Arunachal University faculty at an international forum in Indonesia

Pasighat: Menuka Kadu, Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Social Work at Arunachal Pradesh University, Pasighat, will participate in the 9th International Conference on the Future of Women 2026, scheduled to be held from February 9 to 10, 2026, in Bali, Indonesia.

The international conference is organised by the International Institute of Knowledge Management (IIKM) in collaboration with universities and academic institutions from across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, under the theme “Feminist Perspectives in GLocal Contexts.”

She will be the sole representative from the region to present a research paper at the conference, contributing local perspectives to an international academic forum comprising scholars, practitioners, and advocates from diverse global contexts.

Her paper, titled “Silenced Bodies, Formed Identities: Tribal Girls’ Menstrual Experiences in the Region,” examines how menstrual taboos influence social identity, bodily regulation, and early gender socialisation among adolescent girls in selected tribal communities.

Employing a feminist reflexive approach, the study draws on qualitative narratives from the Galo, Adi, and Idu Mishmi communities to explore everyday practices of restriction, exclusion, and emerging forms of resistance shaped by changing social realities.

Participation in such an international platform offers an opportunity to foreground indigenous and region-specific research within global feminist and social work scholarship.