The 8th Young Scholar Seminar on "Re-reading WANA: Territoriy, Subjectivity and Politics", conducted by the SFCs of the Centre for West Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi is scheduled on 27th and 28th March, 2018. 

Day 1: Tuesday 27th March 2018
Registration: 9:30-10:00 am
Inaugural Session: 10:00 am-11:30am
• Introductory Remarks: Zeba Khan (Research Scholar, SFC, Centre for West Asian
Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
• Saeed Naqvi, Senior Journalist and West Asian expert
• Waiel Awwad, Writer and Political Analyst
• Qamar Agha, Defence expert
• Fazzur Rahman, Centre Alumni, ICWA
• Omair Anas, Centre Alumni, ICWA
Vote of Thanks: Ankita Saxena (Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies, Centre for
West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)

Academic Session I (11:45 am-1:15 pm)

Re-reading the region: Knowledge and Narratives

Chair: Shakeel Anjum (Doctoral Candidate, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi).
• Hoimi Mukherjee: A Critical Appraisal of the Discipline of Area Studies in the
Construction of the ‘Areas’ of Latin America and West Asia (Research Scholar, Centre
for Latin American Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
• Debangana Chatterjee: Virtual Space Amnesia and Knowledge Production: ‘Othering’
Syrian Refugees through State Practices (Doctoral Candidate, Centre for International
Politics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi).
• Vanlalhmangaiha: Formation(s) of the State: Israel and Aesthetic Forms of
Commemoration (Research Scholar, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT,
New Delhi)

Ashutosh Singh: Narratives of Displacement in Ghassan Kanafani’s Literary Works
(Doctoral Candidate, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi)
• Mohammedali.P: Looking at regionalism of Muslim countries; Role of Madhhab System
and anti-Madhhab movements (Research Scholar, Department of Political Science,
Hyderabad University, Hyderabad).
Rapporteur: Zeba Khan (Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi)

Academic Session II (2:00pm-3:30 pm)

Contours of Gender Landscape

Chair: Aradhna Talwar (Doctoral Candidate, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi).
• Shabista Naz: Analysing the Family Law (Mudawana) Reform of Morocco (Doctoral
Candidate, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
• Mohammad Kaish Shaikh Abdul Gafoor: Changing Landscape of Gender Inequalities
in the Wake of the Democratic Transition in Islamic Republic of Iran (Research Scholar,
Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
• Sumana Singha: Discourses of Hegemonic Masculinity: The Palestinian Context
(Doctoral Candidate, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi)
• Sukrita Lahiri: Anti-pinkwashing: Queering the Palestinian Solidarity Movement
(Doctoral Candidate, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi)
• Mohammad Mahtab Alam: Pursuit of Gender’s Role and Right in West Asia with
special reference to Saudi Arabia (Guest Faculty, Centre for West Asian Studies,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
Rapporteur: Ankita Saxena (Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi).

Academic Session III (3:45 pm-5:30 pm)

Interactions in the Region and Beyond

Chair: Yatharth Kachiar (Doctoral Candidate, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi).
• Hirak Jyoti Das: Examining Russia’s role in Israel-Iran conflict in Syria (Doctoral
Candidate, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
• Mithilesh Kumar Singh: The Japanese Peace building In West Asia: Countering The
Disorder And Structural Violence In The Region (Doctoral Candidate, Centre for East
Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
• Suraj Ranjan K: Soft Power: Redefining India-West Asia Relations (M.A., International
Relations, O.P. Jindal Global University, New Delhi)
• Jason Wahlang: Role of Chechnya in the Syrian Crisis (Research Scholar, Centre for
Russian and Central Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
• Ujan Natik: Illegal Arms Trafficking in North Africa with special emphasis on Small
Arms and Light Weapons (Undergraduate, International Relations, Jadavpur University,
Kolkata)
• Vijay Kumar Gothwal: The evolution of IDF as an organized Army: Contemporary
Scenario (Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University,
New Delhi)
Rapporteur: Chandra Prakash (Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi.)

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Day 2: Wednesday 28th March 2018
Academic Session IV (9:30 am-11:15 am)

Stirring the Subjectivities: Contemplating the Popular and the Prosaic

Chair: Ashutosh Singh (Doctoral Candidate, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi.
• Ankita Saxena: Iran through its Cinema: Critiquing Jafar Panahi and Majid Majidi
(Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi
• Muhammad Imran: Post War Literature in Iraq Region: A Corpus Based Study of Iraqi
Fiction (Research Scholar, Centre for Arabic and African Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi)
• Ayisha Sana: Food and National Identity: A Case Study of Israeli-Palestinian/Arab
Culinary Conflict (Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi).
• Waseem S. Akbar: Contested Representations of the Arab World’s Armed groups in the
Mainstream Media (Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi)
• Rubel Mittal: When displacement recycle the buried past: Mechanism of cultural
extermination (Doctoral Candidate, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi)
• Rapporteur: Pooja Kotwal (Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)

Tea Break: 11:15 am-11:30 am

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Academic Session V (11:30 am-1:15 pm)

Relocating Public Agency: Discourses in Social Spaces

Chair: Melissa Cyrill (Doctoral Candidate, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi).
• Zeba Khan: Historical Ruptures in Social Spaces after Arab Uprisings: A Comparative
Study of Turkey and Tunisia (Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
• Umar Nizarudeen: The Digital Public Sphere in Egypt: Arab-spring and its discontents
as `Kebab-noir’ in `The Nile Hilton Incident’ (Research Scholar, Centre for English
Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
• Sweta Basak: A Study of Emergence of Gulen Movement and its role in Turkish Politics
(Research Assistant, IDSA, New Delhi)
• HishamUl Wahab P: Ulama Activism for Social Justice: Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad
Husayn Fadlallah and empowerment of Shias in Lebanon (Research Scholar, Centre for
West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
Rapporteur: Aina Thaipratan (Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
Lunch Break: 1:15pm-2:00pm
Academic Session VI (2:00 pm-3:45 pm)

Introspecting the Region: Deliberating the Internal Dynamics

Chair: Ekta Manhas (Doctoral Candidate, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi)
Aina Thaipratan: Hamas’ Concept of Hudna: Prospects and Challenges (Research Scholar,
Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
Ikhlaq Ahmed: Humanitarian Crisis in Syria: The Current Situation in Eastern Ghouta
(Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
Chandra Prakash: Monarchy to Liberalized Autocracy: Legitimacy, Partial Reform and
Survival in GCC countries (Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi)

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Shahid Raza Khan: Discourse on Jihad and Terrorism: Myth and Reality (Research Scholar,
Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
Vinisha .U: State of exception and the production of Palestinian bare life in Lebanon (Research
Scholar, Department of Political Science, Kerala University, Kerala)
Karabee Kakati: Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen: A man-made Cataclysm (Research Scholar,
Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)
Rapporteur: Azeemah Saleem (Research Scholar, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal
Nehru University, New Delhi).

Valedictory Session (4:00 pm- 5:30 pm)

• Concluding remarks: Farah Shahin (Research Scholar, SFC, Centre for
West Asian Studies)
• Rapporteurs’ Report: Zeba Khan, Ankita Saxena, Chandra Prakash, Pooja
Kotwal, Aina Thaipratan, Azeemah Saleem.
• Chairperson’s remarks: Prof. Aswini Kumar Mohapatra, Chairperson, Centre for
West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
• Vote of Thanks: Ankita Sanyal,