Aligarh Muslim University: Centre for Women Studies release journal
Aligarh: Women from the marginalised communities face unique set of challenges on account of their gender and community status, a form of intersectional discrimination that is often particularly difficult to address,” said the Vice Chancellor, Professor Tariq Mansoor, while releasing a special issue of the journal of The Advanced Centre for Women Studies, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on ‘Women and Society, Issues of women of marginalised Communities: Concerns about Exclusion’ through a video conferencing programme in line with the Government of India Guidelines on social distancing.
“Since the outbreak of Covid 19 pandemic, female leaders at the helm of various nations are showing effectiveness of their handling of the crisis and the actions of New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern and other women leaders are a testament of women’s proficiency in managing the crisis better than their male counterparts,” said Prof Mansoor.
Referring to journal edited by Professor Azra Moosvi, director of the centre the Vice Chancellor said that women have proved their capabilities and received their due share; however, they still need to have equal representation at workplace.
The Centre for Women’s Studies should play a moderate and pro-active role not only in Aligarh but also in the national growth, urged the Vice Chancellor.
“The journal covers wide range of issues pertaining to women of marginalized communities with papers contributed by renowned scholars and the editors have arranged the contributions carefully, and dominant themes are consistently dwelt upon in every essay,” Prof Shireen Moosvi, former director of the centre.
The papers in the journal provide evocative descriptions and accounts of how women face several layers of discrimination and what needs to be done. For instance, Prof Nazia Hasan in her paper, ‘Shedding the Aesthetic of Indifference: A Glance on Women of the Marginalised Communities in Select Works of Amitav Ghosh’ points out that the novels by Ghosh are significant for their insistence upon preservation of facts.
The novels by Ghosh makes one feel as if the marginalised have gained a ground by being voiced out, and that’s the first step necessary for any change, she added.
Dr Tauseef Fatima’s essay deals with chastity and the colonial system, Noble Shrivastava wrote on widows in the lower caste, Asra Shakeel and Dr Aziz Faisal co-authored a paper presenting a study of marginalised women in Arundhati Roy’s ‘The Ministry of Utmost Happiness’, Tanveer Ahmad Khan and Wasia Hamid wrote on Kashmiri women in traditional occupation and Shivani E Divakaran’s essay sheds light on tribal women.
The journal also has field surveys by Sana Hashmi and Dr Aziz Faisal and book reviews by Lubna Irfan, Subeha Khan, Fatima Islahi, Shah Alam and Shah Munnes Muneer.
Prof Azra Musavi, Director, Centre for Women’s Studies delivered the welcome address. Prof Nisar Ahmad Khan, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences extended the vote of thanks.