AUC–Christ University Winter School on Inequality and Social Justice: India and Egypt
Winter School on Inequality and Social Justice: India and Egypt was an intensive three-week collaborative course held from January 6 to 23, 2026, at Christ University in Bangalore, India. Jointly organized with The American University in Cairo.
The course brought together advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students from Egypt and India for a shared academic experience grounded in comparative and interdisciplinary learning.
The winter school provided a structured space to examine questions of social inequality, justice, wellbeing, and sustainability across two regional contexts. Drawing on perspectives from the social sciences and humanities, participants explored how political, economic, and social forces shape patterns of inequality in the Global South, with a focus on India and Egypt.
Contemporary challenges such as poverty, environmental stress, gendered inequalities and uneven access to essential services are rooted in historical processes and institutional arrangements. The course encouraged students to critically assess these dynamics by situating current debates within broader political and economic frameworks, while questioning dominant development paradigms.
Key discussions were guided by questions around power and inequality: How do historical legacies and institutional structures influence social outcomes? In what ways do environmental and social injustices intersect? How can policy interventions address inequality without reproducing exclusion? And what alternative pathways can advance equity and sustainability?
The course combined lectures, guided discussions, student presentations and written reflections with an emphasis on experiential learning. Field visits to public institutions, civil society organizations and community initiatives in and around Bangalore connected theoretical discussions to policy practice and lived realities.
Co-taught by faculty from AUC and Christ University, the winter school emphasized collaboration and cross-cultural exchange. Mixed student groups fostered comparative analysis and sustained dialogue across national and disciplinary boundaries.
Overall, the AUC–Christ University Winter School strengthened participants’ critical and analytical capacities while highlighting the value of collaborative, Global South–focused approaches to understanding and advancing social justice and sustainability.
Get a glimpse into the discussions, field visits, and collaborative learning that shaped the AUC–Christ University Winter School:
AUC–Christ University Winter School Recap