Global Academic Recognition: R. Vimala represents India at International Agrarian Writeshop in Beijing

Vimala, a Ph.D. scholar in the Department of Sociology at the University of Hyderabad (UoH), working under the supervision of Prof. Purendra Prasad, was selected to participate in the prestigious International Writeshop on Critical Agrarian Studies and Scholarly Activism. The 10-day intensive program was hosted at China Agricultural University (CAU) in Beijing.

 

The highly competitive global write-shop was jointly organized by leading international institutions, including The Journal of Peasant Studies (JPS), the College of Humanities and Development Studies (COHD-CAU), the Collective of Agrarian Scholar-Activists from the South (CASAS), the Initiatives in Critical Agrarian Studies (ICAS), the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS, Erasmus University Rotterdam), and the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS, University of the Western Cape).

Designed to deepen strategic understanding of international publishing and enhance practical manuscript development in Critical Agrarian Studies, the program featured lectures by globally renowned scholars, including Prof. Jun Borras Jr., Prof. Kasia Paprocki, Prof. Michael Levien, and Prof. Ryan Isakson. Participants engaged in rigorous, mentorship-driven peer-review sessions to refine their research papers.

During the writeshop, Vimala presented her research paper titled:

“Em Dhara Naḍustundi? Speculation, Caste, and the Transformation of Village Sociality in Telangana.”

Her paper received constructive, in-depth feedback from leading scholar Prof. Ruth Hall, offering critical insights to prepare the manuscript for publication in a high-impact international journal.

Vimala’s participation was made possible through full financial support provided by The Journal of Peasant Studies (JPS). Expressing her gratitude to JPS, the organizers, and her mentor, she noted that the collaborative environment provided an invaluable platform for early-career researchers from the Global South.

Her achievement highlights the growing international footprint of UoH’s Department of Sociology and reinforces the university’s commitment to advancing critical social science research on a global stage.