Alpana Borgohain Head of the Department
MA (Dibrugarh) PhD (Dibrugarh) MPhil (Dibrugarh)
Womens Studies
alpanaborgohain[at]gauhati[dot]ac[dot]in
About
Established in the year 2009, Department of Women’s Studies, GU is the first full-fledged department in the entire Northeast Region of India. The history of the Department is rooted in the Women's Studies Research Centre, GU, set up in the year 1989 under UGC Guideline for Development of Women’s Studies. Since its inception, the Centre was able to create a positive impact in academics and in society through research, extention and advocacy. The Centre had continuously been developed from phase I to phase III when it was converted into a full-fledged department as per UGC Guidlines. Since then the Department of Women’s Studies has started its academic programmes. The Department has the advantage of being guided by the experience and strength gained by the Women’s Studies Research Centre in the long years of the latter’s existence within the University. The Department, therefore, began on a strong foundation of prior research, making it possible to shape a strong curriculum with stress on innovative pedagogy in the classrooms and field action projects.
In 2009, the Department started its M.Phil programme, followed by Ph.D programme in 2010 and MA in the year 2012. The year 2018 was a historic year for the Department as it had produced its first batch of Ph.D awardees. The Department introduced the CBCS (Choice Based Credit System) in the Masters Programme in 2016.
In the Year 2023, the Department has started 5 years Integrated Master of Arts Programme in Gender and Women's Studies at Gauhati University campus for the first time.
The alumni of the Department are well placed in various walks of life like research institutions, Government institutions, NGOs of repute etc at regional, national as well as international level.
1. Integrated M.A. (B.A.+M.A.) Programme in Gender and Women's Studies
Seat Intake: 15
Duration: 5 Years (10 Semesters)
Minimum Eligibility Criteria: Higher Secondary(10+2) in any stream
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
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
4. Certificate Course in Gender Studies
Seat Intake: 20
Duration: 3 months
Minimum Eligibility Criteria: Graduation in any discipline
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 17th 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-December 2016)
7. Prof Alpana Borgohain, ( December 2016- December 2019)
8. Prof Polly Vauquline, (January 2020 to January 2023)
9. Prof Alpana Borgohain, (January 2023 till date)
Recent activities of the Department
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.
OutNorth: MNLGBTQ History is the first ever, full length film to document and honour Minnesota's LGBTQ history. The film will lift up the stories of well-known and largely unknown LGBTQ Minnesotas who found each other and spoke out when it was a tremendous risk to do so. The film will also explore some of the important ways that Minnesota has played a significant role in the national movement for LGBTQ equality.
Present body of the association has been involved in various awareness activities. One of the recent activities undertaken by the association was an online lecture cum interactive session on "Corporate Social Responsibility and Women Empowerment" on 27/11/2022. The speaker of the event was Shehnaz Emin Rahman, alumni of the Department.
Office Bearers of the Association
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
Ms Gitali Patra
Guest Faculty, Dept. of Women's Studies, Gauhati University
Ms. Aradhana Sinha
Guest Faculty, Dept. of Women's Studies, Gauhati University
Vision
The Department’s vision is to promote and strengthen Women’s Studies as an academic discipline in the region through teaching, research, extension, networks and collaborations thus evolving as a catalyst in changing women’s lived realities which will pave the path for an equitable and just society.
Mission
•Long Term
–To be influential in initiating policies and programmes for facilitating and further strengthening social science research with a gender perspective.
•Short Term
–To promote a participatory teaching learning process
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.
MA (Dibrugarh) PhD (Dibrugarh) MPhil (Dibrugarh)
Womens Studies
alpanaborgohain[at]gauhati[dot]ac[dot]in
MA (Gauhati) PhD (NEHU)
Gender Geography, Women's Studies
pollyvauquline[at]gauhati[dot]ac[dot]in
MA (JNU) MPhil (JNU) PhD (JNU)
Feminist Theory, Sexuality Studies, Queer Theory, Political Theory
poonamkborah[at]gauhati[dot]ac[dot]in
MA (Gauhati)
Women Movement, Women and Science, Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM)
gargi[at]gauhati[dot]ac[dot]in