Dr. Rashi Bhargava

Designation: Assistant Professor

Department: Sociology

Qualifications:

  • PhD in Sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, 2015
  • UGC NET-JRF in Sociology, 2010
  • M. Phil in Sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, 2010
  • M.A in Sociology, Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India, 2006
  • B.A. (Honours) in Sociology, Hindu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India, 2004

Areas of interest:

Sociology of North East India, sociology of humour, sociology of visual culture, disciplinary practices of/in social sciences, singlehood and singlism, urban spaces and gender.

Academic Experience

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Work, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Hosur Road, Bengaluru, India from 1 August 2022 till 9 October 2023.
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi, India from 22 July 2014 till 25 July 2022.
  • Guest Lecturer in Sociology, College for Vocational Studies, University of Delhi, India from 3 February till 30 April 2015.
  • Guest Lecturer in Sociology, Department of Sociology, Hindu College, University of Delhi, India from 6 August till 30 November 2014.
  • Guest Lecturer in Sociology, Department of Sociology, Hindu College, University of Delhi, India from 3 September 2012 till 30 April 2013
  • Guest Lecturer in Sociology, Department of Sociology, Kamla Nehru College, University of Delhi, India from 6 February till 30 April 2012.
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Kamla Nehru College, University of Delhi, India from 6 January till 5 February 2012

Courses Taught:

Introduction to Sociology, Sociology of India, Sociology of Contemporary India, Urban Sociology, Sociological Theories, Sociology of Religion, Sociology of Gender, Sociology of Visual Culture, Environmental Sociology, Techniques of Ethnographic Filmmaking, Methods of Sociological Inquiry, Indian Society: Images and Realities.

Publications

Books

  • Chilana, R & R. Bhargava (Eds.). (Forthcoming in June 2024). Politics of Recognition and Representation in Indian Stand-up Comedy (Part of Palgrave Studies in Comedy, PSCOM). Palgrave Macmillan Cham. ISBN: 9783031394263. Series ISSN: 2731-4332
  • Prakash, Om & R. Bhargava (Section Editors). 2023. “Society, Reflexivity and Populism” in J.C. Chennattuserry, M. Deshpande & P.C. Hong edited Encyclopedia of New Populism and Responses in the 21st Century (Living reference work). Springer Nature.
  • Bhargava, R & R. Chilana (Eds.). 2022/2023. Punching Up: Stand Up Comedy Speaking Truth to Power. Taylor & Francis/Routledge. ISBN: 9781032267258. (Scopus Indexed)
  • Nongbri, T. & R. Bhargava (Eds). 2021. Materiality and Visuality in North East India: An Interdisciplinary Perspective. Springer Singapore. ISBN (Hardcover): 978-981-16-1969-4. ISBN (eBook): 978-981-16-1970-0 (Scopus Indexed)
  • Tandon, A.P, G.D. Tripathy & R. Bhargava (Eds.). 2021. Social Scientist in South Asia: Personal Narratives, Social Forces and Negotiations. Taylor & Francis/Routledge. ISBN:9781138369771 (Scopus Indexed)

Book Chapters

  • Bhargava, Rashi, 2021. “Interrogating the ‘Civil Society’ in Naga Society” in G. Amarjit Sharma (Ed.) State vs. Society in Northeast India: History, Politics and the Everyday. New Delhi: Sage Publications, pp. 124-148. ISSN (Hardcover): 9789391370374
  • Bhargava, Rashi, 2021. “Gendering the Pandemic: Revisiting domestic space in times of Covid-19” in Gopi D. Tripathy et al. (Eds) Sociological Reflections on the Covid-19 Pandemic in India: Redefining the Normal. Singapore: Springer Verlag, pp. 19-34. ISBN (Hardcover): 9789811623196. (Scopus Indexed)
  • Bhargava, Rashi & R. Chilana. 2021. ‘Home-ing the World and World-ing the Home: An Understanding of Singlehood, Rental Housing and Neighbourliness’ in Sadan Jha, Amiya K. Das and Dev. N. Pathak (Eds.) Neighbourhoods in Urban India: In Between Home and the City. Bloomsbury Academic India, pp. 181-202. ISBN: 9789390252633
  • Bhargava, R. & R. Chilana. 2020. ‘A Flat of my own: Singlehood and Rental Housing in Urban India’ in Divya Upadhyaya Joshi and Caroline Brassard (Eds.) Urban Spaces and Gender in the Asia. Singapore: Springer Nature, pp. 95-108. ISBN: 978-3-030-36493-9
  • Bhargava, Rashi. 2017. ‘Civil Society as a Site of Performed Identity: Exploring the Naga Context’ in Dev Nath Pathak and Sasanka Perera (Eds.) Performative Communication: Culture and Politics in South Asia. New Delhi: Routledge, pp. 122-135. ISBN: 9780367277642. (Scopus Indexed)
  • Bhargava, Rashi. 2016. 'Lucknow to Nagaland via Delhi: Journey of an Adventurous Indian Woman -- Narrating experiences from the field' in Divya Joshi and C. Permpoonwiwat (Eds.) Equating Gender: Explorations in the Asia - Pacific. Jaipur:Rawat Publications, pp. 197-209. ISBN: 978-8131608029
  • Bhargava, Rashi 2011. ‘Discourses and Actions: Indian State in North-East India’ in Indu Swami (ed.) Exploring North-East Indian Writings in English Vol I, New Delhi: Sarup Book Publishers, pp. 362-384. ISBN: 9788176257251 

