Dr. Debangana Chatterjee

Education

• B.A. in Political Science, Department of International Relations, Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University, Kolkata – 2013
• M.A. in Politics (specialization in International Relations), School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi – 2015
• PhD, International Politics Division, Centre for International Politics Organization and Disarmament (CIPOD), School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi – 2022

Profile

Debangana has previously worked as an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Research in Social Sciences and Education (CeRSSE), JAIN (Deemed-to-be University). An Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) Doctoral Fellowship recipient, her specialisation is in the field of gender and culture vis-à-vis international politics.

In her doctoral thesis, she has tried to locate the existing Indian discourse surrounding the practices of Female Genital Cutting and Islamic veiling, viewed through the larger frame of international politics, exploring the socio-legal narratives. In May 2023, she successfully concluded a short-duration research project (2022-23) gauging the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on home-based sex workers in Bengaluru and identifying the policy lacunae, under the aegis of ICSSR- Southern Regional Centre (SRC).

Apart from academic publications, she contributes regularly to reputed print and digital news platforms. Her writings, which focus on pertinent issues on gender, reflect her stance on politics.

Research Interests

Gender in India, International Relations Theory, Feminism, Islamic Studies, Issues of modernity and post-colonialism, Feminist Methodology and Narratives, Visual culture and representation, Political Thought & Philosophy, Policy and governance.

Publications

Book (Solo-authored): 

Debangana Chatterjee (August 2023). Lives of Circumcised and Veiled Women: A Global-Indian Interplay of Discourses and Narratives, London: Routledge (Taylor & Francis) 

Book Chapter: 

• Debangana Chatterjee (2023). “Afghan Women and the Burqa Trope: Mapping Agency in Liminality” In The Politics of Silence, Voice and the In-Between edited by Aliya Khalid, Georgina Holmes and Prof. Jane L. Parpart. London: Routledge.
• Debangana Chatterjee (2022), “Intersectionality in Gender Mainstreaming: An Inclusive Tool for Pluralism” in A. Ravindra and Priyanca Mathur (eds.) Discovering New India: Engagements with Multiculturalism, Pluralism and Social Harmony, Bengaluru: JAIN University Press

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles: 

• Chatterjee, Debangana (2022), Sanctions in Ukraine War: The Racial Tilting of International Politics, Economic & Political Weekly, 57(40): 23-28
• Chatterjee, Debangana (2018), Globalization and the Politics of Photographic Representation: Essentializing the Moments of Agony, Jadavpur Journal of International Relations, 22(2): 1-22
• Chatterjee, Debangana (2016), Gendering ISIS and Mapping the Role of women, Contemporary Review of the Middle East, 3(2): 1-18

Select Op-eds: 

• Debangana Chatterjee (2023). “Face of terror in Gaza: Hamas’ Birth, Evolution and a Nuanced Rethink“. Mainstream Weekly, Vol. 61, No 50.
• Debangana Chatterjee (2023), The roots of blood. The Telegraph Online
• Debangana Chatterjee (2023), The Duality of Deaths in the Sea. Mainstream Weekly, Vol. 61, No 29.
• Debangana Chatterjee (2023), Not Western, Not Urban: For Queer People in India, Love Is More Than Just Love. The Quint.
• Debangana Chatterjee (2023), Selective Kindness. The Telegraph 
• Debangana Chatterjee (2022), Understanding context: Why Liberals support hijab in India but oppose it in Iran, scroll.in
• Debangana Chatterjee (2022), Sharddha Walker Murder Case: Let’s not blame the victim, but focus on society, moneycontrol.com
• Debangana Chatterjee (2022), How international conferences fail scholars from the global South, International Affairs Blog
• Debangana Chatterjee (2022), Hijabophobia and More: France Playing a Divisive, Discriminative, and Dangerous Game With Ban of Hijab in Sport, Newsclick
• Debangana Chatterjee (2021), What Virtual Education Really Means for Women in India, NewsClick
• Debangana Chatterjee (2020), Soumitra Chatterjee – An Ideologue and an Artist, NewsClick
• Debangana Chatterjee (2020), Calls for Netflix Ban- The Perils of India’s Own ‘Cancel Culture’, The Wire
• Debangana Chatterjee (2020), Being Sex Workers Amid the Pandemic-The True Tale of Marginalization, Precarity and Stigma, Life Beyond Numbers
• Debangana Chatterjee (2019), Why Female Genital Cutting Still Continues: Exploring the Reasons Behind its Sustenance, Sahiyo: United Against Female Genital Cutting