About me

Scholar studying how social movements, religion, and gender shape democracy, and how young people learn to take part in it.

I am an Associate Professor of International Politics at Georgetown University in Qatar. My research looks at how civil society, religion, and feminism shape democracy in India and South Asia, and at how activists, institutions, and ideologies interact, often in surprising ways.

I am currently studying democratic education. I study families and communities around the world who choose self-directed education, the emerging transnational movement for democratic education, and how few conventional schools give students a real democratic voice.

I also study youth protest in South Asia to understand how young people in the region are organizing beyond political parties.

I am the author of Mobilizing Religion and Gender in India (Routledge 2016) and Corporate Social Responsibility and Civil Society in India (Anthem 2024).

I believe students learn best when they examine the world around them critically and engage deeply with the communities and ideas they care about. That belief shapes both my teaching and my research. I received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2022, and I was a Fulbright-Nehru Senior Scholar in Mumbai in 2023–24.

I am an elected member of the APSA Council 2026-2028 and served as Chair of the APSA Religion and Politics Section for 2025–26.

You can read more about my work on the Research and Teaching pages, and find highlights of my CV. For inquiries, collaborations, or media requests, please get in touch.