Journal Articles

  • Bhargava, R & Singhal, S. 2023. Stand-Up: The “Comic” Public Sphere in India. International Journal of Communication 17(2023), 5852–5869.
  • Bhargava, R., Yadav, A., & Shrestha, M. 2022. Interrogating the idea of ‘Sustainable Agriculture‘ and its impact in India. Vantage: Journal of Thematic Analysis, 3(1), 84-102 DOI: https://doi.org/10.52253/vjta.2022.v03i01.06
  • Bhargava, R., Borgohain, N., Naidu, P., Bhatnagar, S., Lakra, S., & Shukla, V. 2021. Anxieties and Fears: A Sociological Study of Mental Health of Students in COVID-19 Pandemic. Vantage: Journal of Thematic Analysis, 2(1): 86- 105. ISSN: 2582-7391.

Book Reviews

Popular Writings in Newspapers, Periodicals and Web Portals

  • Bhargava, Rashi & Richa Chilana, 2020. Always on the Move: Stories of the Street Food Vendors at Police Bazaar, Shillong. Travel Writing: A mode of constructing knowledge (Issue 56) by Café Dissensus on October 23, 2020. ISSN No: 2373-177X.
  • Bhargava, R. & R. Chilana, 2020. “Travelling in the Times of COVID-19: Erstwhile Joys and Present Fears” in Cafe Dissensus Everyday (Blog), June 10, 2020.
  • Bhargava, R. & R. Chilana, 2020. “What contagion, confinement and companionship mean for single women in lockdown” in scroll.in, June 13, 2020
  • Bhargava, Rashi. 2016. ‘Issue of Women’s Reservation in Nagaland: The Impasse’ in Women’s Watch, April-June 2016. New Delhi: National Federation of Indian Women.
  • Bhargava, Rashi. 2013. ‘Sustaining Sustainable Development, Terragreen, Vol. 6, Issue 7, October, 2013. New Delhi: Teri Press
  • Bhargava, Rashi. 2020. “No Tea, Only Talk: The ‘Missing’ Interactions in the Digital Space” in Life/Philosophy countercurrents.org, May 20, 2020.

Conference Report

  • Bhargava, Rashi. 2019. Conference report on “Materiality and Visuality in North East India” in Indian Anthropologist, Vol. 49 No. 1. Pgs.103-105. ISSN: 0970-0927

