The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Centre for Research, Excellence and Development (CRED) of Dhaka International University (DIU) jointly organised an academic roundtable discussion and scholarly dialogue on women’s representation, quota systems, and collaborative book-writing projects.
The event was held on Monday, 26 October, at 3:00 pm in Room 204 at the university’s Old Campus. Faculty members and researchers participated in the programme, which featured two separate sessions focusing on women’s political and institutional representation, the effectiveness of quota systems, and opportunities and strategies for collaborative book writing among faculty members.
The first session, titled “Women’s Representation through Quotas in India: Changes and Challenges,” featured Professor Dr. Prabhat Dutta of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata, India, as the keynote speaker. The discussion examined the evolution of India’s quota policies, women’s political and institutional representation, gender equality, social justice, women’s empowerment, and their meaningful participation in decision-making processes. The session also explored the achievements, limitations, and implementation challenges of quota systems.
The second session, titled “Collaborative Book-Writing Projects among Faculty Members,” focused on the prospects and planning of collaborative book-writing initiatives among faculty members of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Participants exchanged ideas on strengthening interdisciplinary research collaboration, identifying promising research topics, initiating joint publication projects, and enhancing the university’s research culture and academic publishing activities.
The programme was attended by Professor Dr. Md. Sazzad Hossain, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at DIU, as the Chief Guest. Professor Dr. Ganesh Chandra Saha, former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the university, attended as the Guest of Honour. Professor Dr. Mohammad Shah Alam Chowdhury, Director of Student Welfare at DIU, was present as a Special Guest.
The session was chaired by Professor Dr. Md. Shariful Alam, Director of the Centre for Research, Excellence and Development (CRED).
The programme was coordinated under the overall supervision of Mili Rahman, Additional Director of CRED, who oversaw the event’s organisation and coordination.
Faculty members from the Departments of English, Economics, Sociology, Political Science, and Development Studies under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences were invited to participate in the programme.
The organisers expressed their hope that such academic initiatives would play an important role in promoting knowledge exchange, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and expanding opportunities for joint research and scholarly publications. They also emphasised that the initiative would contribute to strengthening research-oriented academic practices, encouraging creative scholarly endeavours, and advancing high-quality academic publishing at the university.