Research
Projects

This directed independent study investigates how artificial intelligence image generation technologies produce and perpetuate representations of Bangladeshi feminist activists. I began experimenting with Meta AI, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok, prompting them to generate images of Bangladeshi feminist activists. The results were stark: these models relied on stereotypical imagery and reproduced global cultural hierarchies, with facial expressions, skin tones, and clothing shaped by Western perspectives on South Asian contexts.

Through visual content analysis of AI-generated imagery, this research explores how these technologies reflect and reinforce existing global cultural hierarchies and stereotypical narratives. The study examines how AI systems, trained on predominantly Western datasets, generate images that may misrepresent or stereotype activists from the Global South. By analyzing the visual tropes, cultural markers, and representational patterns in AI-generated depictions, this research contributes to understanding how technology mediates cultural representation and potentially reinforces existing power structures. I've learned AI systems can reproduce existing social hierarchies in ways that are subtle, rapid, and difficult to detect.

This study challenges the view that the DSA represents a solely contemporary issue, arguing instead that it reflects the long-term impact of colonial legal systems designed to implement divide-and-rule policies. By analyzing 25 cases through the pattern of legal intervention, this research demonstrates that, beyond religion, the use of secularization and pre-existing oppressive legal structures also serves as tools for authoritarian governance.

This study underscores the importance of examining these historical continuities to understand how laws are weaponized to maintain control and create societal divides. The research reveals how colonial-era legal frameworks continue to shape contemporary governance strategies, providing insights into the mechanisms of state power and control in post-colonial contexts.