Teaching
Courses
Education
● Bachelors and Honours in Commerce, Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi
● Masters in Sociology, Centre for the Study of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
● Pursuing Ph.D. in Law and Governance, Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Profile
Akansha Singh is a third-year PhD student at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, and a Senior Research Fellow under the University Grants Commission. She is also a member of the British Association for South Asian Studies (BASAS).
Her current research “Street Vendors, Covid-19 Pandemic, and Urban Governance: A Socio-legal Study on the Pilgrimage City Varanasi,” examines how Covid-19 impacted street vendors’ lives and livelihoods in Varanasi. It analyzes existing laws and policies affecting vendors, explores global best practices, and aims to offer legal and policy recommendations for future crises. This study also engages with event theory, questioning who is “inside” or “outside” societal disruptions, highlighting how the pandemic intensified class, race, and professional disparities. It ultimately seeks to reveal the transformative nature of crisis events on individuals and collectives. She was declared as the GEC “Researcher of the Month” by the British Association for South Asian Studies (BASAS) in the month of February 2024.
Research Interests
- Sociology
- Law and Governance
- Women Studies
- Environment Studies
- Religion Studies
- Urban studies
- Marginalized communities
- Climate & Ecology
- Gender
- Pilgrim Studies
Publications
- “State Autonomy During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Migrant Crisis and Institutional Failures” in the Indian Journal of Law and Governance (CBPBU), ISSN: 2583-8997, Vol. 4, Issue 1, in December 2023
- “Deciphering Sixth Schedule, Its Binding Forces, And Constitutional Debate: Analyzing Its Veracity And Experience” in the International Journal of Law and Policy Review (IJLPR), ISSN (O): 2278-3156, Vol. 12 in July 2023.
Her paper presentations are available here.
a. Presented a paper titled- “Urban Dispossession: Demolitions, Urban Governance, and the Question of Justice Amidst Eroding Rule of Law in Indian Cities” at the Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability (SMUS), an International Regional conference held at the Chulalongkorn University, Thailand on July 27, 2024.
b. Presented a paper titled- “Aesthetic Aspirations of Smart Cities and the Lived Realities of Street Vendors: The Revival of Debate on the Boundaries between “Haves” and “Have-nots” at ANVIKSHA, a National conference held at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur on February 3, 2024.
c. Presented a paper titled- “Women, Religion, and Ecology: The Role of Ecofeminism in fostering sustainable consumption practices through religious precepts” at the British Association for Study of Religions (BASR) 2023, an International conference held at the Clare College, University of Cambridge on September 12, 2023.
d. Presented a paper titled- “Role of citizen’s participation in effective local governance in India” at the National conference held at Jawaharlal Nehru University on August 11, 2023.
e. Presented a paper titled- “Onlife” Ethnography- Navigating through the dilemma of Online and Offline Modes of Ethnography at the BASAS Annual Conference 2023, an International conference held at the University of Leeds and online on 3-6 April 2023.
f. Presented paper at a National Conference on the topic “Women Street Vendors, Human Rights, and the Covid-19 Pandemic in India: A Study of Issues and Challenges through Intersectional Perspective”, held in Hyderabad conducted by St.Ann’s College For Women, Affiliated To Osmania University, Hyderabad from 13th March 2023- 14th March 2023.