Emerging Themes and Challenges in Social Sciences

Organised by the Department of Political Science, Ramjas College, University of Delhi, on 4 May 2026. Original research papers were invited from research scholars and undergraduate students for presentation in the seminar.

Inaugural Session

1. The speaker welcomed the dignitaries of the national seminar that focused on various themes and challenges in social sciences. Post the lighting of the lamp ceremony, the speakers addressed the gathering. Dr Ram Bilash Yadav, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Ramjas College, was the first to address the gathering. He emphasised the need for the theme of the conference that intends to address key challenges for researchers and welcomed the other speakers of the house.

2. Dr Syed Areesh Ahmad, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Ramjas College, continued the proceedings by elucidating the central theme of social sciences being crisis and transformation of knowledge, reflecting on various thinkers like Immanuel Kant and Plato. His address focused on the new information age being democratising and trivialising in nature. He posits that this has affected the reasoning of discourse in social sciences. 

3. Prof Ahmad urged the researchers to focus on these themes, ranging from Pramana to Upanishadic discourse. He referenced the Jain traditions and situated his address within the premise that reality is many-sided; hence, in an age marked by polarisation, dissent is not necessarily an error, and partial truths must be verified with intellectual humility. Prof Ahmad believed that researchers should restore knowledge as being meaningful. This included mentions of John Stuart Mill and Michel Foucault. 

4. The later half of the address focused on the Indian context with reference to decolonisation and dealing with emerging inequalities. Invoking BR Ambedkar, Dr Ahmad stressed that political democracy must rest upon the foundations of social and economic democracy. He noted that inequality today takes multiple forms: algorithmic, digital, and structural; and that identity is no longer merely descriptive but carries emancipatory potential, raising the question of when it becomes a resource for justice.

5. In his address, he further encouraged discourse on identity and how it can become a resource of emancipation or recognition of justice so it can translate into an idea of shared political community. This included focusing on ideas of dharma and loksangrah, where identities bear responsibilities. He believed these can translate into larger modern challenges that bring new forms of conflict in geopolitics and global supply chains. He emphasised increasing methodology processes with the introduction of big data and newer technology. Invoking Gandhi’s notion of Swaraj as self-rule rather than mere political independence and raising the ecological crisis as a major contemporary concern, he concluded by calling for an attitude of civilisational interconnectedness in navigating changing times.

6. Dr Ajay Kumar Arora, Principal, Ramjas College, continued the session, emphasising the need for providing opportunities of discourse to young scholars. The speaker covered various aspects of education and discourse in the status quo with the need to express opinions. He emphasised the importance of intellectual experimentation—the benefit of trying, testing, and refining ideas—and described seminars as excellent platforms for students to challenge ideas and articulate their own formulations. He addressed the changes brought about by the National Education Policy (NEP) and posited that students need to manage and experiment with this expression under the new policy with responsibility and respect for others’ opinions.

Chief Guest’s Address 

7. The conference then proceeded to the address by Prof Rekha Saxena, Head, Department of Political Science, University of Delhi, and the chief guest for the gathering, who reflected on the necessity and scope of the social sciences in addressing contemporary challenges. She emphasised that political science fundamentally concerns power in everyday life, including its invisible structural forms, and argued that modern problems require robust and interdisciplinary frameworks grounded in meaningful dialogue.

8. Prof Saxena further discussed the changing nature of discourse in the contemporary technological age. While technological advancements have increased connectivity and democratised expression, she noted that they have simultaneously produced growing monotony in lived experiences and rendered mobilisation increasingly performative, thereby making genuine dialogue more difficult. In this context, she highlighted the importance of seminars and universities as intellectual communities where disagreement can exist without hostility and where interdisciplinary engagement on themes such as environment, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital media can meaningfully develop.

9. Concluding her address, she cautioned against reducing scholarship to numerical output and instead advocated research driven by depth, curiosity, and critical engagement. She also warned against intellectual laziness and ideological rigidity, arguing that universities must not become echo chambers. Stressing that constitutional values and democratic responsibility cannot be separated from academic inquiry, she framed academic responsibility  simultaneously as a democratic responsibility.

