1. Five Year Integrated M.A. (B.A.+M.A.) Programme (FYIMP) in Gender and Women's Studies ( As per NEP 2020 )

          Seat Intake Major : 15

           Duration: 5 Years (10 Semesters)

          Minimum Eligibility Criteria: Higher Secondary(10+2) in any stream

         Syllabus

2. M.A. Programme in Women's Studies

Seat Intake: 45

Duration: 2 years (4 Semesters)

Minimum Eligibility Criteria: Graduation in any discipline

Academic session starts from August every year

Syllabus

3. Ph.D Programme in Women's Studies

Seat Intake: Determined by the vacancy of the seats with the resaerch supervisors

Duration: 5 years (including 6 months Coursework)

Minimum Eligibility Criteria: Post Graduation with 55% of marks in any discipline

            Syllabus

4. Certificate Course in Gender Studies (kept in abeyance)

Seat Intake: 20

Duration: 3 months

Minimum Eligibility Criteria: Graduation in any discipline

              Syllabus 

Department of Women's Studies
New Academic Building
Gauhati University, Guwahati-781014
Phone: +91- 9365353522 
Email: womenstudies@gauhati.ac.in

 WOMEN’S STUDIES RESEARCH CENTRE

The Women’s Studies Research Center, Gauhati University was established on 17^th March, 1989 under the sponsorship of the University Grants Commission. It is a pioneering Research Centre in India and the North Eastern Region. Since its inception, the centre has been acting as a catalyst for promoting and strengthening women’s studies through teaching, curriculum development, training, research, capacity building, extension, information dissemination and advocacy. The Centre has undertaken research projects on diverse areas such as health, development, livelihood, culture, violence, media etc in the region. The reports of the research projects are available in the WSRC library. The centre has organised research methodology workshops to build the capacity of the future researchers of the region. Seminars have been organized to disseminate the understanding of women’s studies as a discipline. The findings of the research projects of the centre were also disseminated in different forums. Subsequently in 2009, as per the UGC guidelines teaching in the research based programmes i.e. M.Phil and Ph.D were initiated which led to a full-fledged teaching department in the form of the Department of Women’s Studies, Gauhati University. 

Directors/Heads of the Centre/Department:

1.       Dr. Renu Debi, (May 1989-July 1993)

2.       Dr. Nandita Sharma, (August 1993-May 1994)

3.       Prof Kunja Medhi, (May 1994-October 1996)

4.       Prof Archana Sharma, (November 1996-April 2013)

5.       Dr. Aparna Bhattacharyya, (April 2013- March 2014)

6.       Dr. Polly Vauquline, (April 2014-January 2017)

7.       Prof Alpana Borgohain, ( January 2017- January 2020)

8.    Prof Polly Vauquline, (January 2020 to January 2023)

9.    Prof Alpana Borgohain, (January 2023 till date)

  Recent Activities  of the Department 

     2022-23 

 1.  Lecture programme was organized by the Department of Women’s Studies on Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and Girls’ Education, delivered by Ms Sharmila Thakur, Officer i/c, Samagra Siksha Abhiyan, Assam on 30/05/2022

2.     The Department Women’s Studies organized a Webinar on Dalit Feminism and urgency of intersectionality on 14/08/2022. The speaker was Dr Anandita Pan, Assistant Professor, IISER, Bhopal

3.     The Department Women’s Studies organized a Webinar on Girls Education in India: Learnings from a policy landscape study on 09/10/2022. The speaker was Dr Aparajita Sharma, Assistant Professor, CSD, New Delhi

4.     The Department Women’s Studies organized a Webinar on Relevance of Dalit Feminismin Contemporary India on 11/09/2022. The speaker was Dr Smita Patil, Assistant Professor, IGNOU, New Delhi

5.     The Department Women’s Studies organized a Webinar on “Honour Crime in India: Beyond Runway Couples” on 13/11/2022. The Speaker was Dr, Rani Rohini Raman, Anveshi Research Centre for Women’s Studies, Hyderabad.

6.     Refresher Course in Gender Studies was conducted from 16/11/2022 to 01/12/2022 organised by UGC HRDC in collaboration with the Department of Women’s Studies, GU.

7.     The Department Women’s Studies organized a Webinar on “Gendered Devotion in Neo Vaishnavism: Women. Monks and Satras of Majuli, Assam” on 11/12/2022. The Speaker was Dr, Simashree Borah, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Sociology, Cotton University.

8.     Lecture cum interactive session on Trafficking of Women and Girls: The worst form of Gender Based Violence & the Challenges in Providing Justice on 01/12/2022 under 16 Day Activism programme series in commemoration of International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women, 2022 (25/11/2022-10/12/2022). The speaker was Dr. Digambar Narzary, Chairperson, NEDAN Foundation.

9.     Inter voice lab engagement on Mental Health Awareness Program was organised by Durga, in collaboration with Department of Women’s Studies, GU and Kaziranga University on 21/05/2022

10.  The Department of Women’s studies, GU and Department of Geography, GU organised jointly a programme titled “Writing for the Academic Community”. The resource person was Dr. Rituparna Bhattacharyya, editor-in-chief (joint) of the Journal Space and Culture, India.

