Faculty Profile

Dr Shubhra Nagalia has a multi-disciplinary academic background. She has studied Russian Language and Literature and completed her BA/MA/MPhil from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Her research in MPhil focused on 'Text, Ideology and Gender' basing her analysis on the study of gender roles and stereotypes in Russian language teaching textbooks to foreign students. The mediation of ideology between the state, its several institutions and education has been one of the elements of her research work since the MPhil.
Subsequently, Dr Shubhra Nagalia shifted to the field of Women's Studies and was a medal award winning student of the women's studies programme conducted jointly by gender experts of three countries; India, Pakistan and Srilanka. Since coming back from Srilanka, she was engaged with building, developing the curriculum and teaching MA Women's Studies programme at Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishvavidyalay, Wardha. The papers she presented at different seminars over the country during this time have focused on the politics of representation, gender ideology and literature.
Over the last couple of years, Dr Nagalia completed another MA in Political Science from Allahabad University and started a PhD from JNU. She has recently been awarded a PhD from School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her PhD analysis concerned the study of the Russian Transition and its impact on women and their relationship with the Russian state in the context of shifting state policies on gender in Russia. The relationship between the modern state and women, women's movements and gender ideology is one of the central concerns of her research works over the last decade

The research interests of Dr Shubhra Nagalia also include a study of women's organizations, their mobilization strategies, its linkages with human rights and civil liberty movements in India. This study is in tandem with her keen academic interest in locating organic linkages between the ground activism and theoretical attempts to develop the analysis of the cause of women's oppression and strategies of their liberation. The questions regarding an understanding of the modern state; land, labour and livelihood situation of women; mediation of gender ideology between the state, market and social actors; politics of representation and its linkages between the fundamental agenda of education and other dimensions of gender ideology form the central focus of her research interests.

i. Shubhra Nagalia, ‘Gender, Vichardhara Aur Rajsatta. Paath Ki Ranneetiyan’ (‘Gender, Ideology and State. Textual Strategies’), Abhivyakti Prakashan, 2009, ISBN 978-81-906804-2-4, Allahabad.

ii. Currently Co-editing a volume of Women's Studies Hindi Reader ‘‘Nation States, Marketization" for Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishvavidyalay, Wardha.

Papers Presented

1. ‘Experience of Teaching Women’s Studies,’ for Indian Association Women’s Studies (IWAS), 11th National Conference of Women’s Studies, ‘Sovereignty, Citizenship and Gender,’ Goa, 3-6 May, 2006.

2. ‘Bhakti Poet Mirabai: Relevance of her Legacy for Women’s Movement,’ for Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, Rajasthan, December 2004. Published in ‘Samkaaleen Janmat,’ as ‘Naari Asmita kaa Prasna aur Meera’ (‘Women’s Identity and Meera’), Issue 2, June 2006.

3. ‘Contesting Appropriations: Mahatma Gandhi’s Appropriation of Mirabai for Mass Mobilisation,’ for The Central Institute of Indian Languages, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 1-4 February 2005.

4. ‘Women’s Labour in Aalo Andhari,’ September 2005, for Sahyog, Allahabad.

5. Report published ‘Ayodhya se Ahmedabad’ (‘Ayodhya to Ahmedabad’) after a visit as part of Human Rights group during the days of Gujarat riots. Publshed in several magazines including Samkaaleen Janmat, Issue 2, June 2002.

6. Paper presented ‘Text, Ideology and Gender: A Study of the Construction of Gender Roles through Language Teaching Material,’ School of Languages, FAR, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 12-14 March, 1997.

7. Paper presented ‘Empowerment from Below: Implications for women's movement from Below,’ Allahabad High Court, Allahabad, Conducted by Justice Markanday Katju, Allahabad, 2001.

Completed the Independent Fellowship Programme, Sarai, CSDS, New Delhi, 2006-2007: ‘Media Representation of Communal Conflicts in Hindi Media: Case Study of Mau Riots, 2005,’ Presented in New Delhi, December 2007 in a conference organized by CSDS, New Delhi.A