JU Women’s Conclave 2025 Returns with Feminist Fervour and Fresh Perspectives

After a two-year hiatus, the Jadavpur University Women’s Conclave made a powerful comeback on March 27 and 28, 2025. Organised in collaboration with the School of Women's Studies, the conclave reasserted its place as a vibrant forum for feminist thought, student-led expression, and interdisciplinary dialogue.

This edition of the Conclave was more than a celebration—it was a call for change in both public and personal spheres. From the start, the event aimed to unearth and amplify the often-overlooked voices within feminist discourse, addressing issues that linger on society’s periphery.

Online competitions like Photo Story, Reel Making, and Poster Making ensured accessibility and wide participation, while on-ground events brought academia face-to-face with student creativity. The All Rise and Equal Ground Oxford-style debates for school and college students, along with the gender-based quiz All About Eve, were hosted in collaboration with various university clubs, making the conversations deeply inclusive and intersectional.

Led by student president Debalina Mondal, the Conclave created a dynamic space for cultural expression and critical inquiry. Paper presentations held across both days sparked meaningful discussions on underrepresented feminist themes, from casual sexism to institutionalised gender biases. Innovative panels on topics like Culinary Feminism and Film, Television and Media showcased the depth and diversity of thought that defines the JUWC experience.

The opening panel, Politicising the Domestic Sphere, featuring speakers like Dr Debdatta Chowdhury and Shreosi Ray, challenged the boundaries between the private and political, bringing questions of inclusivity and intersectionality to the forefront. The concluding panel, Desire, Pleasure and Body Politics, explored taboo themes like consent and sexuality with contributions from experts such as Dr Nilardi R Chatterjee and Pompi Banerjee, leaving the audience with much to reflect upon.

Thanks to the pivotal role of the School of Women's Studies, the 2025 edition of JUWC was not just an event—it was a movement. One that reaffirmed the power of academic engagement, student leadership, and feminist solidarity in addressing both global and local gendered realities.