CSSI hosts lecture on "Academic Publishing Challenges"
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 14 2026: The Centre for Study of Social Inclusion (CSSI), Manipur University on Thursday organised a comprehensive one-day lecture titled "From Fieldwork to Publication: Possibilities and Challenges".

The event, held in a hybrid format at the CSSI Conference Hall, featured Dr Ajailiu Niumai, a distinguished professor from the University of Hyderabad, as the keynote speaker.

Dr Niumai's lecture addressed the complex journey of transforming raw fieldwork into socially engaged scholarship.

She noted that while modem academic legitimacy is often measured by rankings and citation metrics, researchers must remain focused on the deeper issues of power dynamics and institutional hierarchies, global inequalities in knowledge production, and ethical engagement with lived experiences.

She emphasized that fieldwork is not merely data collection but a relational and ethical engagement that requires constant critical reflexivity.

A central theme of the talk was the importance of elevating research on marginalized groups, including tribal societies, gender violence victims, and those facing caste exclusion into theoretically informed scholarship without losing contextual integrity.

Dr Thiyam Bharat Singh, Associate Professor at CSSI, stated that the Centre's primary goal is to undertake interdisciplinary studies regarding discrimination against SC, ST, OBCs, religious minorities, and women.

He highlighted that CSSI has been running a dedicated lecture series on these themes since 2023.The programme also highlighted the practicalities of research, such as transact walks to identify community infrastructure and the vital role of community engagement.

The event concluded with a strong call to action for researchers to produce work that is both methodologically rigorous and socially grounded.

The lecture saw participation from notable academic figures, including Prof M Lily Devi, Director of the Centre for Women Study, and Dr Yumlembam Khogen Singh of the Department of Sociology, alongside many research scholars.

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