11.  Department Women’s Studies organised a Lecture Cum Interactive session on “The Role of District Hub for Empowerment of Women In Gender Mainstreaming” on 26/11/2022. The resource person was Ms. Bornalika Goswami, District Mission Coordinator, District Hub Empowerment of Women (Nagaon)

12.  The Department of Women’s Studies, GU in collaboration with Alumni Association, Dept of Women’s Studies, GU organised a lecture programme on Corporate Social responsibility and Women’s Empowerment on 27/11/2022. The lecture was delivered by Alumnus, Shehnaz Amin.

13.  A course on Computer Literacy and Basic Statistics was organised in the Month of February, 2023. The resource person was Dr. Jyotisikha Dutta, Department of Women’s Studies, GU.

14.  A discussion with Piramal Foundation on 10/02/2023 in the Department of Women’s Studies, GU

15.  Awareness programme was organised by the ICC, GU in collaboration with the Department of Women’s Studies, GU on “Sexual harassment of Women at Workplace” on 27/02/2023 for the student leaders of GU. The speaker were Prof(Rtd) Archana Sharma, Department of Economics, GU and Ms Anurita P Hazarika, Director i/c, NEN

16.  An awareness programme was organised by the Department Women’s Studies on “Plagiarism: How to avoid it” under the Professional Skill Development course on 01/03/2023. The resource person was Mr Nityananda Pathak, Assistant Librarian, KKH Library, GU

17.  Cloth donation programme was organized by the Department of Women’s Studies on 04/01/2023 under Cloth Bank initiatives of the Department. The cloths were distributed mainly to the flood affected areas of Kokrajhar, Assam in collaboration with Lion’s Club, Kokrajhar.

18.  The Department of Women’s Studies organized a Speech Competition on the topic “Gender Equality” among GU students on 02/03/2023 as a part of the celebration of International Women’s Day, 2023. (Day-1)

19.  International Women’s Day, 2023 (Day-2) celebration organized by the Department of Women’s Studies, GU and Centre for Performing Arts, GU held on 03/03/2023included Two Lecture cum interactive sessions on the following topics: 1. “Who speaks for whom? Women, Media and Representation” delivered by Prof Asha Kuthari Chaudhury, Department of English, GU and “Women in Technology: A Few Dimensions” delivered by Dr Nabamita Deb, Assistant Professor, Dept of IT, GU. In the same event, an Assamese movie ‘Xoudamini’ was released and screened. The theme of the movie was ‘marital rape’.

20.  A programme on Data Analysis Technique for Social Science Research was organized by the Department of Women’s Studies for the MA 4th sem students from 28-30 March, 2023. The resource person of the programme was Mr. Amitava De, Scientific Officer, Dept of Electronics and Communication Engineering, GU.

21.  Field Visit to Kolkata was organized from 18/03/2023 to 24/03/2023 to visit various institutions, organisations such as Bangla Natak, Transcendent knowledge Society, Kolkata, Jadavpur University, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanical Garden, Kolkata, Indian Museum, Kolkata, Rabindra Bharati University etc.  by the Department of Women’s Studies, GU

22.  Interactive session was held between the students of the Department and  US Consulate on 18/04/2023 at the Conference Hall of the Department. The delegates discussed about various scholarships and courses available in US, as well as the courses offered by US Consulate, India.

23.  A team of students and faculty members of the Department of Sociology, Martin Luthar Christian University, Shillong visited the department on 21/04/2023. They interacted with the students of the department.

24.  One day workshop on cyber security “Cyber Warrior” was organized by the Department in Collaboration with Trusnetix on 19/05/2023

25.  Refresher Course in Gender Studies was conducted from 16/11/2022 to 01/12/2022 organised by UGC HRDC in collaboration with the Department of Women’s Studies, GU.

26.  An Academic Writing Programme on "Research Methodology Using Chat GPT and AI tools" was organized in the Department on 9/10/2023 & 10/10/2023. Dr Nabanita Deb, Assistant Professor, Dept of Information Technology, Gauhati University served as a Resource Person of the programme.

27.  Online Lecture and interactive session on “Publish or Perish: Lab, Library, Life” was organized by the Department on 04/10/2023. Dr. Obja Borah Hazarika, Assistant Professor, Dept of Political Science, Dibrugarh University, graced the programme as a speaker. She gave emphasis on gender in research.

28.  16 Day Activism programme series in commemoration of International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women, in collaboration with Department of Women’s Studies 25.11.2023 to 10.12.2023. Speakers: Dr. Kasturi Gokul, Assistant Professor of Law, Academic Coordinator, Centre for Gender Justice, National University and Jucicial Academy, Assam Ms Debasmita Ghosh, Joint Co-ordinator, Advocate, Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), Guwahati, Assam.

        2021-2022

1.     Interactive session with students of the Department of Women’s Studies on Dissection and Discussion on Gender Gap in Modern India, was organized by Durga in collaboration with Department of Women’s Studies, GU on 29/10/2021.

