Hyderabad, Oct.21 (NSS): Prof. Ajailiu Niumai, a distinguished sociologist and former Head, Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion & Inclusive Policy (CSSEIP), University of Hyderabad (UoH), assumed the role of Visiting Fellow at West Virginia University’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology in October 2024. In this capacity, she delivered a public lecture on the “Intersectionality of human trafficking in Manipur, Northeast India,” and it was chaired by Prof. Daniel Renfrew, Head, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, West Virginia University, followed by an engaging Q & A session.
As a Visiting Fellow, she participated in discussions with faculty and Ph.D. scholars and exchanged ideas on current research issues in South Asia. Prof. Niumai also delivered a lecture on ‘Human Trafficking in South India: An Intersectional Perspective’, at the Department of Sociology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA on October 7. Prof. Rina Agarwal chaired this lecture.
Prof. Niumai delivered a lecture on ‘Unraveling Manipur Conflict in Northeast India,’ on September 26, 2024 at the South Asian Studies Program (SASP), an International Programs affinity group, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA. It was chaired by Prof. Meena Khandelwal, Director of SASP and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Iowa. Prof. Russell Ganim, Dean and Associate Provost, International Programs, University of Iowa welcomed her and the audience. Prof. Niumai delivered an insightful lecture on how peace eludes Manipur (Northeast India) in the aftermath of brutal violence that erupted in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. This ethnic conflict has displaced 60,000 people and killed over 200. Tensions have been brewing for years. Today, both Kuki-Zo and Meitei have formed armed groups and non-state armed vigilantes that protect their respective communities. The faculty and graduate students raised pertinent questions in the Q&A session. The Collaborative Arts in Research Translation for Human Advancement (CARTHA) partially supported her visit to the University of Iowa.
Prof. Niumai’s research focuses on gender issues, migration, and social exclusion, with notable publications in reputed journals like Economic & Political Weekly, Indian Journal of Gender Studies (Sage), Sociological Bulletin (Sage), Contemporary Voice of Dalit (Sage), The Eastern Anthropologist, Man in India, and the like. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of ‘ANTYAJAA: Indian Journal of Women and Social Change’ and holds leadership positions in various sociological associations, including the International Sociological Society and the Indian Sociological Society. She is a Guest Editor of the Special Volume on Gender Inequality and Social Exclusion, Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer Nature (2024). Her book (with Abha Chauhan) includes Gender, Law and Social Transformation in India, Springer Nature, Singapore (2022) and Hundred Years of Sociology in India.
