IIT Kanpur organises two-day research scholars’ conference

NEW DELHI: The department of humanities and social sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Kanpur), organised the first national research scholars’ conference ‘Anviksha’. The two-day conference was based on the theme ‘Boundaries’. The participants discussed domains such as modes of sociality, political discourse, identity formation, and literary and aesthetic production.

The conference received more than 500 submissions from across the country, of which 48 abstracts were selected for the final presentation through a blind peer review process. The conference had 12 panels focusing on themes such as gender, conflict, digital frontiers, urbanisation and knowledge.

Head of humanities and social sciences department Mini Chandran shared insights into the conceptualisation of the theme and expressed optimism about the conference evolving into an annual academic highlight for scholars nationwide.

English and Foreign Language University (EFLU Hyderabad) Ipshita Chanda gave the keynote address on the need for ethically engaging plurality. She emphasised how humanities research, to be meaningful, must end in a realisation about the nature of the human through a relation of self to the world and needs to break through fixed ways of thinking about lives.

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Janaki Abraham from the Delhi School of Economics, as a keynote speaker for the second day, derived from her fieldwork to question rule-based boundaries of rituals and customs, turning a sociological eye to wedding rituals.

IIT Kanpur director S Ganesh said, "The department of humanities and social sciences has taken a significant step forward by hosting this conference to address critical cross-disciplinary frontiers that affect society as a whole. Anviksha, the department's first national research scholars' conference, highlights our commitment to informed and inclusive education by facilitating insightful dialogues and thoughtful conversations among emerging scholars.”