Professor Dr. Radhika Govindrajan

Biography

Radhika Govindrajan is an Associate Professor and Director of the South Asia Center at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. A cultural anthropologist, she works across various fields including multispecies ethnography, environmental anthropology, anthropology of religion, South Asian Studies, and political anthropology. Her research is motivated by a longstanding interest in understanding the relationships between humans and nonhumans in South Asia, and is influenced by broader cultural, political, and social issues such as religious nationalism, elite projects in environmental conservation, animal rights, and the everyday ethical actions amid environmental decline. Govindrajan explores the struggles for social and political justice faced by marginalized groups dealing with caste discrimination, patriarchal domination, and state violence. She welcomes new MA students and offers courses related to culture and power in international studies.

Research Interests