Presidency School of Liberal Arts & Sciences organised a seminar titled “Emerging Areas in Humanities” on August 6, 2025. The event drew wide participation from faculty members, research scholars, and students from across Bengaluru.

At the inauguration ceremony Dr. Pritha Sanyal, HOD, PSOLAS, emphasised the growing importance of interdisciplinary conversations in the humanities, particularly in the current cultural and academic moment that demands critical engagement across disciplines.

The seminar featured four thought-provoking keynote sessions by leading scholars:

Dr Vinay Sankar (ATREE, Bangalore) spoke on “Unpacking the Environment: Interdisciplinary Approach in Environmental Studies and Humanities", where he highlighted how environmental issues are not only ecological but also deeply embedded in social, economic, and political contexts.

Dr Revathy Hemachandran (Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham) spoke on “Anatomising the Gaze: Social Media Creators and Audience Engagement". Using case studies of content creators like Nara Smith and Cedrik Lorenzen, she unpacked how the dynamics of gaze and performance shape audience engagement in the age of platform capitalism.

Dr Tirtha Pratim Deb (Mount Carmel College) spoke on “Key Concepts in Disability Studies: A Reflection on Theory and Praxis.” He provided a clear and insightful overview of key concepts in disability studies—such as normativity, the social and medical models, narrative prosthesis, and Crip Theory—demonstrating how disability intersects with power and marginalisation through examples from literature and geopolitics, including Oedipus and Kashmir.

Mr Nithin Manayath (Mount Carmel College) delivered a compelling talk on “Queering Humanities: Challenges & Opportunities”. Referencing the tragic case of Prof. Ramchandra Siras from Aligarh Muslim University and drawing from Foucauldian theory, he examined the layered experiences of queerness in the Indian academic and social landscape.

The seminar concluded with a heartfelt vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Ahmed Shabin K.K., Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the event. By bringing together leading voices from environmental humanities, disability studies, digital culture, and queer theory, the seminar succeeded in foregrounding the dynamic, inclusive, and ever-evolving nature of humanities scholarship today.