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“Whatever has happened to you, Narsing? Who has done this to you, son? You … you are …?” She couldn’t say the word. The spirited young boy Narsing was not like other boys of his age. He was different. He liked to play marbles, fly kites, and steal fruit from the gardens of the middle-class and the rich. He also secretly dressed in his mother’s saris and danced alone inside the house when she was at work. Huma Kidwai’s “To Be Myself” takes the readers through the metamorphosis of Narsing to Nargis. It deals with the lives and camaraderie of the Hijra community and is a story of self-determination, relationships, and choices.

Participation has become a prominent idea in contemporary social change discourses. Over the years, Participatory Action Research (PAR) processes have been interpreted and new knowledge and solutions have been employed in an increasing number of ways. Chapters in this volume provide a snapshot of some of the emerging purposes and interpretations of PAR in education in South Asian countries. This introduction chapter provides a brief overview of key debates, actors, processes, and challenges presented by the various authors of this edition, in addition to laying out its organization.

This chapter reviews the extent of influence new regionalism has had on the development of the education sector in South Asia. The history of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) development, and its regional state-supported initiative, the South Asian University, reflect a multitude of local challenges to effective regionalization for cross-national educational development. The chapter describes and distinguishes the various forms of regional efforts for cooperation and integration among government actors, nongovernmental organizations, and local activist groups and forums, to chart certain key regional efforts to consolidate intraregionalism as well as establish interregional relations of educational development and policy with countries of sub-Saharan African region. It utilizes the transnational advocacy networks framework to understand and interpret diverse manifestations of interregional cooperation between nonstate partners in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.