Urmila Phadnis (1931 – 1991) was an Indian political scientist and sociologist, who specialised in the ethnology of

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

. She served as professor of

international affairs International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...

. She authored the books ''Ethnicity and Nation-building in South Asia'' (2001), ''Towards the Integration of Indian States, 1919-1947'' (1968), and ''Maldives, Winds of Change in an Atoll State'' (1985) among others on the

geopolitics Geopolitics (from Greek γῆ ''gê'' "earth, land" and πολιτική ''politikḗ'' "politics") is the study of the effects of Earth's geography (human and physical) on politics and international relations. While geopolitics usually refers to ...

of South Asia. She was the mother of political writer

Aditi Phadnis Aditi Phadnis is a political writer. She writes columns in newspapers and magazines and has published books on the subject of Indian politics. She is married to the defense commentator Ashok Mehta. Her mother, Urmila Phadnis, was International A ...

References

1931 births 1991 deaths Indian political scientists Indian women sociologists 20th-century political scientists {{India-scientist-stub