Proud Moment as Bangladeshi Researcher Joins Harvard Panel in Colombia

Bangla Press Desk:   Bangladeshi researcher Ahmed Sajidan Jarjis Rafsan represented Bangladesh as one of the youngest panellists at an international conference organised by Harvard University's Afro-Latin American Research Institute (ALARI) in Cali, Colombia.

The conference brought together scholars, researchers, writers, cultural practitioners and community leaders from around the world to discuss Afro-Latin American history, culture, identity, representation and knowledge production.

Rafsan was the only participant from Bangladesh and one of the youngest panellists at the event.

He shared the panel with leading academics, including Harvard professors Alejandro de la Fuente, Paulina Alberto, Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof, Doris Sommer, Sidney Chalhoub, Amber Henry and Yanilda María González.

Speaking about the experience, Rafsan described his participation as both an honour and a responsibility, particularly as a young researcher from the Global South representing Bangladesh at an international academic forum.

He also acknowledged the encouragement of Prof Alejandro de la Fuente, founding director of ALARI, saying his support for emerging humanities researchers from the Global South had inspired him to pursue his work with greater confidence.

Rafsan's research focuses on the Caribbean Studies Lab, which explores Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latin American and Indigenous histories, cultural memory, climate change experiences and community knowledge.

The initiative seeks to connect marginalised communities and their knowledge with international academic research while fostering intellectual links between Bangladesh, the Caribbean, Latin America and the wider Global South.

He has argued that knowledge production should not remain confined to major universities and research institutions, stressing that the experiences of fishermen, farmers, artists, Indigenous elders, refugees and other marginalised communities should also be recognised as valuable sources of knowledge.

His research also explores the shared experiences of communities shaped by colonial histories, displacement, climate change, identity struggles and efforts to preserve and reclaim their histories.

"Bangladesh is my identity and my strength, but my work and aspirations go beyond borders," Rafsan said.

The co-founder of the Caribbean Studies Lab said his broader goal is to build connections among people across regions through their shared memories, dignity and voices.

His participation in the Harvard-affiliated conference forms part of his broader engagement with international academic and research networks focusing on the Global South, diaspora, cultural memory and community-based knowledge.

Prof Alejandro de la Fuente praised Rafsan as "one of the best emerging humanities scholars and practitioners from the Global South."