Under the aegis of the School of Arab and Asian Studies, and the School of European Languages, The English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), the Foreign Languages Programmes Interdisciplinary Research Forum (FLPIRF) inaugurated a year-long lecture series on World Literature from the Global South.

Prof Abhai Maurya, Founding Vice-Chancellor, EFLU, delivered the inaugural Public Lecture “Morphology of Dalit Autobiographies” where he spoke on who a Dalit writer is, what Dalit consciousness comprises of and what its aesthetic principles are.

Prof Maurya also spoke on the emergence of Dalit literature and how it has thrown up numerous problems and challenges for mainstream Indian writings in terms of theory, aesthetics and praxis of literature. He emphasised that the first sprouts of Dalit literature reflect in the genre of autobiography which can be construed as a fictionalisation of real life stories.

Prof SS Rajput, Dean, School of European Languages, discussed the research work carried out by the Foreign Languages Departments in recent times and explained the importance of research activities for young scholars and students.

The purpose of the “World Literature from the Global South” Lecture Series, according to Dr Surendra Singh Negi, Chief Coordinator, Foreign Languages Programmes and Coordinator, FLPIRF, is to create a larger research forum for the university community in general and School of European Languages and the School of Arab and Asian Studies in particular to invite eminent academics and discuss issues like Loss and Grief, Nature and Environment, History and Memory, War and Conflict, Social Justice in Post-authoritarian Contexts, Identity and Self-exploration, Auto/biographical Writings, Gender and Sexuality, Archives in Digital Transformation, Exile and Reconciliation, and so on.

Dr Negi also explained how the FLPIRF Lecture Series could be beneficial for the PhD scholars and postgraduate students of EFLU in the coming days.