Aruna Mahananda

Biography

I am an interdisciplinary scholar working at the intersections of sociology, criminology, and law. My PhD research explores how caste shapes experiences within Indias criminal justice system, from policing and court processes to incarceration and life after release. Grounded in the lived experiences of rural marginalised communities, my work seeks to understand how social hierarchies like caste are woven into legal and institutional frameworks, and how individuals and communities resist and navigate these systems. I am also interested in comparative perspectives on caste, race, and ethnicity, and how hierarchical social identities influence experiences of criminal justice and marginalisation. Prior to joining the University of Essex in 2022, I earned an MA in Social Work with a specialization in Criminology and Justice, and an MPhil in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India. I also bring two years of professional experience as a criminal justice social worker, having worked across police stations, prisons, and courts in Mumbai. My MPhil thesis on student movements in Odisha was published in Contemporary Voice of Dalit as the article "Emergence of Dalit-Bahujan Students Movement: A Study of University Campuses in Western Odisha," reflecting my ongoing engagement with caste, mass mobilisation, and social justice. I have also presented my research at various academic conferences and forums both in India and internationally. I welcome opportunities to collaborate with scholars and practitioners working on caste, law, policing, and social inequality, with a particular focus on South Asia and the broader Global South.

Qualifications

• MPhil Social Work Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India (2022)

• MA Social Work with specialisation in Criminology and Justice Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India (2018)

Thesis