Two-Day National Conference on “Literature, Culture, and Society: Humanities in the 21st Century” begins at SMVDU, Katra

SMVDU Katra: Two-Day National Conference on “Literature, Culture, and Society: Humanities in the 21st Century” organized by the School of Languages and Literature from 28^th -29^th February, 2024 was inaugurated at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, amidst the presence of noted scholars, academics, and students.

The inaugural session began with a welcome address by Dr. Anurag Kumar, Head, School of Languages and Literature, SMVDU where he emphasized that the conference aims to strike the ongoing debate regarding the relevance and value of humanities in the modern world. This was followed by an address by Dr. Isha Malhotra, Assistant Professor and Convener of the conference from the timeless classics to the latest avant-garde works, literature serves as a mirror to society, reflecting its values, aspirations, and conflicts. Similarly, culture encompasses the beliefs, customs, and traditions that shape our collective identity, while society provides the backdrop against which these cultural and literary narratives unfold.

The Guest of Honour, Dr. A.K. Das, Dean FoHSS briefed the participants about the University and its constant and successful endeavours to organize such scholastic events. He foregrounded the relevance of the conference and remarked that conferences like this are extremely significant in propagating the academic discourse. Prof. Pragati Kumar, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, SMVDU addressed the participants, highlighting the unquestionable role of humanities departments in education institutions and the importance given to humanities in NEP, 2020, in the benign presence of Sh. Neeraj Gupta (JKAS), FO, SMVDU, Dr. Vineet Tyagi, Dean R&D, Dr. Anurag Kumar, Head SoLL, Dr. Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi, Assistant Professor, SoLL and Dr. Isha Malhotra, Assistant Professor SoLL. The inaugural session ended on a positive note with a formal vote of thanks by Dr. Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi, Assistant Professor and coordinator of the conference.

The key-note address was delivered by, Prof. Nagendra Kumar, Professor in the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee on the title “Humanities in the 21st Century”, who marvellously threw light on the exceptional importance that humanities hold even amidst the technological advancement. This was followed by a session titled “Memory, History and Collective Identity” including paper presentations by presenters from different institutions.

Eminent plenary speakers include Prof. Ajit Kumar Mishra, Associate Professor from Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi, whose special keynote address titled “Do we need another experience machine?: Doing Literature in the era of disruption” emphasized the role of humanities with concepts such as paradise engineering. Dr. Veerendra Kumar Mishra, Associate Professor Banasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan delivered a special keynote address titled “The Myth of Liberal Humanism in the 21^st Century”, by another special keynote address by Dr. Sayantan Mandal, Senior Assistant Professor, IIT Jammu titled “Beyond Certainty: Reimagining Humanities in the age of AI”. This followed another session of presentations on gender studies. Lastly, Dr. Isha Malhotra, Assistant Professor and the convener of the conference proposed a formal vote of thanks.