Contemporary India Research, MPhil/PhD, option of joint PhD with NUS

The India Institute offers supervision for MPhil/PhD research degrees relating to contemporary India and draws on academic expertise in a range of disciplinary departments across the College.

Staff research interests include:

Professor Sunil Khilnani: Intellectual history and political thought; the history and politics of modern India; democratic theory and non-Western experiences; strategic thought on India's place in the world.

Dr Kriti Kapila: The law in contemporary India; the politics of recognition and the category of 'tribe' in India; the historical DNA of population groups; the interface of national and transnational legal regimes.

Dr Jahnavi Phalkey: The history of science and technology; the roles of science in the transformation of independent India; the laboratory as a social institution; statistical practices; nuclear physics research and education in India; state power in independent India.

Dr Louise Tillin: Politics and development in contemporary India; the operation of India's federal system; the creation of India's newest states; agrarian political economy.

The India Institute is developing a lively and thought-provoking programme of seminars, workshops and colloquia, all of which encourage interaction between graduate students, research staff and a wider audience, for example the 2012 seminar series with Ramachandra Guha and a series entitled ‘Behind the Headlines'.

The Institute has a core staff component that is ably supported by faculty in mainstream departments with a strong interest in India. Through their association with the activities of the Institute, including PhD supervision, these associates add to the multidisciplinary, intellectual vibrancy of the Institute. The Institute regularly hosts internationally renowned Visiting Fellows who add an important dimension to our stimulating academic environment.

We offer a research seminar series, and students can attend Masters lectures, as well as attending research methods and epistemology courses. Students can also participate in the induction and training programmes offered by the College.