Prof. Harihar Bhattacharyya

Biography

Dr Harihar Bhattacharyya received his Ph. D degree in Government from the London School of economics and Political Science as an internal candidate. He is currently a Professor of Political Science, University of Burdwan West B engal (India). During 2006 -08 for two years he was Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Commerce, Law, Management and Fine Arts of the University of Burdwan. He held prestigious visiting assignments in various universities in India and abroad: Baden -Wurttemburg Fe llow ( 1998) at the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University (Germany); Visiting Research Professor at the Institute of Federalism, Fribourg, Switzerland (1998 -99) (one year); L M Singhvi Fellow at the Hull University, UK (2002); DAAD Senior Fellow at the Heidelberg Universuity in 2007; Visiting Fellow at the Delhi University (North Campus) in 2010; and E minent Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla (2013 ). He taught at the universities of Hull (UK); Heidelberg (GermanY0, Delhi Unive rsity; and Fribourg 9Switzerland). Prof Bhattacharyya has visited many countries: UK, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Canada, Mexico, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Tanzania, Singapore, Nepal and Jordan. He has also participated in global peace making: Arusha for Burundi (1999); Austria (for Sri Lanka); Locarno (for Sri Lanka); Dulikh el for Nepal. He also facilitated constitution -making for Nepal in 2008. He prepared the India Country report on ‘Decentralization Effectiveness and Human rights: Th e Case of India’ in 2005 for ICH RP (Geneva) for UNDP. Prof. Bhattacharyya has authored/co -edited so far 1 0 books including five single authored and more than 100 research papers in journals and books. His recent books include: (2010) Federalism in Asia India, Pakistan and Malaysia (London and New York: Routledge); (co -edited) (2010) The Politics of Social Exclusion in India: Democracy at the Crossroads (London and New York: Routledge); and (2016) co -edited) Globalization and Governance in India: New Challenges to Society and Institutions (London and New York: Routledge) (2015). One of his recent research articles titled: ‘Federalism and Democracy in India: The Growing Salience of Diversity- claims over Equality -claims in Comparative and Global Perspective ’, R egional and Federal Studies (2015) (Routledge). He has carried out many prestigious research projects of his own as well as international collaboration. In 2013 he completed and submitted report on an ICCSR funded project on ‘Asymmetric Federalism, Tribal Identity and the Left in Tripura’. Currently he is a Lead Researcher responsible for the theme of ‘Ethnic Conflict Management in India’s North East’ in an international research project based in the University of Edinburgh, UK on ‘Continuity and Change in Indian Federalism in the Age of Coalition Governments’ funded by the Leverhulme Trust UK (2014 -17 January ).

Research Interest

comparative federalism; decentralization and human rights; democracy in India; and federalism and ethnic conflic t management.