GeoDiskurse in cooperation with: Transient Spaces Lecture Series. Lecture is on 13th June 2024,10:15 until 11:45 at Hörsaal 5, University of Innsbruck. Title: Urban public spaces as catalysts for empowerment and social inclusion. By Hooshmand Alizadeh.

Lessons and Learning from Grassroots Civil Society Action on Disaster Risk Reduction: A case study of Indian Sundarbans

Sundarbans, one of the climate hotspots regions, is experiencing severe consequences of climate change in the form of repetitive tropical cyclones, rising sea levels, and saline water intrusion. As a result, about twelve million people’s livelihoods and many vulnerable species in the mangrove ecosystem are under threat across India and Bangladesh.

In this talk, I discuss the affirmative actions taken by grassroots civil society organizations for disaster risk reduction and ecological restoration in the Indian Sundarbans. I also explore how this initiative makes communities more/less resilient and the steps being taken to promote social inclusivity across gender and other social groups. The empirical data have been collected through ethnographic fieldwork, particularly participant observation, in-depth interviews with local communities, and various representatives of non-governmental organizations and climate activists.

Konferenzraum, Mathematikon (INF 205, 5. OG)

22th January 2026, 14:15 – 15:45

Poster of Farhat’s lecture:

Speaker

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Farhat Naz

Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur

Farhat Naz is an Associate Professor and former Head of the School of Liberal Arts (SoLA) at the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur (IITJ). She currently serves as an International Fellow and Visiting Professor at TH Köln (University of Applied Sciences), Germany. Trained as a development sociologist, her work focuses on sustainability, policy, and governance processes.

Her research is interdisciplinary and spans a wide range of themes and regions. She has collaborated on several bilateral and multilateral projects funded by organizations such as GIZ, ACIAR, IUCN, CGIAR, NWO, USAID, DFID, SICI, the Ministry of Minority Affairs (Government of India), and ICSSR. Farhat has carried out development research in numerous countries across South Asia (including India and Bangladesh), as well as Southeast and East Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Japan) and Africa (Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire).

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