2.     A monthly lecture series organized by Department of Women’s Studies on Dalit Feminism and the urgency of Intersectionality on 14/08/2021. The lecture was delivered by Dr Anandita Pan, Assistant Professor, Dept of Humanities and Social Sciences, IISER, Bhopal

3.     A monthly lecture series organized by Department of Women’s Studies on Relevance of Dalit Feminism in Contemporary India on 11/09/2021. The lecture was delivered by Dr Smita M Patil, Assistant Professor, School of Gender and Development Studies, IGNOU.

4.     A monthly lecture series organized by Department of Women’s Studies on Girls Education in India: Learnings from a Policy Landscape Study on 09/10/2021. The lecture was delivered by Dr Aparajita Sharma, Assistant Professor, CSD, New Delhi

5.     A monthly lecture series organized by Department of Women’s Studies on Honour Crimes in India: Beyond Runaway Couples on 13/11/2021. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Rani Rohini Raman, Research Fellow, Anveshi Research Centre for Women’s Studies, Hyderabad

6.     Online orientation programme on Fellowship “Gen Z createshala” organized by Department of Women’s Studies in collaboration with WAY foundation on 23/11/2021.

7.     A monthly lecture series organized by Department of Women’s Studies on Gendered Devotion in Neo Vaishnavism: Women, monks and Satras of Majuli, Assam on 11/12/2021. The lecture was delivered by Dr Simashree Bora, Assistant Professor, Dept of Sociology, Cotton University.

8.     An online special lecture programme on “Women’s Collective for Women Empowerment” was held on 07/01/2022 organised by Department of Women’s Studies, GU. The lecture was delivered by Gita Rani Bhattacharya, Assam State Director, Best Practices Foundation, Bangalore & Former Director, Mahila Samakhya, Assam

9.     An online lecture programme on “Women in Everyday Violence: Intimate Partner Violence, Domestic Violence and Marital Rape” was held on 08/01/2022 organised by Department of Women’s Studies, GU. The lecture was delivered by Dr Deepshikha Carpenter, Assistant Professor, Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev Vishvavidyalaya, Guwahati Campus.

10.  A lecture programme on State Violence on “Women: Violence on conflict areas of Assam” was held on 10/01/2022 organised by Department of Women’s Studies, GU. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Monalisha Roy Choudhury, HoD & Associate Professor, Department of English, Bikali College.

11.  An online lecture programme on “Women in Politics: Challenges and Prospects” was held on 11/01/2022 organised by Department of Women’s Studies, GU. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Angkita Dutta, President, Assam Pradesh Youth Congress Committee.

12.  An interactive session on “Pledge against Human Trafficking” was organized on 07/03/2022 by the Department of Women’s Studies in collaboration with RHoSS, Guwahati & Impact and Dialogue Foundation, Delhi

13.  An interactive session on “Students against Human Trafficking” was organized on 16/03/2022 by the Department of Women’s Studies in collaboration with RHoSS, Guwahati & Impact and Dialogue Foundation, Delhi

14.  A lecture programme on “Women and Mental Health” was held on 11/05/2022 organised by Department of Women’s Studies, GU. The lecture was delivered by Ms. Berlin Gogoi, Research Scholar, Department of Women’s Studies, GU.

15.   A programme on movie screening, panel discussion and open mic titled “Five films for freedom” organised by Department of Women’s Studies in collaboration with British Council, BFI, Anaajoree, The Queer Muslim Project and Poetry Collectives on 22/03/2022.

16.  A lecture programme on “Sarba Shiksha Abhiyan and Girls Education” was held on 30/05/2022 organised by Department of Women’s Studies, GU. The lecture was delivered by Ms. Sharmila Thakur, Officer i/c, Equity Samagra Shiksha, Assam.

       2020-21

1.     Gauhati University Mental Health Task Force: Following an instruction from the University GrantsCommission, the Gauhati University authorities have constituted a mental health task force tomonitor the mental health, psychological aspects and well-being of the students during the presentCOVID-19 pandemic vide memo no. GU/Reg.(SF)/2020/79 dated 17.4.2020. The task force connected with individual students or the student community through mail,WhatsApp, telephonic calls, etc., to keep them fit during the current medical emergency situation.The task force comprised of Prof SauravpranGoswami as chairperson, Prof Polly Vauquline, Professor, Department of Women’s Studies as member secretary.

2.     An online special lecture session was held by the Department of Women’s Studies on “Artificial Reproductive Technology: Issues and Concerns” on 12th May, 2020. Dr. Krishnali Hazarika MBBS, MS General Surgery, JuniorConsultant Downtown Hospital delivered the lecture.

3.     Special Lecture on Environment and Industrialisation-Perspective and Solutions was organised by the Department of Women’s Studies held on 18-20 May,2020. The founder President of Wildroots India, Mr Biswajit De delivered a lecture on environmentfrom different perspectives such as gender, biodiversity, pollution etc.

