Social sciences’ moot at KU starting today

Karachi

A two-day international conference titled ‘Contemporary Social Sciences’ will kick off today at the Karachi University (KU).

Briefing media on Thursday, Dean Social Sciences Dr Moonis Ahmar said a number of social issues, including rising intolerance, extremism, corruption and nepotism, would be discussed during the moot.

“The conference will also focus on encouraging debate and critical thinking on national issues like foreign policy, nuclear policy and civil-military relations.

“Instead of discussing Western theories and approaches, social scientists coming from across the country and abroad will be discussing and examining vital societal issues being faced by Pakistan and try to figure out their solutions in the local context.”

Researchers and faculty members from various departments of social sciences in the KU would also present their papers at the conference, he said.

Dr Ahmar said social sciences were a neglected field in Pakistan despite the fact that the country had turned into a social quagmire due to decades of military rules, resulting in intolerance, extremism, economic recession and destruction of social fabric.

“By neglecting social sciences, we are not producing quality philosophers, historians, social workers, psychologists, international relation experts and political scientists,” he said, adding that without integration of all the social sciences, the nation’s woes and miseries could not be addressed.

Regarding the objectives of the conference, he said the organisers were hoping to bring the country’s renowned social scientists onto one platform and to get their insights into contemporary social issues and present recommendations to the authorities.

The coordinator of the conference, Prof Dr Anila Amber Malik, said the conference would help faculty and researchers in discussing and learning from prevailing social and psychological models.

“This conference will help us in learning from each other’s experiences and research in different fields of social sciences, including psychology, sociology, history, and political science”, she said, adding that all the recommendations and deliberations of the conference would be delivered to appropriate quarters for implementation.