Symposium on ‘Literature and the Non-Human: Abrogating the Anthropocene’ concludes at AMU
Aligarh: People of letters and wide knowledge and learning investigated Anthropocene, and its abrogation through ecocritical theory, the sciences and environmental history in ‘Literature and the Non-Human: Abrogating the Anthropocene’, the 19th International Biennial Symposium on Literature and Culture in the Asia- Pacific Region which concluded on November 27.
In the valedictory session, Dr Sarra Tlili (Associate Professor, Arabic Language and Literature, University of Florida) discussed environmental ethics that are typically associated with the Holy Quran.
She was delivering a talk on ‘Fellow Creatures Like You: Insights into the Quran’s Environmental Ethic’ which was chaired by Prof Abdur Raheem Kidwai (Honorary Director, K A Nizami Centre for Quranic Studies).
Dr Sarra analysed passages from the Quran and explained the integration of humanity in the rest of creation.
Prof A R Kidwai explored the intersection of education, science, and Muslim epistemologies and remarked that the symposium provided insights on the Quranic perspectives on the non-human.
“The programme was a great learning opportunity as it holistically investigated the Anthropocene, and identified issues pertaining to the relationship between the human and the non-human”, said Prof M Asim Siddiqui (Chairman, Department of English).
Prof Sami Rafiq (Convener of the Symposium) extended the vote of thanks in the valedictory session and English research scholar, Ayush Gaur presented the programme report.
In the earlier sessions held in the hybrid online/ offline mode, Dr Sumana Roy (Associate Professor, English and Creative Writing, Ashoka University) delineated ‘Climate Change and the Loss of Ananda’ in which she reflected on the connection between earth (non-human) and emotions (human); Prof Shiv Talwar talked about the creation of the universe and the mankind with scientific and diverse religious references; Prof Scott Slovic (Environmental Studies, University of Idaho, USA) gave a lecture on ‘To Get a Feel for What This Means: Annie Dillard’s Thought Experiments and the Teaching of Compassion’ and Prof Raj Dubey (Emeritus Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada) delivered a plenary talk on ‘Journey in the Life of a Sadhaka’ in a session chaired by Prof Latif Hussain Shah Kazmi (Department of Philosophy).
The Symposium featured twenty-four sessions and representatives from Asia-Pacific region countries such as Australia, Bangladesh, Nepal and Singapore.