HISTORIA 2023

The Department of History in collaboration with the History Society of Loreto College organized Historia 2023 on March 20, 2023. Historia was conceived in 2017 when the Loreto institutions were celebrating the presence of 175 years of Loreto in India with the objective of making History more broad based. The theme for this year was Representation of Refugees. A muti-faith prayer led by the Principal Sr. Dr. Christine Coutinho marked the inauguration. The keynote speaker Prof. Bhaskar Chakrabarti, Retired Professor, University of Calcutta, gave a memorable and enlightening address to the students and aspiring historians on their role in unearthing the broader perspective and international dimensions in the representation, migration and resettlement of refugees.
The Business Session I consisted of Students’ Paper Presentation centered around the topic Representation of Refugees in Academic Discourse and the Sphere of Culture. Dr. Anindita Ghosal, Associate Professor, Diamond Harbour Women’s University was the Chairperson and judge. The participants were from Lady Brabourne College, Presidency University, Shri Shikshayatan College and Loreto College who spoke on diverse themes like representation of refugees in movies, literature and on the Jewish refugees during the holocaust. Sharanya Bhattacharya from Lady Brabourne College won the award for the best speaker while Saikat Mondal from Presidency University was given a special mention. Dr. Ghosal rounded up the session by highlighting the need for young researchers not to view the refugees as a monolithic but a diverse community.
Business Session II marked a debate on Rehabilitation of Refugees is never Inclusive. Mr. Padeep Gooptu was the moderator while the judges were Mr. Shankar Ramalingam, S.V. Raman and Priyam Marik. The participants were Lady Brabourne College, Presidency University, Scottish Church College. Shri Shikshayatan College and Loreto College. The participants talked about refugees in India and different parts of the world. Shri Shikshayatan College bagged the best team award.