Pankaj Kumar

Education

• B.A.(Honours) Political Science, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, (2012-2015)
• MA in Political Science, Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, (2015-2017)
• M.Phil in Political Science, Department of Political Science, University of Delhi, New Delhi, (2017-2019)
• PhD in Political Science, Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, (2019-Present)

Profile

Pankaj Kumar is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Political Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. The proposed title of his thesis is: ‘Rammanohar Lohia and the Caste Question in India.’ Earlier he completed his M.Phil from the Department of Political Science, University of Delhi and wrote his dissertation on ‘Privacy as Celebration of Alienation’. His areas of interest include Political Theory, Indian Politics and Modern Indian Political Thought.

He has also worked with the Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board (NCWEB), University of Delhi as a guest faculty for over two years. Apart from it, he is also a part of the team which is working on a Government of Bihar Project to update and revise the district gazetteers of two districts, Patna and Darbhanga. He is a keen observer of Indian politics and has written numerous opinion pieces on the socio-politico events, processes and personalities in newspapers and news portals.

Publications

Journal Articles

1. “Privacy as a Form of Alienation: A Critique of the Liberal Conception of Privacy”, accepted for publication by Critique: Journal of Socialist Theory. (forthcoming).
2. The Distinctiveness of Marxist Conception of Alienation”, Critique: Journal of Socialist Theory (a Taylor & Francis journal), Vol 49, Issue 3-4, 2021, pp. 309-324, ISSN: 0301-7605. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03017605.2021.2000613
3. “Caste Panchayats: Useful Insights and Inadequate Explanations” Book Review of Caste Panchayats and Caste Politics in India by Anagha Ingole in Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 56, Issue no, 52, 25 Dec 2021, pp. 24-26. https://www.epw.in/journal/2021/52/book-reviews/caste-panchayats.html
4. “The Return of Mandal Rhetorics in UP Politics”, co-authored with Supriy Ranjan, Mainstream, Vol. LX No. 12, New Delhi, March 12, 2022. http://mainstreamweekly.net/article12131.html

Opinion Articles

1. “Can a Caste Census Reverse the BJP’s Advantage in Wooing Lower Castes?” in The India Forum, 27 November 2023.
2. “The Irony of BSP and SP Going From Being Anti-Brahmin to Now Wooing Them”, in The Wire, 11th August 2021. https://thewire.in/politics/the-irony-of-bsp-and-sp-going-from-being-anti-brahmin-to-now-wooing-them
3. “Caste Census will Herald New Era of Equality”, in The Indian Express, 02nd September 2021. https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/caste-census-will-herald-new-era-of-equality-7484968/
4.  “The Secret of Nitish Kumar’s Political Success”, co-authored with Supriy Ranjan, Hindustan Times, August 19, 2022. https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/the-secret-of-nitish-kumar-s-political-success-101660917113565.html
5.  “The Congress Must Transform to Rebuild the Opposition”, co-authored with Supriy Ranjan, the Wire, 28 Feb 2022. https://thewire.in/politics/congress-rebuilding-opposition
6. “Stress on safety, security: Hobbesian fear primary driver of BJP’s UP poll campaign”, co-authored with Supiry Ranjan, The New Indian Express, 26 Feb 2022. https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2022/feb/26/stress-on-safetysecurity-hobbesian-fear-primary-driver-of-bjps-up-poll-campaign-2423906.html
7.  “Rejigged SP strategy: a new dawn in Bahujan politics?” co-authored with Supriy Ranjan, in The New Indian Express, 07th February 2022. https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2022/feb/07/rejigged-sp-strategy-a-new-dawn-in-bahujan-politics-2416203.html