School of Social and Political Science

Dr Awanish Kumar

Honorary Fellow

A person wearing black shirt sitting around books
awanish.kumar@ed.ac.uk
Orcid Profile
Chrystal Macmillan Building
15a, George Square
Edinburgh
EH8 9LD

Research interests

Health & Well-being Identities & Inequalities International development South Asian studies Work & Economy

My primary interest is in the following areas: development studies, political economy, land, commons, and public health.

Background

Awanish Kumar is an Associate Professor at the School of Development, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. He is also an Honorary Fellow at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, and Consulting Editor (Book Reviews) at Economic & Political Weekly. He previously held a British Academy Newton International Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh and taught at Masters in Public Policy programme at St Xavier’s College, Mumbai. He holds a PhD in Development Studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Trained in development studies, Awanish’s work is transdisciplinary in form and essence, seeking to meaningfully engage with reality in its fullest and widest possible canvas while working towards the common good. 

Consequently, his research spans different regions (Maharashtra, Bihar, Punjab and Jharkhand) and varied themes (agricultural economics, commons, public health, language politics), drawing from critical political economy, social anthropology and history. Apart from his formal academic and research activities, he is deeply interested in theoretical physics, philosophy of mind, science fiction, linguistics, and popular culture (especially Bombay cinema and Bhojpuri music). 

University Education

  • PhD Development Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India, 2012–19.
  • MPhil, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India, 2010–12.
  • MA Development Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India, 2007–09.
  • BA (Hons) in Economics, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, 2004–07.
  • Certificate of Specialization in Sustainable Development, International Graduate School North-South (graduate school of Universities of Basel, Bern, Lausanne, and Zurich) 2019.

Employment

  • Assistant Professor, School of Development, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. July 2020 to March 2021.
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Public Policy at St Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Mumbai. June 2015 to June 2020.

Works within

Awanish Kumar's Research Explorer profile