Manali Desai is a Reader in

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

and a Fellow at Newnham College. She is currently the Head of the Department of Sociology at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and is believed the first woman of color to lead a department at the University of Cambridge.

Early life

Desai was brought up in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. She was born in the United States and later moved to India where she studied in Delhi. She completed her last two years of school in London before attending university.

Education and research

Desai studied

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

and received her PhD in Sociology from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

where she studied comparative and historical sociology and completed a dissertation under the direction of Maurice Zeitlin and Robert Brenner. Desai's research interests include post-colonial studies, social movements, state formation, political parties, development, and ethnic violence. Previously, her work has been funded by the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...

and the

Leverhulme Trust The Leverhulme Trust () is a large national grant-making organisation in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1925 under the will of the 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), with the instruction that its resources should be used to suppo ...

. Desai's research is currently funded by the

Economic and Social Research Council The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), formerly the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). UKRI is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) funded by the UK government. ESRC provides fundi ...

to investigate the urban transformation and gendered violence in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

and

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. In 2007, Desai wrote a book entitled ''State Formation and Radical Democracy in India, 1860-1990''. She has also co-edited two booked entitled ''States of Trauma: Gender and Violence in South Asia'' and ''Building Blocs: How Parties Organize Society'' in 2009 and 2015, respectively.

Academic roles

Before coming to Cambridge, Desai taught at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

. She came to the University of Cambridge in 2013 and is currently a Reader in Sociology. She is also a Fellow of

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sid ...

. In 2019, she was awarded the Pilkington Teaching Prize, in recognition of her commitment to and impact on teaching at the University of Cambridge. In 2020, Desai became the Head of Department of Sociology. She believed the first woman of color to lead a department at the University of Cambridge.

Diversity and equality work

Desai has been featured in

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

for her work on inclusion, diversity and equality within academia. She also helped establish a "Decolonise Sociology" working group in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge. Desai has been accused by the organization Alumnii for Free Speech (www.affs.com) of discrimination against people with a protected characteristic contrary to the UK Equality Act 201
AFFS Cambridge University Council Letter

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desai, Manali Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Fellows of Newnham College, Cambridge University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of Michigan alumni 21st-century social scientists American sociologists American women sociologists American women historians 21st-century women writers Indian sociologists Indian women sociologists 21st-century Indian historians Indian women historians