Ray, Rita

Biography

Rita Ray has an experience of forty years in academics and consulting. Her academic profile includes teaching as a full-time faculty of Sociology at Utkal University, India since 1975. Born on 31st March 1951, she is currently the senior-most female Professor, in service, in the state today. She was also the Vice chancellor (in-charge) of Utkal University for a brief, but intensely challenging, period. In this period, she provided the critical impetus needed by the institution to resurge and progress. Her contributions to the University have also continued in the capacities of Chairman (P.G. Council), Warden (P.G. Hostels) etc. In the aforementioned roles, she has especially excelled in bringing the students and management together in times of crises and resolving conflicts between the two, failing which the prestige, order, repute and progress of the institution would have been severely, possibly irreparably, compromised. One recent example of this might be her successful campaign in turning the hostels free from ‘non-student’ boarders. This had been, possibly, the longest unresolved issue amongst the students and management alike and the failure of which had led to severe logistical and law-and-order problems. She has been a Professor (Plan) from 1994 onwards and has lectured at many prestigious universities in India and abroad. She has been the Head of the Department (Sociology) for multiple terms and has implemented far-reaching academic and administrative contributions to the department. She has introduced numerous courses and electives in the department: A special mention, here, should possibly made of her pioneering role in successfully introducing and popularizing Gender studies in the University, as well as in the State. She has also been a part of numerous accreditation teams and interview boards of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Union Public Services Examinations (UPSC), National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) etc. Prof. Ray has guided and awarded close to 20 Ph. D theses, mostly pertaining to issues of Displacement, Rehabilitation and Gender, and has published extensively in national and international journals.. She has two books underway, one called ‘Beyond Resettlement and Rehabilitation’ with Prof. L.H. Ekstrand (Lund University) and the other called ‘From Blood to Fire – Gramadevis and the Changing Culture of Orissa’ with Dr. Elinor Gadon of Brandeis University, USA. She is presently Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology at Utkal University, India. Prof. Ray’s consulting assignments have been with The World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), European Economic Commission (EEC), Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Food and Agriculture Program (FAO), Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), Power Grid Corporation of India, POSCO-India,to name a few.

Research Interest

Sociology of Development, Sociology of Gender and Sociology of Religion