Dr. Romola Sanyal

Biography

Romola Sanyal is an Associate Professor in Urban Geography at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her research focuses on the relationship between forced migration and urbanization. One strand of her work examines how refugees and forced migrants become 'city makers', actively building and inhabiting urban spaces. She has conducted extensive research in India and Lebanon, including a study of Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut and the partition refugee colonies in Calcutta. Additionally, she explores the act of building and the politics of space, challenging the efforts of humanitarian organizations and host governments that tend to marginalize and depoliticize refugee populations. Another significant area of her research is centered on the geopolitics of humanitarian knowledge production, particularly pertaining to urban refugees. Titled 'Urban Humanitarianism', this work investigates how humanitarian organizations learn and intervene in urban areas and the political implications of sharing knowledge in these contexts. Sanyal has co-edited significant volumes and her work has been published in various esteemed journals, contributing to key discussions in Urban Studies and Political Geography. She is actively involved in various research projects and collaborates with multiple scholars to explore the effects of the sharing economy on urban governance.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards