SRM University-AP under the aegis of the Department of Literature and Languages, Easwari School of Liberal Arts hosted the Second International Conference on “Breaking Barriers: Re-imagining Centre-Margin Dynamics from Interdisciplinary Perspectives”, exploring new perspectives on culture and entities of power.
The conference welcomed Prof. Rajkumar, University of Delhi, Prof. Angshuman Kar, University of Burdwan, West Bengal State University for the keynote and plenary session on the first day and Dr Dripta Piplai, IIT Kharagpur, and Prof. Sipra Mukherjee, West Bengal State University exploring ideas, perspectives and meaningful discourses in the intersecting structures of marginalisations across class, caste, culture, language and society.
In his inaugural address, Vice Chancellor of SRM University-AP Prof. Ch Satish Kumar appreciated the thematic significance of the conference stating, “Marginalisation exists in every sector – agriculture, healthcare, politics etc. It is the social fabric that determines marginalisation, overshadowed by the game of power dynamics.” Dean of Easwari School of Liberal Arts, Prof. Vishnupad opined that academic universities must provide a space to catalyse change emphasising that it is the critical thought, dialogue and action of the young generation that will lead social change.
Prof. Rajkumar delivered a keynote session that explored marginalisation as a discourse in the national context underscoring how the centre-margin binary is not fixed and how power is a flexible entity. Prof. Angshuman Kaur spoke on the Marginality and Politics of Literary Repatriation of Australian Aborigines with multiple parallel session on a spectrum of topics on the first day of the conference.
The three-day conference also featured insightful lectures by global academicians including Prof. Anna Bernard from King’s College, London, and Prof. Michael Pretes from the University of North Alabama in virtual mode. Featuring one keynote session, five plenary talks and 19 parallel sessions, the conference hosted a global assembly of researcher scholars, academicians, social scientists and educators to hear and raise the voices of the marginalised and understand education as a tool for emancipation.
This conference was an intellectual continuation of the First International conference organised by the department titled “Breaking the Silence: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Gender Exploitation and Resistance”. Convenor of the conference Dr Bidisha Pal thanked and appreciated the faculty, scholars and students for the conceptualising and efficiently organisation and execution of the conference. Head of the Department of Literature and Languages, Dr Sayantan Thakur commented that the department conference series aims to ensure that theoretical insights are translated into tangible, real-world change for a truly equitable and just society.