4.     An online special lecture session was held by the Department of Women’s Studies on “Gender and Migration/ Displacement” on 20th , 21^th and 22nd May, 2020. Dr. Rituparna Bhattacharyya, Research Consultant and Editor in Chief, Spaceand Culture, India, ACCB delivered the lecture.

5.     Dr. Anna Arvidsson, Lecturer, Faculty of Health n d Society, Malmö University, Sweden delivered alecture through online mode on “Different perspectives of surrogacy in Sweden and India on 11 th June,2020.

6.     Dr. Mousumi Mahanta, Assistant Professor, delivered a lecture in online Special Lecture Session on“Topic. Gender Dimensions of Mental Health and Well Being” organised by the Department of Women’s Studies on 5th August 2020

7.     A Zoom Virtual Conference was organized by GU Mental Health Task Force for faculty andstudents on “facilities for mental healthcare that is available with Gauhati University” on 15 th June2020. Ms Archi Sharma, Assistant Vice President ,National Head, Health Services, CSC E-Governance Service India Ltd and Mr Abhishek Kothari, Assistant Manager, Health services, CSCE- Governance Service India Ltd were the resource persons1st International Mentor Introduction session was held on 29 th Nov, 2020. Ms Noemi Marsico, anenvironmental scientist from Stockholm University shared her knowledge in satellite technologiesand their implications for climate change future projects.

8.     Department of Women’s Studies, GU organised the International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021 with some events which included flash mob, food and other stalls set up by students and alumni, on-the-spot slogan competition and poster making competition. Winners of the slogan competition andposter making competition were given prizes.

9.     The GU Mental Health Task Force in collaboration with ASDMA and CSC E Governance Ltd.organised a counseling session on 29th June, 2020. Dr Sangeeta Goswami, Founder Director, Mind India and Ms Gariasi Dutta, Down Town Hospital, Guwahati were the resource persons.

10.  The GU Mental Health Task Force organised series of webinars on ‘Covid-19 Pandemic and Mental Health: Towards Management of Stress, Anxiety and Depression’ on 31.07.2020. Dr Sangeeta Datta, Senior Consulant Psychiatrist, Guwahati was the resource person.

11.  8.Refresher Course in Gender studies & Social Justice was organised by the UGC,HRDC, GU in collaboration with the Department of Women’s Studies on 09/12/2020 to 22/12/2020

          2019-2020

1.     Three cinemas were screened for the students of the Department of Women’s Studies under the banner movie-screening club ‘Cine Mates’. The films were screened on 27.04.2019 with 15 participants, on 31.08.2019 with 43 participants and on 28.09.2019 with 63 Participants. The names of the movies were Mona Lisa Smile (2003), Angry India Goddesses (2003) and Akashitorar kothare (2015) respectively.  

2.     The Department of Women’s Studies arranged a community circle on “Health over Stigma” on 24.04.19 in association with Xomonnoy, and in collaboration with Haiyaa among the students of the said Department.

3.     One day awareness campaign was organized by the Department of Women’s Studies on Human Trafficking by exhibiting a Documentary on 10.05.2019.

4.     A Lecture Programme on “Non Communicable on Diseases and Life Style modifications” was organised by the Department of Women’s Studies among the Students on 24/05/2019. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Anuradha Devi, Associate professor of Guwahati Medical College Hospital followed by short interactive session.

5.     An awareness programme on “Human Trafficking with special reference to North East India” was conducted on 27/06/19 among the students of different departments of Gauhati University along with the Department of Women’s Studies in collaboration with Shakti Vahini, U.S. Consulate office, Kolkata. From the said organisation, social activist Rishi Kant, Officer of Anti trafficking- Prema Chowallur SCC and Lawyer & social activists Meeta Choudhury Dutta were present. After a short briefing on the problem of human trafficking, a short documentary film named “Ending Human Trafficking – One story at a time” was screened. The said film comprises of seven stories from the survivor of Human Trafficking. A short interactive session was followed thereafter.  

6.     The Department of Women's Studies in collaboration with the Department of Sociology, Gauhati University conducted a meeting to arrange flood relief for affected people on 21.08.19. The programme started with a brief note on the process of flood relief material distribution. The collected relief goods were decided to be distributed among the people of Majuli, the biggest River Island of world and worst affected by floods. The materials were distributed through an NGO called Rural Economic Development Society which is based in Majuli.

7.     On 26.09.19, the students of the Department of Women’s Studies visited Harijon Colony of Gauhati University. It is a pre field visit for the study on Socio- cultural and economic conditions of the inhabitants of Harizan community: Gender analysis.

8.     A Lecture programme on Career opportunities in Indian Air Force for Young Man and Women with emphasizing on required qualities to enter Indian Armed Forces was organised by the Department of Women’s Studies in collaboration with placement cell of Gauhati University Institute of Science and technology (GUIST) and Pre Examination Training Centre (PETC), Gauhati University among the students of GUIST. The lecture was delivered by Group Captain V. Ganesh Narayana, Commanding Officer, 50 Assam Air Sqn NCC, Guwahati. An interactive session followed the lecture.

