Renganathan Mowshimkka

Biography

I am a socio-cultural anthropologist specialising in South Asia. My doctoral dissertation focuses on the identity of the indigenous people of India who aspire to be recognised by the government under the affirmative action policy. In my research I examine the construction of their collective identities and the role of "ethnicity" based welfare policies in aiding it. I am also interested in examining the differences in the interpretation of "engaged-anthropology" in theory and in practice. Prior to my doctoral study, I have freelanced as an assistant-consultant anthropologist for the special verification team in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and also worked on multiple projects in India and Sri Lanka on the topics of refugees and resettlements, indigenous education and women empowerment in villages.

Research Interest

dentity, ethnicity, affirmative action, development, tribal studies, applied anthropology, engaged anthropology, policy, postcolonial theory, India