Keynote Address 

10. The session moved towards the keynote speaker Prof Papia Sengupta, Assistant Professor, Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. The speaker reflected on her experiences in the university. The address focused on the interdisciplinary nature of the discipline of social sciences. Her message specifically talked about her experiences with research on linguistics and politics. She posited that the only certainty in emerging challenges is how uncertain the challenges can get.

11. Her address focused on a structured analysis on research and emerging themes. Prof Sengupta suggested that research is more about understanding what it means to be human and how we process things. This aspect of her message was dedicated to understanding what research is and is not. She made an analogy of research not being similar to winning a race and achieving an objective but rather described it as a journey of honest self-expression and sustained learning. She emphasised the importance of receiving both credit and criticism with equanimity, noting that rejection is a part of the research process. She also drew attention to the particular demands of social science research, which involves working with human beings, cultures, and histories marked by pain and struggle. Lastly, she urged the importance of being consistent and persistent in research.  

12. The first emerging theme that Prof Sengupta observed is the technologic methods of research that are upcoming. She outlined four critical concerns: bias in AI-generated content, plagiarism arising from undisclosed AI use, an uncritical approach by faculty towards AI-assisted submissions, and the absence of rigorous institutional policy on AI use in universities. These emerging trends are coupled with a weaker and vague policy framework that does not keep up with the challenges. She stressed the fact that AI does not share human values and cannot fully comprehend the range of human prejudice and social context. Therefore, researchers remain the best judges of their own work. 

13. The speaker linked this to her experience with linguistics and political thought, where language works as a divine connotation to drive discourse with Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology. Prof Sengupta, in this manner, emphasised the need for inclusiveness within frameworks, where inclusion to enter the system is different from the inclusion to be equal or change. She then pointed towards the multifaceted challenges of such technology, including biases, lack of accountability in publications, and public domain plagiarism systems being faulty. Her address suggested that to deal with this particular theme, one  needs a framework policy that promotes honest research. 

14. The second theme Prof Sengupta aimed to target is theories from the Global South being promoted. This includes processes of decolonisation and delinking from eurocentrism. She mentioned the following pillars of decolonial social science research: institutional projects, involvement being prioritised over inclusion, respecting local and indigenous knowledge, differential metrics or yard sticks of measurement, and contextualising research as a whole. She concluded that this emerging trend of academic colonialism leads to a singularity of ideas and opinions. 

15. Prof Sengupta pointed towards the financial and structural challenges that the authors of the Global South face as opposed to Global North authors. She concluded by identifying four key challenges facing the social sciences: misinformation and the inauthenticity of data, information bombardment in the digital age, the need for open access research, and the critical bearing that the location of the author has on the knowledge produced. 

Research Presentations

16. Research scholars and undergraduate students were invited to present their original work situated within the field of social sciences. The various sessions were chaired by faculty members of the Department of Political Science, Ramjas College, namely, Professor Shailesh Kumar Diwakar; Associate Professors Dr Tanvir Aeijaz, Dr Syed Areesh Ahmad, and Mr Vikas Kapoor; and Assistant Professors Dr Ram Bilash Yadav, Dr Ranjak Katara, Dr Rozy Kumari, and Dr Bijaya Kumar Mohanty. The sessions witnessed active academic participation from the audience and interdisciplinary engagement from the presenters. 

17. The session commenced with Swabhiman Biswal’s paper titled ‘Problems of Displacement and Rehabilitation’, which addressed the issue of displacement and rehabilitation through a case study of the Paroja tribe in Odisha. Situating the problem within the broader framework of development-induced displacement in India, the paper highlighted the persistent inadequacies of rehabilitation efforts over several decades. Drawing upon fieldwork, the study documented four decades of challenges such as landlessness, food insecurity, and inadequate infrastructure, while critically engaging with legislative instruments such as the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (LARR Act, 2013) and the National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy (2007). 

18. This was followed by Sneha’s presentation on lithium extraction, which critically evaluated its environmental and social implications within the context of the global energy transition. The author claims the process itself is destructive and harmful to the environment. With water resources extremely scarce, the author cites this as a ‘green paradox’ because harmful processes are used to find clean solutions. Further, the paper proposed policy interventions including investment in recycling technologies, the exploration of alternative materials, and the strengthening of regulatory frameworks. The discussion centred on the feasibility of coordinated global governance, with the author underscoring the need for robust legal mechanisms.