9.     A Lecture programme on Soft Skill was held on 23.11.19, organised by the Department of Women’s Studies in collaboration Pre Examination Training Centre (PETC), Gauhati University among the 1^st and 3^rd year Post Graduate students of the Department. The resource person for the programme was LoyaAgarwala.

10.  A brief interaction with the students to raise voice against the discrimination faced by every women in every walk of her life, was arranged among the students of the Department of Women’s Studies to create awareness on the fundamental rights of every section of women in the society. It was named “Pratirodh- we exist, we rise, we resist” on 29.01.20.

11.  A Lecture Programme on Human trafficking: Emerging Trends in Assam and India was organised by the Department of Women’s Studies on 11.02.20 among the post graduate students and research scholars of different departments of Gauhati University. The lecture was delivered by Sri Surendra Kumar, IGP, Assam Police.  

12.  Refresher course on Gender Studies was organised by the UGC HRDC, GU in collaboration with the Department of Women’s Studies from 27.11.2019 to 10.12.2019

13.  Visit to BKB Colony, GU (Harijan Colony) was organised by the Department to do a household survey and study the prevalence of DAV by the students of the department.

14.  Campaign to combat human trafficking amongst the students, officers, faculties and staffs of GU

15.  Street Play on Human Trafficking within the campus of GU was performed by the students of the Department of Women’s Studies on the occasion of International Women’s Day, 2020

16.  A collaborative lecture session was organized by the Department of Women’s Studies  and Department of Sociology where Prof. Maitrayee Choudhuri, Professor, CSS, JNU delivered a lecture on ‘Gender as an Analytical Category’ in the Conference Room of New Academic Building on 04.02.2020

17.  A Lecture Programme was organised by the Department of Women’s Studies on Human trafficking: Emerging Trends in Assam and India was held on 11/02/20 among the post graduate students and research scholars of different departments of Gauhati University. The lecture was delivered by Sri Surendra Kumar, IGP, Assam Police.

18.  An awareness program on ‘Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace’ was organized by the Department of Women’s Studies among the Cleaners and Forth grade staffs of Gauhati University at BKB Colony (Harijan Colony), GU where Prof. Polly Vauquline as a member of ICC, GU spoke on this issue followed by a discussion. It was organized on 29^th February, 2020.

19.  International Women’s Day Celebration- International Women’s Day, 2020 was celebrated by the Department of Women’s Studies in day long activity on 06.03.2020. Food and craft fest was organized as a fund raising activity where students sold homemade food and crafts. As an outreach program handmade bookmarkers with information about human trafficking were distributing among GU fraternity along with pledging to speak against human trafficking. Honourable Vice Chancellor of GU was the first to take the pledge. Street play on human trafficking was enacted in three different location of the university. More than 700 people could be reached out in this awareness drive.

2017-2018, 2018-2019

1. Research Methodology workshop was organised in collaboration with Deptt. of Geography, GU, on 20/09/2017.
2. A one day workshop on “Promoting Social Entrepreneurship amongst Youth” was organized by the Department of Women’s Studies, Gauhati University in collaboration with US Consulate, Kolkata and Department of Social Work, University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya on 06/11/2017. The program witnessed participation from eminent social entrepreneurs of the region, students from Gauhati University and University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya along with several teachers from both the institutions. Interested students from several colleges in Guwahati also joined the programme.
3. The Department organized a 10 day educational trip to Bangaluru  (30.01.18- 08.02.18) where the students interacted with Women’s Studies Centre of Bangalore University, NMKRV college and some of the  NGOs in Bangaluru. At academic level, the students were familiarised with the syllabus of women studies at the Under Graduate and Post Graduate level of Bangalore University. At the societal level, students visited some NGOs working on social issues like Solidarity Foundation and Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT). The Solidarity Foundation provides support to Sex Workers and Sexual minorities in Southern India. The foundation fights for the rights of sex workers and transgenders at community level. KHPT promotes health issues of the adolescents. The NGO also works on HIV AIDS, Tuberculosis, neo-natal care, quality of life of orphan and vulnerable children  and issues related to violence against women.
4. The Department of Women’s Studies provided a platform to Bitopi Dutta, Research Scholar, Dublin City University on 25/04/2018 to share her research with the faculty members, research scholars, students and invited guests on “Gender Restructuring in the Matrilineal Tribe Societies of Northeast India”.

5. A talk on “Women’s Collectives in Northeast India” was delivered by Dr. Monisha Behal, CEO, NEN on 26/03/2018. In the course of the Lecture she took the audience through her personal and collective journey of the entire historical trajectory of Women’s Collectives in Assam in particular and Northeast India in general. She opined that inspite of the specificities and differences among women they need to find a common ground and work in cooperation for social change.

  6.  The Department of Women’s Studies coordinated the UGC sponsored Refresher Course on Women’s Studies and Empowerment(ID) from 6^th August to 26^th August, 2018, in collaboration with UGC-HRDC, Gauhati University. Senior teachers from Colleges and Universities participated in the programme.

