Since its inception in 2010, Xavier’s Sociological Society has encouraged students to walk on the path of social consciousness and essential action. It aims to inculcate critical thought and action that will lead towards impactful change and social empowerment.

The year 2022 marked the return to the College campus, as the pandemic regulations were gradually relaxed. Members of XSS working with the Department of Sociology wasted no time to grab this opportunity and organized a plethora of events from monthly research colloquiums to an international conference and the launch of the Journal of the Department of Sociology – ‘Young Sociologist’.

RESEARCH COLLOQUIUMS

• Introduction to Singles Studies by Dr. Ketaki Chowkhani, assistant professor at Manipal Centre for Humanities. The colloquium initiated discussions on singlehood and its relation to the politics of class, gender and sexuality.
• Performing Silence: Feminist History and the field of Performance Studies by Dr. Trina Nileena Banerjee, Assistant Professor at Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta. The discussion delved into the politico-social and economic intricacies of theatre and the people associated with it.
• Infectious Social Movements: Sex work in the time of Pandemics by Dr. Toorjo Ghosh, Associate Professor at University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Ghosh elucidated on his decade-long collaboration with sex workers and Durbar in Kolkata.
• Of Discipline and Interdisciplines: Situating the Indian University in the shadow of NEP 2020 by Dr. Debaditya Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor at Kazi Nazrul University, West Bengal. Reflecting on the socio-economic conditions of higher education, Dr. Bhattacharya released an opprobrium to the NEP 2020, exposing the great Indian educational marketplace.

JOURNAL LAUNCH

On 7th April, 2022 XSS organized the launch of its annual journal, “Young Sociologist,” along with a National Webinar: Urban Ethnography by Dr. Debapriya Ganguly. Dr. Ganguly’s research focused upon the fundamental concerns of city as an entity. She discussed the cities of South India and how far they fared in the realm of development.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: CASTE IN BENGAL

The International Conference: Caste in Bengal was the concluding event for XSS this year. The eminent panellists of the conference were Dr. Shekhar Bandyopadhyay, Dr. Sarbani Bandyopadhyay, Prof. Maroona Murmu, Prof. Manosanta Biswas, Mr. Kumar Rana, Ms. Kalyani Thakur and Mr. Rajat Roy. The full-day event involved discussions about how caste still stratifies the state of West Bengal. An attempt was made to rethink caste not as a myth or an invisible phenomenon, but a real phenomenon that continues to incite violence, oppression, exploitation and subversion of specific communities.

The academic year of 2022-23 has even eventful and momentous for XSS. The society has excelled in keeping alive the spirit of sociology and social action.