Dibrugarh University organizes international conference on ‘Ecocriticism and the Global South’

 A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: The Department of English, Dibrugarh University, organized a two-day international conference on ‘Ecocriticism and the Global South: Trends, Issues, and Challenges’ on October 6 and October 7.

Scholars and academics across India and abroad participated in the conference. The resources persons were Prof. Bibhash Choudhary, Department of English, Gauhati University, Prof. Miriam Adelman, Federal University of Parana, Brazil, Prof. Shruti Das, Head , PG Department of English and the Director of Canadian Studies, Berhampur University, Prof. Ashes Gupta, Department of English, Tripura University, Dr. Patricja Austin, Assistant Professor of English, the Institute of Neophilology, University of Rzeszów, Poland, and Dr Lukasz Barcinski, Assistant Professor at the Section of Translation Studies (Institute of English Studies), University of Rzeszów, Poland. The inaugural function was organized on October 6. Dr. Anurag Bhattacharyya, Associate Professor and the convenor of the event, delivered the welcome address.

The Vice Chancellor in-charge, Dibrugarh University, Prof. Jahnabi Gogoi Nath, Chair Professor of Shri Shri Annirudhha Deva Chair, History, inaugurated the event. She highlighted the relevance of organizing such academic discussions to raise awareness about environmental crisis and devise strategies to counter climate change. The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Bibhash Choudhary. He underlined the problematic of universalizing terms like "Global South" since the political, social, economic and the environmental imperatives vary from state to state, nation to nation. He emphasized the responsibility on the part of writers and critics to understand the environmental paradigm from local contexts and culture, disavowing the culture of homogenisation.

The session was chaired by Prof. Mridul Bordoloi, Head, Department of English, Dibrugarh University. The panel talks were delivered by Prof. Miriam Adelman, Prof. Shruti Das, Prof. Ashes Gupta, Dr. Patricja Austin, and Dr. Lukasz Barcinski. They emphasized the need for understanding interspecies connections, and underscored the problematic of acceding to the growth narrative while also being equally conscious of the need for sustainability.

More than 70 participants across India and abroad presented papers on an array of themes associated with the Environmental turn to literature and culture. The two-day event concluded with a cultural function at the Rang-ghar Auditorium on October 7.

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