19. Further, Kara Gania, in  the paper titled ‘Globalisation of Hallyu’, provided a retrospective analysis of how Korean soft power emerged via cultural and social domination, which consequently led to its relevance in the modern world. Tracing developments from the Asian financial crisis to contemporary global influence, the paper highlighted the role of the entertainment and beauty industries in shaping international cultural flows, especially following the Seoul Olympics. The paper further explored potential policy implications for India in strengthening its cultural export strategies, such as trademarking the Khadi India case study, which was prompted by the chair.

20. Benish Tarekh’s paper, ‘Revisiting Article 370’, examined the socio-economic implications of the abrogation of Article 370 through a case study of Anantnag. Drawing on primary data from 133 respondents across varied demographic groups, the paper observed that while immediate economic transformation remained limited, gradual improvements were visible in sectors such as tourism and education. The study further highlighted generational differences in perception, with younger respondents expressing dissatisfaction with administrative functioning, while older groups indicated continuity in cultural practices. In the ensuing discussion, the chair raised questions regarding the absence of political identity as a variable, to which the author acknowledged its complexity and gradual manifestation.

21. In the paper titled ‘Beyond Radicalisation’, Shubh Rewaria examined violent extremism through a structural lens, arguing that mainstream discussions often create an individualistic understanding of extremism by focusing excessively on radical individuals, extremist ideas, and religious extremism, while neglecting the broader structures that make extremism sustainable. Using violent extremism in France as a case study, the paper discussed terrorism as a structured phenomenon involving financial networks, recruitment systems, ideological dissemination, and global responses, while also reshaping state institutions and laws. Reviewing radicalisation studies, political economy approaches, gender perspectives, geopolitical analyses, and postcolonial scholarship, the paper argued for integrating these frameworks to better understand the relationship between extremism, exclusion, and state power.

22. Akansha Prasad in the paper titled ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ examined India’s strategic shift towards defence self-reliance and global defence exports under the Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives. It analysed key policy reforms such as the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 and the Positive Indigenisation List, highlighting India’s transition from a major arms importer to an emerging defence manufacturer. The paper highlighted significant growth in domestic defence production and exports, alongside the integration of startups and MSMEs into the defence sector through initiatives such as iDEX. It further discussed India’s growing presence in the global arms market, including the BrahMos export agreement with the Philippines, while also outlining persistent challenges such as technological gaps, low investment, bureaucratic delays, slow procurement processes, and the need for greater private sector participation.

23. Prem Ansh Sinha, in his paper titled ‘Beyond Enchantment’, examined the question of legitimacy in the postcolonial Indian state, beginning with VS Naipaul’s account of Jayaprakash Narayan’s arrest during the Emergency to illustrate how legitimacy crises emerge through exhausted public belief rather than open conflict. He engaged with Sudipta Kaviraj’s concept of enchantment and Weberian theories of authority; the presentation argued that legitimacy in the Indian context cannot be understood solely through legal-rational or contractual frameworks. Drawing upon Nehru’s ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech and Mahabharata’s accounts of reluctant acceptance of kingship, the paper situated political authority within a broader conception of dharma and civilisational obligation. It further proposed a triadic framework of Prabhutva, Dharma, and Praja, arguing that the Constitution of India functions as the institutional arena through which these competing dimensions are continuously negotiated through elections, judicial decisions, and constitutional amendments.

24. Lastly, Manya Rai in the paper titled ‘The Waning of Left-Wing Extremism in India’, analysed the structural, institutional, and developmental factors contributing to the decline of Naxalite insurgency in India, particularly covering the regions of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha.  Referring to frameworks such as the ‘SAMADHAN’ strategy, the author argued that developmental policies, institutional reforms, and security interventions collectively contributed to the reduction in insurgent activity. The discussion focused on the question of post-conflict governance, particularly the management of potential power vacuums and the need for sustained sociopolitical integration.

Ends.

The author, Sarvagya Pandey, is a Junior Editor at Ramjas Political Review.

Research Assistance: Sanish Kumar, Maleeha Parvez Wani, Abhinav Borgohain, Saummya Yadav