Research Report

Academic Activities

Invited Speaker/Resource Person

  • Resource Person for Refresher Course in Sociology organized by the UGC- MMTTC, NEHU on 5 March 2024.
  • Chaired a session for National Seminar on Culture, Identity and Society in North East India organized by the Department of Sociology, Manipur University, India on 23 February, 2024
  • Invited speaker for National Seminar on Culture, Identity and Society in North East India organized by the Department of Sociology, Manipur University, India on 23-24 February, 2024. Presented a paper titled Civility, politics and identity: Revisiting the bases of civil societ(ies) in Nagaland.
  • Invited speaker for Sociology Lecture Series organized by the Department of Sociology, Nagaland University, India on 19 April 2023. Talk was titled - What are we laughing at? Stand-up comedy in India.
  • Invited Speaker for Book Talk: A joint initiative by Library and Information Centre & Center for Social and Policy Research (CSPR), Christ University, Bengaluru on 24 February, 2023.
  • Invited Speaker for the webinar titled North East Beyond Violence: Looking Ahead organized by The Asiatic Society, Kolkata on 30 March 2022. Presented a paper titled “The making of “new” identities: Contemporary narratives of construction and representation of identity in North East India”.
  • Resource Person for Research Training Workshop for Summer Internship Programme, 2021-22 organised by Centre for Research, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi on 20 May 2021
  • Delivered a Special Lecture titled Revisiting the Discourse on Sexuality through ‘Desire’ and ‘Marginality’ at the Department of Sociology, Bharti College, University of Delhi on 6 November 2019
  • Panelist for the Book Discussion on Sociology and Social Anthropology in South Asia: Histories and Practices (Eds. Dev Nath Pathak, Ravi Kumar and Sasanka Perera, Orient Blackswan, New Delhi 2018) on 27 June 2019, at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The book discussion was co-organised by the Department of Sociology, South Asian University, New Delhi and the International Centre for Ethnic studies, Sri Lanka on 27 June 2019
  • Chaired the session titled 'Humour and Politics in Everyday Life Worlds and Media’ at the International Conference on Humour and the Performance of Power in South Asia: Anxiety, Laughter and Politics in Unstable Times co-organized by the International Centre for Ethnic Studies in Colombo and the Department of Sociology, South Asian University, New Delhi on 28 June 2019
  • Delivered a talk titled Voices from the Margins: Placing North East in the Debate at the Department of Sociology, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi on 9 February 2017

Seminar/Conference Presentations

  • Paper titled Hasan Minhaj and Vir Das: The Apus of American Stand-up Comedy co-written with Dr. Richa Chilana at the Asian and Asian-American Studies Area of the 2022 Annual Conference of the Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association (MAPACA) held on November 10-12, 2022.
  • Paper titled Home-ing the World and World-ing the Home: An Understanding of Singlehood, Rental Housing and Neighbourliness co-presented with Dr. Richa Chilana at the International Seminar on ‘Locating Neighbourhoods in the Global South” organised by the Department of Sociology, Tezpur University, Assam on 25-26 September 2019
  • Paper titled Standing up: The “Comic” Public Sphere co-presented with Mr. Samarth Singhal at the International Conference on ‘Humour and the Performance of Power in South Asia: Anxiety, Laughter and Politics in Unstable Times’ co-organized by the International Centre for Ethnic Studies in Colombo and the Department of Sociology, South Asian University, New Delhi on 27-28 June 2019
  • Paper titled Reconstructing (?) Centre-Periphery Relations: Study of North-eastern Food Culture in Delhi at the International Conference on Margins and Connections organized by Special Centre for the Study of North East India, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi on 7-8 February 2019
  • Paper titled State-Society Synergy in Nagaland: Understanding the Role of Civil Society Organisations in Contemporary Times at the International Seminar on “Convergence of Development, Governance and Civil Society: Changing Role of the State” organised by the Department of Public Administration, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur on 24-25 January 2018
  • Paper titled A Flat of My Own: Single People and Rental Housing co-presented with Dr. Richa Chilana at the International Conference on “Urban Spaces and Gender: Exploring Gender, Marginalization and Equity in Urban Spaces in the Asia-Pacific” organised by UGC-Human Resource Development Center Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India & Sponsored by Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, India on 1-2 November, 2017
  • Paper titled Civil Societ(ies) in Nagaland: Understanding its Role in Contemporary Times presented at the National Seminar on “Society and Social Change in North East India” organised by North East India Studies Programme, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi on 10 March, 2016
  • Paper titled Conducting Research amongst the Nagas in contemporary times: Issues and Challenges presented at the National conference on "Framing a Region: New Perspectives on Northeast India", organised by Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Advanced Studies and North East India Studies Programme, JNU, New Delhi on 25-27 March, 2015
  • Paper titled Exploring Civil Society as a Performative Site: Case Study of Contemporary Nagaland presented at the International Conference On Performative Communication: Culture And Politics In South Asia organised by the Center for Culture, Media and Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia University and Department Of Sociology, South Asian University in collaboration with Indian Council of Social Science Research on 20-21 January, 2015
  • Paper titled From Mediation to Performance: Changing Role of Civil Society in Nagaland presented at the NEISP Monthly Seminar Series 2014 of North East Indian Studies Programme Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi on 22 August, 2014
  • Paper titled A beginning or an end? - Exploring the policy of 33% reservation for women in electoral politics as a site of multiple discriminations, with special reference to contemporary Nagaland at the XIV National Conference on Equality, Pluralism and the State: Perspectives from the Women’s Movement organised by Indian Association for Women’s Studies (IAWS) held at Guwahati on 4-7th February, 2014.
  • Paper titled Locating Civil Society in Contemporary Nagaland: Sociological Findings presented at the XXXIX All India Sociological Conference “Inequality, Social Justice and Empowerment” held at Karnataka State Open University, Mukthagangothri, Mysore on 27-29 December, 2013
  • Paper titled Lucknow to Nagaland via Delhi: Journey of an “adventurous Indian woman” – Narrating Experiences from the field presented at the International Conference on Gender Equity: Issues of Theory, Practice and Policy in the Asia-Pacific Region organised by UGC-Academic Staff College, Kumaun University, Nainital and sponsored by National Commission for Women, New Delhi on 21-22 March, 2013
  • Paper titled Civil Society in Nagaland: Site for locating Naga Identity presented at the National Seminar on Interrogating Indigeneity, citizenship and the State: perspectives from India’s North-East organised by Department of Sociology, Tezpur University and ICSSR NERC on 7-9 March, 2013
  • Paper titled ’Ethnicity’ and ‘Religion’: Markers in Locating Naga Civil Society in Contemporary Times? presented at National Seminar on State, Social Movements and Democracy in Northeast India organised by the Department of Political Science, Gauhati University and Indian Council of Historical Research – North East Regional Centre on 27 February-1 March, 2013
  • Paper titled Conflicting or complementary: Paradigms around socio-political movements in North-East India presented at the National Seminar on Social Science Research in North East India: Issues and Challenges organized by North-East India Studies Programme, JNU on 25-26 February, 2010 

