Further action is required to make this featured image accessible
The below criteria must be satisfied:
- Add featured-image alt tag (in page properties OR on image metadata in the dam)
The image will not display until the issue above is resolved.
UC Professor Awarded Prestigious Fellowship from the American Institute of Indian Studies
University of Cincinnati Assistant Professor of Political Science Rina Williams was been awarded a prestigious fellowship from the American Institute of Indian Studies, the premier institution for funding scholarship and research of the subcontinent. Williams will travel to India next summer to continue her research into the role of women in politics in the worlds largest democracy.
Williams spent
in 2013 exploring the role of women in Indias Bharatiya Janata Party, the countrys largest political party. The BJP, also known as the Indian Peoples Party, is a nationalist party with strong religious ties to the Hindu community the dominant religion of the country. Economically liberal, but socially conservative, the party has had a complicated relationship with the role of women in public life. Although women are accepted in the BJP, with some even rising to leadership positions, they are by and large segregated into a separate wing of the party.
Earlier this year, the BJP won an absolute majority in national parliamentary elections the first time a party has done so since 1984 ousting the long-dominant Indian National Congress. Armed with this new political mandate, it remains to be seen how far the BJP will pursue the social, legal, and economic reforms espoused in the partys platform.
Williams will return to India next June, travelling to the national capital New Delhi, as well as Lucknow, capital of Indias largest state and the base of the BJPs support. She plans to reconnect with sources she worked with last year in order to get an on-the-ground perspective of how the BJP is adapting to its new role, and in particular the extent to which women are sharing in and shaping the partys future.
Williams plans to share her findings in a new book exploring the evolving role of women in politics in India and beyond.
Related Stories
UC alum makes her mark in research, service
May 3, 2024
In 1960, as a young and eager statistician, Joan Reisch graduated from UC’s College of Arts and Sciences, and pursued a career in Texas at the Southwestern Medical Center where she’s held numerous roles as both faculty and staff. This year, Reisch was recognized for her career accomplishments and contributions with the Philanthropist of the Year Award by UC’s Alumni Association. This award is given to an alumnus who has been highly engaged in philanthropic activities with A&S, or has made a significant impact on the college.
UC launches new study of 'forever chemicals' in drinking water
May 2, 2024
The University of Cincinnati is launching a new investigation at its groundwater observatory to examine the ways toxins from distant sources get into drinking water.
Enquirer: Salacious testimony of 1929 murder at UC rare books...
May 1, 2024
The Cincinnati Enquirer highlights a rare book found in a University of Cincinnati library that chronicled a high-profile murder trial in 1929.