7.   The Department of Women’s Studies provided a platform to Bitopi Dutta, Research Scholar, Dublin City University on 25/04/2018 to share her research with the faculty members, research scholars, students and invited guests on “Gender Restructuring in the Matrilineal Tribe Societies of Northeast India”.

3.     8. Field visit to Dr. H.K Baruah Regional Botanical Resource Centre, Dept of Botany, Gauhati University was conducted by the MA 2nd Semester Studentsof the Department of Women’s Studies on 12/05/2018.

4.     9. One day self defence workshop was organized by the Department of Women’s Studies on 12/05/2018. This is an initiative taken up by the Department to react to the ever increasing crime against women and girls. The students of MA 1^st and 2^nd semester, MPhil/PhD scholars and teaching and non teaching staffs of the department actively participated in the workshop. Various self defense techniques using the martial arts moves were taught by Resource Person Jayanti Sharma of MAA (Martial Arts Academy), Guwahati in the workshop

       10. Field trip to Parijat Academy, Pamohi and Ashadeep, Boko by the M.A 4th Semester students was organised by the Department of Women’s Studies on 19/05/2018.

6.     11. An Interactive session was organized by the Department of Women’s Studies on 29/05/2018 with Teach for India Fellows: Swati Khurana, Darshana Sapkal and Pooja Chakravarty with the scholars and students of the department. They provided a brief overview of the Teach for India initiative and activities. The presentation was followed by an interaction. 

       12. The Department of Women's Studies organized an interactive session with Derrika Hunt, Doctoral candidate, University of California, Berkeley on 6/6/2018. She spoke about her research area which is on the relationship between education and life experiences of girls in Assam. Her research area was at Garbangha, Pamohi, Guwahati .

8.      13. The Department of Women’s Studies in collaboration with the Department of Sociology, Gauhati University organized a public lecture on the theme Hyper-Visibility of Gender in Public Discourse delivered by Prof. Maitrayee Chaudhuri on the 21st of August, 2018 in P.D. Hall, Gauhati University.

9.     14.  The Department of Women’s Studies co-ordinated the UGC sponsored Refresher Course on Women’s Studies and Empowerment(ID) from       6^th August to 26^th August, 2018, in collaboration with UGC-HRDC, Gauhati University. Senior teachers from Colleges and Universities          participated in the programme.

      15. An Interactive session was organized by the Department of Women’s Studies on “Moving people with Movies” by Way Foundation on 15/11/2018. The Resource persons were- Rekha Sharma, Abenthung Ngullie and Jharna Pegu. The program was well attended by Scholars and students of the department.

        16 A Lecture Programme on “Doing Research on Gender in Northeast India: Reflections and Experiences” by Dr. Dolly Kikon, a Senior Lecturer with Anthropology and Development Studies Department, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia, was organized by the Department of Women’s Studies on 30/01/2019. She shared her research experiences and how she handled the complexities of research methodology while adopting methods like Ethnography, Oral History, Case Study, Narratives, etc.

     17. A Pre-placement talk was organized in the Department of Women’s Studies by programme leader, Soumi Das and Senior Programme Manager, Pronoma Roy, from Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership (PFEL) was held on .31/01/2019 for recruitment to Gandhi Fellowship Program.

        18. The Department of Women’s Studies organized a 4 day field Study trip to WSRC, Dibrugarh University in Assam and to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh: from 12/02/2019 to 15/02/2019. The field study consisted of the following activities:

a) On the way to Dibrugarh University on 12/02/2019, the team did a field study of the workers engaged in the Kaziranga National Orchid Park and observed the functioning of a Social Entrepreneurship venture which show cases bio- diversity and indigenous culture of different tribes of the region and is economically empowering as it provides a livelihood option to the local people.

b) On 12/02/2019 the team also visited an NGO called North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) at Dhekiajuli, Jorhat, which works with poor people at the grass roots and mainly focuses on humanitarian response and disaster risk reduction; water, sanitation and hygiene issues; vulnerable livelihoods; education and children; gender justice and development.

c) On 13/02/2019 the team visited Borboruah Tea-Estate and participated in a focus group discussion with the members of the Mothers Club, an organization of the Women tea garden workers and also interacted with the Welfare officer of the Tea garden. The team also visited the factory, School and Hospital of the Tea garden. This visit gave the team an understanding of the lived realities of the people of the Tea garden.

d) Prerona, a children’s home was also visited by the team on 13/02/2019. It is a home for nearly 41 children, who are either orphans or have fled their own families due to different reasons. Prerona works for the all round development of the children.

e) On 13/02/2019 the team visited another NGO called Social- Educational Welfare Association (SEWA) based in Dibrugarh town that works for child rights, organizes health camps, women’s empowerment, rights of the sex workers etc.

f) On 13/02/2019 the team attended a lecture organized by the department of Commerce, Dibrugarh University, the resource person, Prof. Ajanta Borgohain Rajkonwar delivered a lecture on Entrepreneurship. In the course of the lecture the students were introduced to the concept of entrepreneurship, methods of raising capital and its sources and emphasis was given on the need for women entrepreneurs. 

