Sumeet Mhaskar
| Grant Category: | Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowships (Research) |
| Project Title: | Technical change and occupational choices in the modern Indian industry, c.1870s-2006: A study of Mumbai’s cotton textile mills |
| Field of Study: | Sociology |
| Home Institution: | O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonepat, Haryana |
| Host Institution: | Stanford University , Stanford, CA |
| Grant Start Month: | September 2025 |
| Duration of Grant: | Nine months |
Brief Bio:
Prof. Sumeet Mhaskar is a Professor of Sociology at the Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, O. P. Jindal Global University. He earned his doctorate in Sociology from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and holds MA and MPhil degrees in political science from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is a recipient of the prestigious research fellowship awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. His distinguished career includes fellowships at renowned institutions such as Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Stanford University, Göttingen University and Kassel University.
Prof. Mhaskar’s research comprehensively explores the multifaceted vulnerabilities workers face at the lower end of India’s burgeoning economy. His scholarly contributions have been featured in peer-reviewed journals, edited books, magazines, policy reports, and working papers. Additionally, he shares his insights through opinion pieces, newspapers and online portals such as The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, and The Hindu.
During his Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence fellowship, Prof. Mhaskar is planning to investigate technological innovations in the production process and their impact on occupational choices in the modern textile industry in Mumbai from the 1870s to 2009. This historical-sociological inquiry will examine how social structures, including gender, caste, and religion, interact with these processes. He employs a comprehensive multi-method approach that includes statistical analysis, archival research, and qualitative methods. Prof. Mhaskar will also explore similar processes in textile mills located in the USA.