Ajay Gudavarthy is a political scientist and professor at the Center for Political Studies at one of India’s most prestigious universities, Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. As the son of activist and human rights fighter G. Hargopal, he early on confronted key political issues of Indian society. He has taught at the National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata, the Institute for Social and Economic Change, and the National Law School of India in Bangalore. He has been a researcher at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and the Center for Human Rights at the University of Hyderabad. He coordinates the Center for Human Rights at the School of Public Law and Government Studies NUJS in Kolkata and the National Institute for Human Rights (NIHR – NLSIU) in Bangalore. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Human Rights Commission.
He is a columnist and political analyst for media such as The Hindu, Indian Express, The Telegraph, The Wire, Newsclick, BBC, Al Jazeera, Channel News Asia, The Independent, Time magazine, South China Post, Friday Times, The Dawn, Arab News, Diplomat, etc.
He reviews for journals such as Politics and Gender (Cambridge University Press), Government and Opposition (Cambridge University Press), American Journal of Cultural Sociology (Yale University), Journal of Politics (University of Chicago), Development and Change (The Hague), Asian Women (Seoul, South Korea), International Affairs (OUP), World Policy (Wiley Press), Indian Journal of Public Administration, Economic and Political Weekly, and book collections by Routledge.