g) On 14/02/2019 the team visited the WSC, D.U, which is the 2^nd U.G.C approved Centre in the NER and participated in a discussion and interactive session with the Teachers and Students of the Centre about the activities, programmes of Study, curricular aspects and the facilities available.

h) On 14/02/2019 the team also visited the main library of D.U.

i) On 15/02/2019 the team visited a social organization of Mothers called Women Against Social Evils (WASE) in Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh and discussed about the activities of the association. The Association has been carrying out a crusade against drug abuse and alcoholism which are rampant in the East Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh.

 j) On 15/02/2019 the team also visited AYANG an NGO of Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh. The chairperson of the NGO, Aini Taki Taloh mentioned that the motto of AYANG is “Sharing my love through veins”. The Organization motivates people to donate blood and connects donors with patients and hospitals.

k) On 15/02/2019 the team also visited 2 industries of Pasighat- 1) Handloom Industry and    2) Elan Industry. The students observed the work conditions in the industries and interviewed the workers. This visit to the industries helped the students to relate their curriculum of the Masters Programme to the field.                                                        

    14.  The Department of Women's Studies, Gauhati University celebrated the 31st Foundation Day of the Women’s Studies Research Centre on the 30th of March, 2019 at 1 PM in the Conference Hall of New Academic Building. To programme started with the inauguration of  the student’s magazine 'Yagnaseni'( First Issue) which was followed by a skit on deforestation titled 'Mrityu Etiya Xohoj' performed by the students of the department. The movie club of the department 'Cinemates’ also screened 'Village Rockstars' as a part of second screening cum discussion session immediately after the aforementioned events, as a part of the celebration. 

      15.  International Women’s Day was celebrated on 08/03/2019 by the Department of Women’s Studies. The Governor was the Chief Guest of the programme. The programme started with a street play enacted by the students of the Department of Women’s Studies. The theme of the play was discrimination and oppression of women. Following the street play, the welcome address was delivered by Prof. Alpana Borgohain, Head of the Department of Women’s Studies which was followed by the speeches of the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Mridul Hazarika and the Chancellor and Governor of Assam, Prof. Jagdish Mukhi. Women Achievers Awards were awarded to the toppers in Academics of all the faculties.

       16.  Lecture programme was organised by the Department of Women’s Studies on “Women and Work- Related Concerns, in Contemporary times” was organised on 08/03/2019. The Resource Person was Prof. Neetha N., Director, Centre for Women’s Development Studies (CWDS), New Delhi.  The programme was well attended by teachers, research scholars and students of the University.

       17.  An Interactive session was organized by the Department of Women’s Studies with Change maker Anne Knauff, Activist Milin Dutta and Environmentalist Shirshendu Sekhar Das on 11/03/2019.

The Alumni Association was formed and declared officially on 21/11/2017. The first activity undertaken by the association was : Screening of the movie "Out North Twin Cities, a film based on the LGBTQ history followed by an interactive session with Milin Dutta from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Milin Dutta, a transgender male, is the Principal Consultant at Magenic, Minneapolis-St. Paul Area.

·       The Department of Women's Studies hosted a one-day self-defence class on December 5, 2018. The Department had launched this effort in response to the rising crime rate against women and girls. M.A. first and second semester students, MPhil/PhD scholars, and the teaching and non-teaching staff of the department actively participated in the session. Resource Person Jayanti Sharma of MAA (Martial Arts Academy), Guwahati, who was also the President of the Alumni Association at the time, taught several self-defence skills using martial arts manoeuvres throughout the programme.

·       An Interactive session was organized on “Moving people with Movies” by Way Foundation on 15/11/2018. The Resource persons were Rekha Sharma (an alumni), Abenthung Ngullie and Jharna Pegu. The programme was well attended by research scholars and students of the department.

·       International Women’s Day, 2020 was celebrated by organizing a day long activity on 06.03.2020. Food and craft fest was organized as a fund-raising activity where students and alumni sold homemade food and crafts. This was also an effort to instil entrepreneurship skills among the students. As an outreach programme handmade bookmarkers with information about human trafficking were distributed among the Gauhati University fraternity along with a collective pledge to speak against human trafficking. Honourable Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University was the first to take the pledge. Street play on human trafficking was enacted in three different locations of the university. More than 700 people could be reached out in this awareness drive.

·       The association has been working with the department to engage with DURGA, a citizen-led group that empowers women and girls to prevent sexual harassment in public spaces during the period June 2020 – July 2021. Eventually, an MOU was signed between the department and DURGA to involve our students in campus discussions about sexual violence and to give them a safe venue and opportunity to share their stories.

·       International Women's Day was celebrated in collaboration with the Alumni Association on March 8, 2021, with a flash mob, food and other stalls set up by students and alumni, and an on-the-spot slogan competition, and a poster creation competition. The winners of the slogan and poster creation competitions received prizes.

