Alifya Loharchalwala (India)
As a Commerce student at Mumbai University, India I was intrigued that India’s Economic Development over the last two decades had resulted in such diverse impacts on various sections of the Indian population. I felt disillusioned by the apparently ever-increasing income inequality and the promises of development that continue to remain largely unfulfilled for the vast majority of the population. As a woman from a minority community, I became especially concerned for women from low-income communities who are vulnerable to exploitation that can result when education and literacy rates are low. Considering these unequal effects and dichotomies of economic development influenced my transition from Business studies into Humanities
Over the last ten years, I have been involved with Civil Society Organisations in India addressing women’s literacy and skill development. Through my work, I have had the opportunity to interact with innovative community-based organisations and collaborate with inspiring grassroot leaders, addressing fundamental questions about gender-related injustice, caste-based inequity, and layers of intersectional discrimination faced by marginalized communities.
My studies at Oxford gave me a platform to interrogate factors shaping society’s construction of gender, identity formation and global systems of power and politics. I have been able to expand my knowledge of the nuances involved in establishing interdisciplinary interventions that address the patriarchal attitudes that perpetuate gender-based discrimination and injustices, and apply this understanding to the South Asian context.
Being a part of the Ertegun community gave me the opportunity to learn from the experiences of peers from across the globe and share ideas with future changemakers.
