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The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, is organising a one-day interdisciplinary workshop titled Reimagining Tribal Studies on 13 January, from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, at Sanskriti, Mansar. The inaugural session, scheduled between 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM, will be honoured by the presence of the Hon’ble Minister, Mr. Javed Ahmed Rana, as the Chief Guest, and Dr. Javaid Rahi, noted scholar and cultural practitioner, as the Guest of Honour.
The workshop is conceived as a platform to critically engage with the histories, cultures, knowledge systems, and contemporary realities of tribal communities in India, with a special focus on the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities of Jammu and Kashmir. It seeks to move beyond static and stereotypical representations of tribal life and instead foreground lived experiences, narrative traditions, indigenous knowledge practices, and evolving social formations.
Bringing together more than 300 participants, including students from Gujjar and Bakerwal hostels, faculty members, researchers, policymakers, and invited experts, the workshop aims to encourage interdisciplinary dialogue across the humanities, social sciences, and allied fields. Key themes include cultural heritage and memory, oral and narrative traditions, identity and mobility, ethical community engagement, and the possibilities and challenges of digital documentation and preservation.
Through keynote addresses, panel discussions, and interactive sessions, the workshop aspires to create a reflective academic space that is both ethically grounded and socially responsive. It also seeks to strengthen collaboration between academic institutions, community stakeholders, and policymakers, contributing to more inclusive and context-sensitive approaches to tribal studies.