Scholars explored how South Asian literature and cultural narratives shape our understanding of trauma, survival and healing
Hyderabad: Can literature serve as both a witness to trauma and a tool for resilience and justice? This was the theme explored at the Annual Conference of the Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies in India (IIACLALS) 2025, inaugurated at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad on Thursday.
Scholars explored how South Asian literature and cultural narratives shape our understanding of trauma, survival and healing.
Delivering the keynote address on Complexifying Trauma Theory, Prof. Radhika Mohanram, Professor of English and in the Centre for Critical and Cultural Theory at Cardiff University, emphasised that trauma is not merely a personal experience but deeply entwined with history, identity, and politics. “Trauma is often seen as an individual burden, but it is just as much a public and collective phenomenon. Literature doesn’t just document suffering—it compels us to ask, who gets to tell the story?” she noted.
In the valedictory address, legal scholar Prof. Kalpana Kannabiran examined the intersections of literature, law and justice, arguing that constitutional principles and legal narratives serve as shared cultural resources.
“Justice is not just about courts and judgments—it is about the stories we tell and the truths we acknowledge. Literature plays a crucial role in shaping our legal consciousness and collective resilience,” she explained.
The three-day conference featured lectures, paper presentations and discussions on how South Asian literature has preserved memory and challenged oppression—from Partition and genocide to caste violence and gender discrimination.
Prof. Swati Pal, vice chair, and Prof. Fatima Rizvi, secretary, ACLALS) introduced the conference theme, BITS Pilani Hyderabad dean Prof. Yogeeswari released the Book of Abstracts. Prof. Soumyo Mukherjee, director of BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, addressed the gathering.
Conference convener Dr Shilpaa Anand, researcher in disability studies, highlighted literature’s role in reclaiming agency. “Storytelling is a form of resistance. It allows people to bear witness, refuse silence and reimagine futures,” she said.
Hosted by the department of humanities and social sciences at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, the conference aimed to foster critical scholarship on trauma, healing and justice in South Asian and Commonwealth literature.