Conference/Workshop/Talks/Events Organised

  • Organised an online talk on “Women in India’s Freedom Struggle” by Dr. Gargi Chakravartty organised by Department of Sociology, Maitreyi College on 18th August, 2021
  • Coordinated Faculty Platform Presentations of Equinox 2021: The Annual International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture: Negotiating Tradition and Modernity organised by Centre for Research, Maitreyi College under the aegis of Vantage: Journal of Thematic Analysis on 12-14th August, 2021
  • Member, Organising Committee of Equinox 2021: The Annual International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture: Negotiating Tradition and Modernity organised by Centre for Research, Maitreyi College under the aegis of Vantage: Journal of Thematic Analysis on 12-14th August, 2021
  • Coordinated and moderated the webinar on The Perspective Building National Webinar: Mentoring Socio-Emotional Well-Being of Students Campus as a Space of Happiness organised by the Ministry of Education, Government of India in collaboration with the Department of Sociology, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi on 19 April 2021
  • Member, Organising Committee for International Interdisciplinary e-Conference on “Sustainable Future for Humanity: The New Learning Curve” organized under the aegis of Avgaahan, International Interdisciplinary Academic Fest by Maitreyi College, University of Delhi on 24 Feb 2021
  • Organised and moderated an online talk on Documentary Film Modes in Ethnographic Film by Dr. Alison Kahn, Teaching and Research fellow for Stanford University and Overseas program in Oxford at the Department of Sociology, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi on 10 Feb 2021
  • Organised and moderated an online event (Screening of the play, Lorelei by Ruchika Theatre Group followed by interaction with Ms. Radhika Alkazi and Talk by Ms. Maitreyi Misra) on Empathy and Death Penalty at the Department of Sociology, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi on 16 October 2020
  • Organised and moderated the Screening and Discussion of the Films 'Devi and Stereo’ under the theme: Exploring Gender at the Department of Sociology, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi on 23 September 2020
  • Coordinated and Moderated the National Webinar on Home and the World in the Pandemic: Redefining the Normal organised by the Department of Sociology, Maitreyi College, New Delhi and Department of Sociology, Cotton University, Guwahati, Assam on 6 May 2020
  • Co-convened the International Conference on Materiality and Visuality in North East India organised by Centre for North East Study and Policy Research (CNESPR), Jamia Millia Islamia with Prof. Tiplut Nongbri, Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew Chair Professor, CNESPR, JMI on 28 February - 1 March 2019
  • Coordinated a Workshop on Labour and Employment in North East India: Issues, Concerns and Challenges organised by V.V. Giri National Labour Institute in collaboration with Department of Sociology, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi on 12 April 2017

