Dr. Jiya Pandya

Biography

Jiya Pandya is a lecturer jointly appointed in the Department of History and the Program in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her teaching and research focus on the histories and theories of disability, with a strong emphasis on the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. She specializes in 19th and 20th century transnational histories of science, technology, embodiment, welfare, and activism in South Asia and the United States, as well as global postwar institutions. Currently, she is working on book projects, including a collaborative edited volume titled 'Peripheral Crip Critique.' This book traces the genealogy of the concept of disability in relation to caste in India and the U.S., examining various historical sites, such as missionary leprosy work, yoga, physical education, and the Indian handicraft industry, along with international aid in prosthetic technologies. Her work has been published and is forthcoming in venues like Disability Studies Quarterly and Lateral, and it is supported by entities like the Institute for Citizens Scholars Center for Black, Brown, and Queer Studies. Jiya holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. from Princeton University and a B.A. from Middlebury College. Her classes emphasize engaging pedagogy and research that encourages hands-on learning and critical theories of the body in contemporary advocacy fields.

Research Interests