Quick Links
Swargajyoti Gohain
PhD (Emory University, USA)
Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Research Interest
Culture and Politics, Borders, Spatial Theories, Anthropology of Mobilities.
Office
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Office 604
IIT Kanpur,
Kanpur 208016
Office Phone: 0512-679-7103 (O)
Email: sgohain[AT]iitk.ac.in
Specialization
I have specialized in the anthropology of borders, cultural politics and place/space. My PhD research was on cultural identities in the Eastern Himalayas, where I used concepts from anthropology, cultural studies and cultural geography. I am interested in expanding my research to the anthropological study of roads and more generally, to mobilities and movement.
Education
Ph.D. Anthropology. 2006-2013. Emory University, USA
Thesis Title: Imagined Places: Politics and Narratives in a Disputed Indo-Tibetan Borderland
Thesis Supervisor: Prof. Bruce Knauft
M.Phil. Sociology. 2004. Delhi School of Economics, Delhi
M.A. Sociology. 2002. Delhi School of Economics, Delhi
B.A. Sociology. 2000. Miranda House College, Delhi
Teaching Area
Introduction to Sociology
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Social Theories of the Late Twentieth Century
Cultural Mobilities and the Anthropology of Place/Space
Professional Affiliations
American Anthropological Association
Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi
Selected Publications
2012. "Mobilizing Language, Identifying Region: Use of Bhoti in West Arunachal Pradesh,"Contributions to Indian Sociology 46 (3): 337-363.
2015. "Monks, Elections, and Foreign Travels: Democracy and the Monastic Order in West Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India" In Democratization and Cultural Politics in the Himalayas,
ed. Vibha Arora and N. Jayaram. Delhi, India: Routledge
Himalaya Bound: Culture, Politics, and Imagined Geographies in India's Northeast Frontier (Book manuscript under revision)
Awards & Fellowships
2013 -2015. Sir Ratan Tata Fellowship, Sociology unit, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, India (Position held for 6 months).
2013. German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Research Grant; Institute of Asian and African Studies, Humboldt University, Germany, January – April 2013.
2012. Emory Women's Club Research Award, 2012-2013, Emory University, U.S.A.
2009. Dissertation Fieldwork Grant, Wenner-Gren Foundation, U.S.A.
2009. Graduate Fellowship 2008-2009, Institute of Critical International Studies, Emory University, U.S.A.
Professional Experience
Sir Ratan Tata Fellow, Sociology Division, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, India. 2 July 2014 – 15 December 2014
Postdoctoral Fellow, International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden University, the Netherlands. 1 September 2013 - 30 June 2014.