South Asia Center
News

Bhan Contributes to Channel 4 News Piece on India’s Grip on Kashmir
“I see them [India's projects] as symbols of Indian prescence or public proclamation of their capacity to now settle Kashmiri land, to occupy it when they can,” says Mona Bhan, Ford-Maxwell Professor of South Asian Studies.
See related: Government, India, Infrastructure, International Affairs, South Asia
Sultana Article on Building Democracy in Bangladesh Published in LA Progressive
“In a region where democratic backsliding has often been normalized, Bangladesh is attempting a rare and ambitious path forward. But reforms – no matter how visionary – face real resistance from entrenched interests and are fraught with obstacles, both internal and external, that threaten to derail Bangladesh’s progress,” writes Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment.
See related: Conflict, Government, International Affairs, South Asia
Bhan Talks to Morning Wave in Bhusan and the WOZ About Rising Tensions Between India and Pakistan
“I don't think either the Indian or Pakistani governments actually want a war,” says Mona Bhan, Ford-Maxwell Professor of South Asian Studies. “But neither of them wants to appear weak under any circumstances.”
See related: Conflict, Government, India, International Affairs, South Asia
Sultana Weighs In on the Suspension of the Indus River Waters Treaty in DW News Article
India's move to use the Indus Waters Treaty as geopolitical leverage “undermines the legal integrity of such treaties,” says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment. ”These treaty violations and suspensions can have ripple-on deleterious (harmful) effects across and beyond the region for the examples they set,” she says.
See related: Government, International Affairs, International Agreements, South Asia, Water
The Routledge Handbook of Feminist Anthropology
Shannon Novak, professor of anthropology, has contributed to “The Routledge Handbook of Feminist Anthropology” (Routledge, 2025). Her chapter, “Blood, mud, and mucking around with waste,” examines the materiality and logic of separation practices involved in the gendering of landscapes, bodies and subjectivities at a mother goddess (Mariamma) temple in the industrial outskirts of Toronto, Canada.
See related: Environment, Gender and Sex, India
Claiming Citizenship: Race, Religion, and Political Mobilization among New Americans
Prema Kurien, professor of sociology, examines the political mobilization strategies of people of South Asian and Indian descent in the United States. She also traces how immigrants reshape the host society, both conforming to aspects of that society while also transforming it to meet their unique needs. (Oxford University Press, 2025)
See related: Asian-American, India, U.S. Immigration, United States
Plural Climate Storylines to Foster Just Urban Futures
Co-authored by Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment, this study's framework generates storylines with the potential to advance transformative policies and new pathways towards climate-just futures. Published in Nature Cities.
See related: Climate Change, Urban Issues
Acknowledging the Historic Presence of Justice in Climate Research
Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment, and co-authors argue that recognizing and acknowledging historical foundations, academic and grassroots contributions for climate justice is the first step towards achieving justice in mitigation and adaptation. Published in Nature Climate Change.
See related: Climate Change, Research Methods
Mitra Article on Trump’s Tariffs and India’s Domestic Trade Policy Published on Moneycontrol.com
“What happens to U.S. trade policy in the end might not finally matter so much for India’s exports. India’s own policies and institutions might be the real binding constraints,” says Devashish Mitra, Gerald B. and Daphna Cramer Professor of Global Affairs.
See related: Economic Policy, Government, India, International Affairs, Tariffs, Trade
Embodying Biodiversity: Sensory Conservation as Refuge and Sovereignty
Shannon Novak, professor of anthropology, has contributed to “Embodying Biodiversity: Sensory Conservation as Refuge and Sovereignty” (University of Arizona Press, 2024). The book was edited by Terese Gagnon ’18 M.A. (Anth)/’21 Ph.D. (Anth), a postdoctoral researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
See related: Agriculture, Environment, India