LEWISTON — Dr. Janaki Rajan, visiting scholar from the Institute of Advanced Studies in Education in New Delhi, India, will join local panelists Qamar Bashir, Asha Mahamud, Hussein Ahmed and Bruno Yomoah to discuss the topic “Crossing Cultures and Changing Gender Roles” on Friday, Feb. 11.

The panel discussion is open to the public and will be held at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College from 4 to 5:30 p.m., in room 285 at 51 Westminster St. This event is sponsored by the USM L-AC Diversity Committee and the USM Libra Scholars program.

Focusing on the perceptions and concerns of the Lewiston-Auburn immigrant community, the discussion will address questions such as:

* How do new Mainers understand and cope with the shifts in cultural and personal worldviews and experiences between what was home and what is now home?

* What are the strategies immigrant men and women use to both maintain and transform their sense of who they are, especially in the context of differences in gender roles and expectations?

Rajan will serve as a respondent and will offer insights on gender identities and roles and the status of women from an international perspective.

A member of the Board of Management of the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Rajan served as the honorary director, Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia between 2007 and 2009.

Her research includes a Spencer Foundation Grant for the study of ability-based learning in Tamil Nadu in collaboration with Dr. Tricia Niez at Kent State University. From 2000 to 2006, she advised the Delhi government on educational policies and programs at all levels of education as director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training.

This event will be of interest to area K-16 educators as well as the general public. For more information, contact Rose Cleary at 780-4331 or e-mail [email protected]