In partnership with MACFEST Muslim Arts and Culture Festival, Creative Manchester presents a special panel event will take place to celebrate International Women’s Day 2025.
Dr. Jenna Ashton, Mahboobeh Rajabi, Nusrat Ahmed, and Dr. Saskia Warren will explore the theme of ‘accelerating action,’ with a particular focus on the role of heritage, arts, and culture in advancing women’s equality and social justice. The discussion will be framed in the context of the United Nations’ latest update report on the lack of progress regarding Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5) on gender equality and women’s empowerment, alongside the increasing threats to women’s bodily autonomy and the implementation of discriminatory legislation.
Dr. Ashton’s latest book, Handbook of Heritage and Gender, published that month, examines themes closely related to gender and the heritage sector, as well as the role of heritage, arts, and culture in accelerating women’s equality and social justice.
Chair:
Dr. Jenna Ashton
Dr. Jenna C. Ashton is a Senior Lecturer in Heritage Studies with a background in artmaking, writing, exhibition curation, creative production, public engagement, and arts education. Her interdisciplinary research explores community-based practices, knowledge systems, economies, and critical literacies, often described as “living heritage” or “intangible cultural heritage.”
Her specific research interests include:
- Political ecology of community environmental action and resilience
- Land stewardship and civic ecologies of restoration and care
- Economies and practices of food and resource gathering and sharing
- Multispecies community-making and expression
- Bereavement and grief practices for non-human losses
- Vibrant materiality and material literacies
- Gendered practices and networks of action
- Imaginary and embodied geographies
- Models of andragogy and pedagogy for heritage management and reflexive praxis
Dr. Ashton serves as the Research Lead for Creative and Civic Futures at Creative Manchester, an Associate Member of the University of Manchester’s Sustainable Consumption Institute, and a Member of the Manchester Urban Institute. Externally, she is part of the RGS Animal Geographies Working Group.
Panellists:
Mahboobeh Rajabi
Mahboobeh Rajabi is an award-winning creative entrepreneur, artist, cultural leader, and creative producer based in Manchester. Since 2010, she has worked both in the UK and internationally, engaging with diverse communities and cultures. Her mission is to provide a platform for untold stories and amplify unheard voices through art, while fostering sustainable creative businesses that serve communities.
Dr. Saskia Warren
Dr. Saskia Warren is a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Manchester. She recently held a Parliamentary Research Fellowship (POST) at the UK Parliament, focusing on equality, diversity, and inclusion in heritage collections (2021–2023). From 2017 to 2021, she held an Arts and Humanities Research Council Leadership Fellowship, researching the geographies of Muslim women in the UK’s cultural and creative economy. Her work led to the co-curation of Beyond Faith: Muslim Women Artists Today, a contemporary art and textile exhibition at The Whitworth, Manchester (2019–2020), and the publication of British Muslim Women in the Cultural and Creative Industries (Edinburgh University Press). Her research and consultancy have been internationally recognized in books, articles, and reports.
Nusrat Ahmed
With 25 years of experience in the voluntary sector, Nusrat Ahmed joined Manchester Museum in 2019 and now serves as the Lead Curator for the South Asia Gallery, a British Museum Partnership that opened to global acclaim in February 2023. The gallery, uniquely co-curated with a collective of 30 contributors, represents the first permanent gallery in the UK dedicated to celebrating the experiences and contributions of the South Asian diaspora.
The award-winning South Asia Gallery is widely recognized as an exemplar model for collaborative curation. Ahmed shares her insights on co-curation at national and international forums across heritage and higher education sectors. In 2024, the University of Manchester honored her with the Distinguished Achievement Award in recognition of her contributions.
Ahmed actively promotes social justice and is deeply committed to conversations surrounding representation, inclusion, care, and related issues. Her efforts have significantly influenced Manchester Museum’s approach to inclusion and continue to shape the broader cultural landscape. As a first-generation British-born South Asian, she maintains a strong connection to her heritage and takes great pride in her role.