·       Online Orientation Program on Fellowship: Gen Z Createshala by WAY Foundation was hosted at the department on November 23, 2021. Rekha Sarma (an Alumni), Project Manager and Sanjib Sinha, Youth Program Lead for the WAY Foundation, conducted an orientation to the first semester students of the Department. Rekha Sarma, a former student of the department, promoted a new student fellowship programme. This fellowship was a two-year program for young people from Guwahati. It sought to equip students with the skills they will need in the post-COVID-19 world by providing them with opportunities outside of class.

·       A special lecture programme on “Women and Mental Health” was held on 11/05/2022 organised by Department of Women’s Studies, GU. The lecture was delivered by Ms. Berlin Gogoi, Ph.D. Research Scholar and Alumni of the Department of Women’s Studies, Gauhati University.

·       Online Lecture – cum – Interactive Session was organised on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility and Women Empowerment by Shehnaz Emin Rahman, SPM & CSR Department. Shehnaz Emin Rahman, a former student of the department, spoke about her corporate experience, as well as her roles and responsibilities. She emphasized how her postgraduate degree in women's studies benefited her in her work.

·       The association has started a ‘Book Contribution Drive' for the Department to create ‘The Alumni Association Book Bank’ from 22nd January 2023 onwards. Alumni members are participating in the 'Book Contribution Drive' to donate books related to the discipline for the benefit of the students and scholars of the department.

·       The third Alumni Meet of the Department was hosted in the PD Hall of the University on 18^th November 2023. This meet was well attended by the Alumni from different batches and by the current students and teachers of the Department. The main agenda of this meet was interaction between the present students and the alumni and also to discuss issues and challenges faced by post-graduates of Women’s Studies after completion of their degrees. The programme also included cultural performances by alumni and students and experience sharing by alumni. 

Present Office Bearers of the Alumni Association

• President : Berlin Gogoi
• General Secretary: Gargi Das
• Joint Secretary: Asha Sarma
• Treasurer: Smita Gogoi

Dr. Lakheemi Devee, MA(GU), MA(IGNOU), B.Ed, PhD(GU)

Scientific Officer 

Email: lakheemi@gauhati.ac.in

Dr. Jyotisikha Dutta, MA(GU), M.Phil(GU), Ph.D(GU)

Senior Laboratory Assistant

Email: jyotisikhadatta@gauhati.ac.in

Mr. Ajit Kr Singha, BA(GU)

Supporting Staff

Email: ajitkr.007@rediffmail.com

Mr Anil Das, HSSLC

Peon

Prof(Rtd). Swarnalata Das, Department of Education, Gauhati University

Emeritus Professor, Department of Women's Studies (2018-2019)

Prof(Rtd). Manorama Sharma, Department of History, NEHU (2018)

Dr. Rukchana Rahman, Assistant Professor (Contractual), (2019-2020)

Ms. Gargi Das, Guest Faculty, Dept. of Women's Studies (2021-22)

Ms. Gargi Das, Teaching Associate, Dept. of Women's Studies (2023- 2024)

Ms. Aradhana Singha, Guest Faculty, Dept. of Women's Studies, Gauhati University(2023)

Ms. Aradhana Singha, Teaching Associate, Dept of Women's Studies, Gauhati University (2023-2024)

Ms. Mayuri Sarma, Teaching Associate, Dept. of Women's Studies, Gauhati University (2023)

Ms. Gitali Patra, Guest Faculty, Dept. of Women's Studies, Gauhati University (2023-2024)

Ms. Latika Das, Guest Faculty, Dept. of Women's Studies, Gauhati University (2023-2024)

Photographs of the Department

VISION:

The Department’s Vision is to become a centre of excellence in interdisciplinary teaching-learning, innovative research and collaboration, activism and community engagement. We endorse a culture of inclusivity, diversity, equity and social responsibility to equip students and teachers to become a catalyst for change in the work for Gender Equality in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals in the region and beyond.

Mission: The Department is committed to:

·      Deliver comprehensive, interdisciplinary, experiential OBE in women’s studies/ gender studies in a participatory and technology-enabled environment to develop aware and committed Gender Experts with the requisite graduate attributes and skills of research.

·    To act as catalysts for promoting and strengthening women’s studies/gender studies through teaching, research, curriculum, field work and extension work, training, awareness programmes, etc.

·      To foster a feminist, innovative, interdisciplinary, and grounded research-driven environment to advance knowledge in and address contemporary gender issues and challenges.

·      To document and make visible the lived realities of marginalized genders belonging to the region and to create credible alternative systems of knowledge.

·      To play an Interventionist role by initiating gender perspective in many domains in generation of knowledge; in the policy designs and practice etc.

·      To collaborate with other Educational Institutions, Academic Associations, Local Communities, Government agencies, NGO’s and Industry to apply knowledge and insights for gender equity and gender justice in the region.

·      To enhance the capabilities of students and faculty through continuous learning and professional development opportunities and motivate and mentor them for leadership positions.

·     To uphold ethical standards in all academic and research endeavors, promoting integrity and responsibility.

 Link to the social media 

The Department has started 5 years Integrated Master of Arts Programme in Gender and Women's Studies at Gauhati University campus in the year 2023.