Day 2 of Cohort 6 LUMS-SIDA-AAS Capacity Building Workshop: Steady Learning Amid Unsteady Times
Even during turbulent times, our scholars and international guests held space – reminding the world that scholarship remains the world’s steady heartbeat.
Day 2 of the Research Methodology & Capacity Building Workshop unfolded with thoughtful discussions and focused energy. Despite the unsettling news about tensions between Pakistan and India, the participants and faculty stayed committed to learning. The day carried on, a quiet reminder of the role of academia in holding space for critical thinking even during uncertain times.
The morning began with some quiet reading, followed by a group discussion to help ground everyone in the day’s topics.
The Day’s Sessions
Session 1: Climate Change and Justice
Session Lead: Dr. Saba Pirzadeh
Reading 1: Libby Robin: Environmental Humanities and Climate Change: Understanding Humans Geologically and Other Life Forms Ethically
Reading 2: Farhana Sultana: Critical Climate Justice
The first session, led by Dr. Saba Pirzadeh, focused on environmental narratives and justice. Drawing from Libby Robin’s piece on environmental humanities and Farhana Sultana’s work on critical climate justice, the session opened up a nuanced conversation on how humans relate to the environment—and how power, inequality, and ethics shape that relationship. Participants reflected on the role of scholars in addressing climate change, especially from the lens of those most affected by it.
Session 2: Gendered Analysis
Session Lead: Dr. Elora Shehabuddin
Reading: Cynthia Enloe: Banana, Beaches and Bases, Chapter 1
The second session took a gendered lens to global politics and conflict, guided by Chapter 1 of Cynthia Enloe’s Banana, Beaches and Bases. Dr. Elora Shehabuddin encouraged participants to question the gendered assumptions that often go unnoticed in political and military spaces. It was an engaging session that challenged everyone to think more deeply about how gender shapes the world—even in places we often overlook.
Session 3: Professional Networking
Session Lead: Dr. Furrukh Khan
Reading: Ali Al Aufi and Crystal Fulton: Impact of Social Networking Tools for Scholarly Communication
The final session of the day shifted focus to the practicalities of academic life. Led by Dr. Furrukh Khan, the session explored how social networking tools can support scholarly communication. The reading by Ali Al Aufi and Crystal Fulton sparked a lively conversation on how digital platforms help (and sometimes complicate) research visibility and collaboration, especially in today’s global academic environment.
The day wrapped up with tea, offering a chance for casual conversation and reflection. In the midst of an uncertain national mood, the workshop served as a steady, grounding space—proving that meaningful dialogue and learning can still flourish, even when the world outside feels unsteady.
