As part of the Institute of Asian Research’
s Brown Bag series\, join us to hear from Mahfida Tahnia and Jafar Iqbal fr
om the The Department of Education Studies (EDST) about their latest resear
ch.
Abstracts
Mahfida Tahniat
PhD Student
The Department of Education
Studies\, UBC
Floating Schools in Bangladesh: A Journey towa rds Empowerment?
Access to education has become a challenge for one of the most climate vulnerable countries like Bangladesh\, and the Floating Schools Program (FSP) might be seen as a powerful way to address educational needs in the ongoing climate crisis context. Even though educat ion is free in Bangladesh\, there are significant implications for the deli very of education due to the instances of regular cyclones and floods which destroy school infrastructure\, disrupt transport accessibilities\, as wel l as interrupt teaching and learning. During the monsoon seasons\, students regularly cannot access the school buildings. The resulting social and eco nomic costs include a wide range of development concerns\, from malnutritio n and ill health to an increased risk of child trafficking. There are also concerns for school dropouts\, child labour and early marriage\, particular ly for the girls. Against such backdrop\, many children in Bangladesh\, att end schools in boats\, called “Floating School” that literally floats on wa ter\, and through which both children and adults can get access to the reso urces to educate and empower themselves.
Jafar Iqbal
PhD Student
The Department of Education Stud
ies\, UBC
Slogans As Public Pedagogy: Bangladeshi Garment Wor kers’ Cry for Social Justice
Slogans that we see on hand-hel d signs\, bodies\, faces\, Facebook\, or twitter posts are powerful vehicle s for public pedagogy. Despite the growing interest in public pedagogy with in education\, the full potential of slogans\, particularly within social m ovements\, remains underexplored. Gerts Biesta’s theorization of “public pe dagogy for the public\, of the public\, and with the public” highlights how slogans can educate and challenge prevailing narratives. My presentation a ims to delve into the public pedagogy potentials of slogans in the context of Bangladeshi garment workers’ struggles for social justice. I will examin e slogans posted by workers on Facebook and utilized in processions during the wage setting process from April to December 2023\, of which I was also part through supporting their cause as part of the normative concerns but n ot for the purpose of research. However\, these slogans\, advocating for so cial justice\, equal rights\, and fair pay\, offer rich insights into the w orkers plight and the potential for public education. Collected from variou s labor organization’s official pages\, these slogans serve as poignant cal ls for social justice for those who made our clothes\, making us feel comfo rtable and fashionable. Yet\, this research also raises a critical reflecti on on the responsibilities of researchers in utilizing advocacy materials f or academic inquiry.
LOCATION:Boardroom\, Liu Institute for Global Issues GEO:49.267710;-123.259656 URL;VALUE=URI:https://sppga.ubc.ca/events/event/twin-presentations/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://sppga.cms.arts.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/twin-presentations-1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Vancouver BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 DTSTART:20240310T100000 TZNAME:PDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR