The Sarojini Naidu Centre For Women’s Studies (SNCWS), Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) organised a two-day International Young Researcher’s Conference 2025 (8th-9th March 2025) themed, “Gender and its Digital Discontents: Decolonial Perspectives from the Global South”. The conference was inaugurated on the occasion of International Women’s Day to commemorate the occasion with critical gender scholarship.
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The event at Jamia was organised under the guidance of Prof. Mazhar Asif, Honorable Vice Chancellor of JMI and the Patron of the conference, who graciously delivered the inaugural address. Prof. Asif in his address firstly congratulated SNCWS for completing 25 years of its foundation. He delved into how International Women’s Day is a moment to reflect on the progress made toward gender justice while also acknowledging the challenges that remain to be addressed. He also highlighted JMI’s role in achieving gender equality.
Prof. Nishat Zaidi, Hony. Director, SNCWS chaired the session and welcomed all the participants, researchers, guests and faculty members present in the lecture. Prof. Zaidi in her welcome address discussed the importance of development of critical narratives in the digital age. She underlined the need for the scholars from the Global South to work together to face these challenges. She said that the academics and Women Studies Centres had the responsibility to advance scholarly analysis in this direction. Cheitali Pant, Research Scholar, presented the concept note of the conference.
Prof. Meena Pillai, Centre for Cultural Studies, University of Kerala delivered the first lecture on the theme “On Scourging the Pishachini: Digital Feminisms in the Times of Moral Panic” which highlighted the range of digital feminism. The lecture was chaired by Prof. Zaidi and co-chaired by Pant.
The conference hosted two plenary sessions at Jamia, three keynote addresses and nine technical sessions. Plenary I themed, ”Building Gender Sensitive AI Systems: Developing the 3D (‘Designer – Development – Deployment’) AI Accountability Framework” was delivered by Dr. Abiruchi Ojha, Assistant Professor, MMAJ Academy of International Studies, Jamia who evaluated the need to make AI gender inclusive and sensitive through the 3D approach. Jubi John, PhD Scholar, Department of English, Jamia was the chair and Steven S. George was the co-chair.
Plenary II was themed, “Doing digital ethnography: Some observations as a feminist and woman researcher” delivered by Athira BK, Research Scholar, Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University. The plenary delved into digital ethnography being done by a woman researcher and its various dimensions. The plenary was chaired by Alveera Chaudhary, PhD Scholar, SNCWS and co-chaired by Ms. Pant.
The first keynote address themed, “Digital Feminism, Neoliberalism and Class inequalities” was delivered by Prof. Christina Scharff, Professor of Culture & Subjectivity and Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies, Arts & Humanities, King’s College London. The address evaluated class inequities and digital feminism in a neo liberal framework. Dr. Zahra Rizvi, Assistant Professor, St. Stephens College chaired the address. Pant was the co-chair.
The second keynote address themed upon, “Solidarity as feminist techno politics from the global south” was delivered by Dr. Firuzeh Shokooh Valle, a feminist sociologist and journalist from Puerto Rico. The address critically traced various discourses on solidarity and pleasure. Dr. Rizvi chaired the lecture and Chaudhary was the co-chair.
The third keynote address themed upon, “(Re)building/(Re)membering gendered, postcolonial digital archives and (re)narrating selves and others across algorithmically mediated Time and Space” was delivered by Prof. Radhika Gajjala, Professor of Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University. The address highlighted the post colonial archiving and re-narrating self in spatial-temporal discourse. The address was chaired by Prof. Zaidi and co-chaired by Ms. Farhana Salam, PhD scholar, SNCWS.
Seven papers were presented in the Technical Session I, themed – “Gendered Algorithms, AI Ethics, and Digital Hierarchies” and the session was chaired by Ms. Rukmani Monga, PhD Scholar, SNCWS.
Technical Session II, themed – “Digital Platforms, Gender-Based Violence, and Resistance”. The scholars presented papers in the session which enquired the intersections of digital spaces and gender based violence while also tracing resistance. Tanwi Suman, PhD Scholar, SNCWS chaired the session.
Technical Session III, themed “Gender and Sexuality in Digital Realms”. The research papers traced the gender and sexuality dimensions of digital spaces. Steven, PhD Scholar, Department of English, JMI chaired the session.
Technical Session IV, themed “Gendered Bodies, Digital Media, and Emotional Well-Being”. The research papers highlighted the gendering of bodies in digital media subsequently affecting the emotional well being of individuals. Vishakha, PhD Scholar, SNCWS chaired the session.
Technical Session V, themed “Gendered Narratives, Folklore, and Digital Communities”. The scholars critically examined the gendering of narratives, folklores and its impact on digital communities. Mohd. Hassnain, PhD Scholar, SNCWS chaired the session.
Technical Session VI, themed “Feminist Activism, Data Politics, and Digital Resistance”. The papers featured the politics of data and the feminist resistance that it brings. Afreen, PhD Scholar, SNCWS chaired the session.
Technical Session VII themed “Surveillance, Privacy, and Gendered Digital Labour”. The researchers highlighted the gendering of labor in digital spaces and the subsequent surveillance and privacy aspects of it. Rakshanda Nawaz, PhD Scholar, SNCWS chaired the session.
Technical Session VIII, themed “Digital Platform Economies, Gender, and Emerging Digital Labor”. The papers enquired how the digital platform economy is impacting digital labor and its gender dimension. Zoya Rizvi, PhD Scholar, SNCWS chaired the session.
Technical Session IX themed “Digital Identities and Marginalized Voices”. The session features how identities and marginalised voices are faring in the digital spaces. Suman chaired the session.
The valedictory address for the conference was delivered by Rosebell Kagumire, pan-African feminist, writer, activist, and editor at AfricanFeminism.com on “Digital resistance and re-imagination – building pan-African solidarities”. The address featured the critical feminist understanding of pan-African solidarities. The valedictory was chaired by Prof. Zaidi and co-chaired by Chaudhary. The vote of thanks was presented by Cheitali Pant.