Academic Training Participation

  • Attended a Capacity Building Programme in Digital Storytelling Methodologies from 27 June-5 July 2023 in Pune conducted by De Montfort University, Leicester, UK.
  • Completed a two-week online Interdisciplinary Refresher Course on Film Studies conducted by Teaching-Learning Centre, Ramanujan College, University of Delhi from 24 August - 4 September 2021
  • Completed a six-week non-credit online course on Film, Images and Historical Interpretation in the 20th Century: The camera never lies conducted by University of London and Royal Holloway, University of London and offered through Coursera. Grade achieved - 86.46 on 26 October 2020
  • Faculty Training Program on Google applications conducted by Department of Computer Science, Maitreyi College from 16 July - 14 August 2020
  • Workshop on Feminist Research Methodology organized jointly by RC-10, Indian Sociological Society and Rajiv Gandhi National Institute for Youth Development at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi on 14 December, 2011
  • International Workshop on Alternative Research Methodologies V organised by SEPHIS and SEASREP Foundation at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines on 17-28 October, 2011
  • All India Young Social Scientists Workshop titled “Emerging Trends in Social Science Research and Methodological Challenges”organised by ICCSR, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute for Youth Development, Indian Sociological Society and Tezpur University in Tezpur Central University, Tezpur, Assam on 10-11 October, 2011

Research Projects with Students

  • Mentored a student from United College London (UCL) for her MA dissertation titled Materiality of representing Konyaks through head-hunter tattoos: Colonialism to tourism - A photographic representation and objectification of identity for her 5 week fieldwork (May-June 2022) in Nagaland, India.
  • Mentored a Research Project for Summer Internship Research Project (2020-2021) titled “Interrogating the idea of ‘Sustainable Agriculture’ and its Social Impact” under the aegis of Centre for Research, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi. The project won the first prize in the Social Sciences and Humanities category.
  • Mentored the Summer Internship Research Project (2019-2020) titled “A Sociological Study of Mental Health of Students during COVID 19 Pandemic” under the aegis of Centre for Research, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi. The project won the first prize in the Social Sciences and Humanities category.

Academic/Administrative Responsibilities

  • Member of Board of Studies in Political Science Department,NEHU.
  • Editorial Board Member of Vantage: Journal of Thematic Analysis - a biannual peer-reviewed multidisciplinary journal, published by the Centre for Research, Maitreyi College, University of Delhi.
  • Peer Reviewer for AKADEMOS (ISSN-2231-0584) - Journal of Kamla Nehru College, University of Delhi, International Journal of Ethnic and Social Studies, Sri Lanka (ISSN no. 2012-712X), Journal of Indian Anthropological Society (ISSN no. 0019-4387), Frontiers, Vantage: Journal of Thematic Analysis (ISSN: 2582-7391)
  • Editor-in-chief of the annual e-Magazine of the Department of Sociology Sociologue: Aao Baat Karein for 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23.
  • Editor-in-chief of bi-annual Newsletter of the Department of Sociology Sociologue: Aao Baat Karein for Issue 1, Vol 1. Issue 2, Vol 1&2, Issue 3, Vol.1, Issue 4, Vol. 2, Issue 5, Vol 1&2.
  • Committee member for Centre For Research (CFR), Maitreyi College for the academic years 2021-22 and 2022-23
  • Co-organised field trips and pre-fieldwork Research Methodology Workshops in the Department of Sociology, Maitreyi College from 2014 till 2020

Memberships and Institutional Affiliations

  • Life member, Indian Sociological Society (ISS)
  • Life member, Indian Anthropological Association (IAA)
  • Life member, North East India Sociological Association (NEISA)
  • Member, Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for GRIHA Council (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment), New Delhi

Research and Industry Experience

  • Network Support Officer on the Gender Based Violence and Resilience (GenViR) UK/India Network, an innovative, equitable, inclusive, ethical, and sustainable Network, led by De Montfort University and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), UK. February 2022- September 2023.
  • Research Consultant with International Centre for Research on Women, New Delhi www.icrw.org, February 2012 – May 2012 on the project IMPACCT Formative Research (Impact on Marriage Program Assessment of Conditional Cash Transfers)
  • Consultant, National Secretariat, We Can India Campaign, India www.wecanendvaw.org/ campaign- country/india A Programme initiated by OXFAM, November 2009 - August 2011
  • Research Consultant with International Centre for Research on Women, New Delhi www.icrw.org, August 2009 – October 2009 on the project Delaying Child Marriage for girls in India funded by UNICEF
  • Research Fellow, Collaborative Research and Dissemination, New Delhi www.cordindia.com, July 2006 - August 2007 on the project RECOUP funded by DFID
  • Research Assistant, with Dr. Radhika Chopra (Faculty, Delhi School of Economics), November 2005–January 2006 on the project Safety, Public and Urban Design undertaken by Delhi Urban Arts Commission, New Delhi