for a wonderful educational experience. Learning never hurts

…The Camden Conference just might be the best conference of its type in the United States.
