Colombo, Sri Lanka — Divya Rai and Amal Jose Philip, doctoral researchers from the School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad, recently presented their research at the Modern South Asia Workshop (MSAW) 2025, held from June 6–8 at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The workshop is organized annually by the South Asian Studies Council of the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale University.

MSAW is a prestigious two-day workshop that brings together a cohort of advanced graduate students from across the world to discuss new research in modern South Asian studies. This year’s edition featured 17 participants and facilitated rigorous scholarly dialogue among young scholars and senior faculty from leading institutions globally.

Divya Rai, working under the supervision of Dr. Salah Punathil at the Centre for Regional Studies, presented her paper titled “Negotiating Marginalization: Cultural Specificities and State Recognition of Transgender Subjectivities in Uttar Pradesh, India.” Based on ethnographic research, her study explores how the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, flattens diverse gender identities like Hijra and Kinnar into the homogenized legal category of “transgender,” often reinforcing marginalization through state mechanisms such as certification and welfare boards.

Amal Jose Philip, from the Department of Political Science, under the guidance of Prof. Kailash KK, presented his research titled “Indirect Rule, State Capacity, and Social Development in India.” His paper examines the princely state of Travancore to challenge dominant narratives that portray indirect colonial rule as developmentally inferior. Using archival data and longitudinal analysis, he argues that strong fiscal, bureaucratic, and coercive capacities enabled Travancore to deliver exceptional social development outcomes in health and education, driven by state-society interpenetration and associational politics.

The South Asian Studies Council at Yale University fully funded all participants, enabling cross-border scholarly exchange and collaboration.

The participation of scholars from the School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad, in this international forum highlights the institution’s growing contribution to cutting-edge research in South Asian studies.