Apeksha

Is there an Arts + Law or Arts + Legal Education starter pack here?

Or any key sources or scholars anyone could recommend to read more into this type of research/pedagogy?

Thank you in advance 🥰🫶🏼

I went to my first Society of Legal Scholars Conference at the University of Leeds this week and had a great time attending the Human Rights, Legal Education, and Legal Theory sessions.

#SLS2025

To everyone who has looked over my work, provided guidance and encouragement, and told me my work has value: thank you!

Your moment of kindness stayed with me long after our interactions and helps me continue doing what I love (even when imposter syndrome strikes). I'm forever grateful 🫶🏼💘

Women’s Liberation in Postcolonial States: The role of ‘womanhood’ in women’s agency and liberation Apeksha Gandhi examines construction of ‘woman’ and the nation-building period within postcolonial India. The author argues that the concept of womanhood, rooted in colonial and Western constructs,…

I finally beat my imposter syndrome around doing a PhD last week which I'm going to celebrate as a mini milestone.

In celebration, here is a blog I wrote, supported by the lovely FTWAIL Collective 🫶🏼

I would love your feedback if you have time to read it!

twailr.com/womens-liber...

"You look happier"

Thanks, I just spent my morning learning about feminist methodologies in law

If a book had to fall on my face and almost kill me at 10 o'clock at night, I'm glad it was one about women's movements around the world ✊🏽😔

Fave pic from my trip to New York 🫶🏼

I am excited to continue my learning journey here and look forward to contributing to the development of international human rights law. 🥰

Excited to be back at the @unibirmingham.bsky.social
studying for my PhD in Law under the supervision of Dr @shaimabdelkarim.bsky.social and Professor Mohammad Shahabuddin. ☺️🙏🏽📚

🥰🫶🏼

My first time joining @ruthhoughton.bsky.social & @aoifemod.bsky.social's Utopias Reading Group today 📚 Discussing @gautambhatia88.bsky.social's brilliant 'The Sentence' and thinking through questions of forgotten histories, law, and anarchy in the global order (& many other things). Such a treat!

We love having you as part of the group @legallyapeksha.bsky.social! It's great to be able to share so many different perspectives on the texts we read and from across multiple disciplines too.

I love looking at law through different disciplines and even though I'm behind on my reading for the sessions this month - I'm excited to add new materials to my TBR (and having a reading group gives me motivation to actually do the reading!) 😅

I'm still making my way through the book and thinking about what if human rights treaties / UN charter had a time-limit after which they needed to be rewritten (inspired by one of the points made in today's discussion). If so, would we move beyond existing structures/blueprints?

Being the way that I am means that I find myself on multiple side quests and currently, that includes joining the #Feminist Utopia Reading Group convened by @ruthhoughton.bsky.social and @aoifemod.bsky.social

This week we discussed The Sentence by @gautambhatia88.bsky.social 🤓📚

I am grateful for this reality check whilst also being frustrated by the realisation that this is many people's reality in India and elsewhere.

But I'm using this as a reminder to myself to ensure that my research and praxis contribute to the dismantling of oppressive systems.

The othering, humiliation, and oppression of minorities everywhere thrives on ignorance of such kind. It relies on the normalisation of violent behaviours through laws, politics and culture. It craves indifference to the violent realities of the marginalised.

I was not surprised at the casteism and Islamophobia in the film. I know what the sad reality of Indian society (at large) is.

But I'm embarrassed to admit that I did not realise the extent to which, and how, violence against minorities in India manifests and persists.

There are some movies that stay with you long after you leave the cinema and Sandhya Suri's "Santosh" is one of them 🙌🏽 #santoshmovie

... the participants! Thank you also to Samira Dar and Emily Waibel for promoting the event to their students and to Tatiana Bolshova for helping me prep for the event on the day. I am grateful that my village includes these wonderful people! 🌷

🌷 They say it takes a village and I want to end this post by thanking mine: thank you Shaid Parveen and Karan Rana for helping me, encouraging me and believing in me to organise and execute this event. Thank you also to Karan for taking photos of the event which allowed me to be present with...

It was moving in particular to hear our student participants reflect on their journey and remind us (and their younger self) that "nothing is impossible", that they should remember "to be bold and brave", and the steps they consciously take to dismantle systems of inequity. I was so inspired! 💛

... points in life. This exercise also inevitably reminds us that it is important to be kind to ourselves whilst we are in the process of learning, unlearning and becoming.

💛 Thank you to the participants who kindly shared their poems with the group.

📝 Finally, each of the participants wrote their version of Jennae Cecilia's poem, 'I met my younger self for coffee'. This activity was designed to encourage dialogue with our younger self, to show them the love and support they needed as they navigate through different (and sometimes difficult)...

🫖 We then fueled up on Chai (and coffee) and a variety of cultural snacks whilst engaging in more discussions around identities and self-love.

👫🏽 Thank you to our lovely student participants who shared their experiences of changing identities and built communities that will last long after this event!

🧸 We started off by making a doll for our younger self and engaging in organic and open conversations about identity, politics and what kind of futures we imagine for ourselves (and our dolls).

🥳 We Met Our Younger Selves for Chai yesterday!

🏆 I hosted my first event for Aston University staff and students in collaboration with the Aston REACH Network yesterday.

Join us for an afternoon of creativity + community-building! 🫖

I'm hosting *my first* event for staff + students with the Aston REACH Network, designed to facilitate conversations around identity + self-love whilst engaging in art + poetry.

🔗 Register: forms.office.com/e/5qgsWmqpmv

So well-made and necessary in today's society!! I'm glad it's starting a more public conversation about incel culture and toxic masculinity and the harm that comes from it 🙌🏽