On June 10, 2026, the Center for Gender and Development Studies (CGDS) at the University of Dhaka successfully hosted its inaugural lecture via an online virtual platform, drawing an audience of over 40 distinguished scholars and researchers. The academic session featured renowned scholar Dr. Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt, an Honorary Professor of Australian National University, as the keynote speaker. The central focus of the event was an in-depth, critical exploration of "Indiscriminate Intersectionality," examining its conceptual evolution, its practical utility in gender research, and its broader implications for contemporary development discourses in an interactive way.
In her comprehensive keynote address, Dr. Lahiri-Dutt decoded the complexities of intersectionality, structurally analyzing its transformation from a "hibernated" academic concept into a global catchword. Drawing upon the foundational 1989 definition by Kimberlé Crenshaw, as well as the seminal works of Bell Hooks, Patricia Hill Collins, Sirma Bilge, and Naila Kabeer, she raised critical questions about whether intersectionality functions primarily as a theory or a tool. While she firmly clarified that her lecture was not a dismissal of the core framework, she sharply cautioned against the superficial overuse and dilution of the term in modern research and development projects. To ground these theoretical insights, Dr. Lahiri-Dutt highlighted the historical agency and unique struggles of Black women, and operationalized the framework through an internationally informed case study on gender dynamics within the coal sector transition, illustrating how structural inequalities visibly manifest in rapidly changing industrial landscapes.
Delivering the welcome address, Professor Dr. Mohammad Mainul Islam, the Honorable Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, unpacked how gender inherently interacts with diverse socio-political axes, emphasizing the critical need to maintain contextual relevance to ensure gender-sensitive development. Concluding his remarks, the Dean expressed profound gratitude to the keynote speaker and highly commended the organization of the lecture series.
Dr. Sanzida Akhter, Professor and Director of the CGDS, orchestrated the event's coordination and proceedings. She initiated the session with formal welcoming remarks, facilitated the interactive Question and Answer session and praised the Dean's address as a vital demonstration of institutional cooperation.
Dr. Soma Dey, Associate Professor in the Department of Women and Gender Studies, formally introduced the keynote speaker, expertly contextualizing Dr. Lahiri-Dutt's extensive scholarly background for the audience.
The session was attended prominent academics across faculties, Universities in and outside Bangladesh.
