Ayana’s area of interest is exploring gender in the context of school education. The special focus of her DPhil research is on the manner in which gender identities come to be constructed by virtue of the practices of schooling, and go on to shape gendered experiences. This is aimed to be evaluated in the context of sexual orientation, gender affiliation and the larger questions of identity. The doctoral project aims to be largely decolonial in its approach, while focusing on the specificities of local cultures which determine gender relations in a particular context.
With a background in the discipline of Sociology (BA and MA), Ayana has pursued an MPhil in Education. This dissertation has laid the theoretical foundations for further inquiry into the shaping of gender in education, vis-à-vis the hidden curriculum.
Overall, she is interested in issues of gender justice, feminism, and gender and sexuality studies.
Supervisors
Dr Aliya Khalid and Dr Steven Puttick
Research
- ‘Schooling the Girl Child: Exploring the Hidden Curriculum on Femininity’
- Pathak, Ayana. 2022. ‘Gendered Schools: The Role of the Hidden Curriculum’ in Dora, Jayanti. ed(s), Women in Society: Issues and Challenges. New Delhi: Kunal Books. Pg. 105-118.
- Srivastava, Anshu & Pathak, Ayana. 2023. ‘Mapping the Journey of Women’s Studies Centres: From Inception to the Current Status’. Utkal Historical Research Journal