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Category : Associates


The History of British Diplomacy in Pakistan: An Interview with Professor Ian Talbot

The History of British Diplomacy in Pakistan: An Interview with Professor Ian Talbot

The Mittal Institute’s April 7 talk, “The History of British Diplomacy in Pakistan,” is headlined by Ian Talbot, Mittal Institute Research Affiliate and Professor in History and Director of the Centre for Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies, University of Southampton. Ian has written extensively on the themes of the colonial Punjab, the Partition of India, and the political history of Pakistan, and is the author of a 2021 book, The History of British Diplomacy in Pakistan. The Mittal Institute caught up with Ian to discuss his early education, research motivations, and his new publication.

Video: The US Election’s Impact on South Asia

Video: The US Election’s Impact on South Asia

Ronak Desai, Research Associate at the Mittal Institute, recently moderated a discussion between Ambassador Nirupama Rao, Former Foreign Secretary of India, and Vipin Narang, Associate Professor of Political Science at MIT, as they explored how the potential outcomes of the US presidential election may impact the region of South Asia.

Vidya Subramanian: From Citizen to Consumer in a Data-Driven Society

Vidya Subramanian: From Citizen to Consumer in a Data-Driven Society

This time of the year, we would normally be welcoming the new Mittal Institute Raghunathan Family Fellow to Harvard’s campus in Cambridge. But, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the fellowship has been adjusted to meet the needs of our newly selected Fellow. Vidya Subramanian, an interdisciplinary scholar whose research interests lie at the intersection of technologies and societies, joined us virtually this fall as a Mittal Institute Research Affiliate. She will defer her in-person fellowship term to a time when she can join the team on campus to make the most of Harvard’s intellectual resources and student and faculty interactions.

How Will the 2020 US Election Impact South Asia?

Video: The US Election’s Impact on South Asia

Earlier this week, Ronak Desai, Research Associate at the Mittal Institute, moderated a discussion between Ambassador Nirupama Rao, Former Foreign Secretary of India, and Vipin Narang, Associate Professor of Political Science at MIT, as they explored how the potential outcomes of the US presidential election may impact the region of South Asia.

Raile Rocky Ziipao: Infrastructural Deficit in Northeast India

Raile Rocky Ziipao: Infrastructural Deficit in Northeast India

We spoke with Raile Rocky Ziipao, a multidisciplinary researcher, development practitioner, and former Raghunathan Family Fellow at the Mittal Institute. He is currently tenured at the Central University of Punjab, and has recently published a book entitled “Infrastructure of Injustice: State and Politics in Manipur and Northeast India.” Raile’s research delves into the dynamics of infrastructural development in northeast India, especially in his home state of Manipur, from a socio-anthropological perspective.

An Infrastructural Revolution Along the Indo-China Border

An Infrastructural Revolution Along the Indo-China Border

By Raile Rocky Ziipao. In the light of the Indo-China face-off in Ladakh that led to the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Galwan Valley, there is now an acute urgency to focus on border infrastructure. From a policy perspective, India needs an infrastructural revolution at its borders for national security, to fortify against external threats, to bring connectivity to unconnected territory, and to maintain peace and prosperity.

Veronica Vargas: South-to-South Collaboration and South Asia’s Role in Vaccine R&D

Veronica Vargas: South-to-South Collaboration and South Asia’s Role in Vaccine R&D

Veronica Vargas, PhD, is an economist who focuses on health economics, global health, and health policy. As a research affiliate with the Mittal Institute and visiting scholar at Harvard University for the past three years, she has explored the research and development (R&D) of novel vaccines and drugs in both South Asia and Latin America. More than ever, this expertise has become essential in the understanding of global needs for R&D in the face of a pandemic and additional neglected diseases around the world.

Hasna Moudud: Oriental Winds of Change and the Silk Road to South Asia

Hasna Moudud: Oriental Winds of Change and the Silk Road to South Asia

We spoke with Hasna Jasimuddin Moudud, a Research Affiliate at the Mittal Institute and the author of numerous books, including “Where Women Rule: South Asia,” and “Mystic Poetry of Bangladesh.” For decades, she has journeyed the Silk Road to learn more about the connections and exchanges of goods, ideologies, and knowledge across centuries and continents, and shared with us some of her discoveries along the way.

Shedding Light on Economic Performance in South Asia

Shedding Light on Economic Performance in South Asia

Imtiaz ul Haq is a Financial Sector Consultant at the World Bank and a Research Affiliate at the Mittal Institute, formerly a Fellow at both the Mittal Institute and the Gui2de Initiative at Georgetown University. Previously, he was an Assistant Professor of Economics at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Manchester. In this article, ul Haq delves into a new, unconventional method to measure economic performance in South Asia.

Fatima Zahra: Improving the Wellbeing of Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

Fatima Zahra: Improving the Wellbeing of Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

Fatima Zahra, Research Affiliate at the Mittal Institute and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard University, has been working to design and implement socially responsible programs to address the loss of human potential and enhance life outcomes among the most marginalized. Recently, she was in Bangladesh for about three months to work at the Rohingya refugee camps and uncover ways to improve the mental and fiscal wellbeing of the refugees who live there.