Dr. Rajanikant Pandey

Interest  Area / Specialization :

• Environmental Anthropology

• Corporate Ethnography with focus on Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility

• Contemporary Socio-Cultural Theories and Research Methods

Professional / Academic Memberships :

• Joint Secretory, Indian Anthropological Association, Delhi (2015- till date)

• Member, IUAES Commission of Public Policy and Development Practices (2018 onwards)

• Member, Course Writers Committee of MA Social Anthropology, IGNOU, Delhi (2011)

• Member, Course Writers Team in Anthropology, UGC- ePG Pathsala (2016-17)

• Member, Ethical Committee of Oncology Research, Centre for Life Sciences, CUJ (2014-)

Awards and Honours :

• 2007: Chancellor Medal for being the best Post Graduate student all round in all the faculty of Lucknow University 

• 2007: Indrajeet Singh Gold Medal for best Post Graduate thesis in Anthropology 

• 2007: National Eligibility Test (UGC, India) qualified for Junior Research Fellowship and Lectureship

• 2001: Secured 25 rank in UP Board Intermediate examination 

• 1999: Secured 23 rank in UP Board High School examination

Co-Academic / Administrative Engagements :

• Member, Proctorial Board, Central University of Jharkhand (2022-)

• Member, Sports Committee (Wusu Mentor) Central University of Jharkhand (2021-)

• Member, Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat, Central University of Jharkhand (2021-)

• Member, Board of Studies, Department of Performing Arts (2021-)

• Member, Board of Studies, Department of English Studies (2021-)

• Member, Board of Studies, Department of Hindi (2020-)

• Coordinator, UGC Project-Centre for Endangered Languages (2020-)

• Member, School Board, School For the study of Culture (2018-21)

• Member, Academic Council, Central University of Jharkhand (2020-)

• Member, Monitoring Committee, UGC Project Centre for Endangered Languages (2019-20)

• Co-convener, Popular Lecture Committee, Central University of Jharkhand (2017-)

• Programme Officer, NSS Unit-1 Central University of Jharkhand (2018-)

• Member, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Cell, Central University of Jharkhand (2018- 2021)

• Member, Anti-ragging Squad, Central University of Jharkhand (2012-2014)

• Member, Popular Lecture Committee, Central University of Jharkhand (2013-15)

• Member, Academic Audit Team, Central University of Jharkhand (2016-17)

• Member, Board of Studies, Centre for Tribal and Customary Law (2017-20)

• Member, School Board, School For the study of Culture (2014-17)

• Member, Board of Studies, Centre for Indigenous Culture Studies (2012-17)

• Warden, Men’s Hostel, Central University of Jharkhand (2011-2014)

Presentation in International Seminars :

1. 2021 presented a paper entitled Anthropology and its Technological Encounters: Exploring Indian Context in the panel The Kinship Between Anthropology and Technology: Exploring the Accelerated Interface between the Two at the IUAES 2021 Yucatan Congress, held virtually between November 09th and 13th, 2021, in Mexico.

2. 2018. Presented a Paper titled The Idea of Indigenous/Tribal/Adivasi Studies presented in the international seminar The Future of Humanities: Challenges and Prospects Organised by Department of English, Banaras Hindu University Varanasi, India 30-31 March.

3. 2014. Towards Mine Man Multinational Complex: Mapping the Political Ecology of Corporate Profit Sharing in India in International Conference on “Corporate Social Responsibility: Expectations, Reality and Challenges” organised by Shyamlal College (Eve) Delhi University, Delhi 6th -7th February.

4. 2013. Presented a paper titled From Originality to Marginality: Conceptualizing Postcolonial Voices of Indigeneity in International conference Voices from The Margin: Society, Culture and Exclusion organised by school of Language, Central University of Jharkhand in February.

5. 2012. Anthropology of Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility, paper presented at International Symposium on Anthropology of Global Issues organised by WCAA, IAS, IAA, ASA and Department of Anthropology, Delhi University, April.

6. 2011. Indigenous Rights: Opportunities and Challenges in the Age of Corporate Social Responsibility, paper presented at the International Conference on Mega Urbanisation and Human Rights: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities organised by Commission on Urban Anthropology and Commission on Human Rights, International Union of Anthropological & Ethnological Sciences; in collaboration with West Bengal State University in February.

7. 2011. Indigenous Communities and Corporate Social Responsibility: Locating the Discourse in the Context of Mining Industry, paper presented at the International Seminar on Tradition, Identity and Diversity: Future of Indigenous Culture in Globalized World February.

Presentation in National Seminars :

1. 2022. Anthropology beyond Human: A critical Reflection in National Seminar Culture, Emotions and Human Crisis with reference to covid-19, Department of Tribal Studies, Central University of Jharkhand 23-25 March.

2. 2020. Attended the One Day Webinar on “Contemporary environmental issues: concepts, tools and practices” organized by Department of Environmental Sciences, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi held on July 24

3. 2018. Presented a Paper titled The Affairs of a Mine: Ethnography of Ho and their Environment in Jharkhand National Seminar On “Anthropology, Health and Development: Trends and Future Perspectives” Organised by Department of Anthropology University of Delhi from 20th-21st February

4. 2017. Presented a Paper titled Resistance in Hodesum: Unsung Warriors of Nature and Culture in Seminar on Indigenous Heroes of Jharkhand and International Day of World Indigenous Peoples, Department of Tribal Studies CUJ 9th August 

5. 2016. Multi-sited Connections: Following Steel from Noamundi to New Delhi in National Seminar Negotiating Fieldwork: Institutional Practices and Contemporary Challenges organised by Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, Delhi 16-17 September

6. 2016.‘Corporate Environmentalism: Mining Industry and Anthropological Encounters won first prize for flash presentation in National Seminar on Celebrating Anthropology: The Human Science organised by Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, Delhi 22 -23th April

7. 2015. Ethnographies of Mining: Indigenous People, Extractive Resources and Global Energy Future in National Seminar on Anthropological Perspectives on Environment, Development, Public Policy and Health organised by Department of Anthropology University of Delhi, Delhi 27th -28th February 

8. 2015. Indigenous People and Extractive Resources in India Presented in National Seminar on International Day of World Indigenous People in 21st Century 7th August 2015

9. 2011. Idea of Indigenous Culture Studies in India paper presented in 35th Session of Indian Folklore Congress and National Seminar on Folklore: Discourse of the Indigenous People and Marginalized at Central University of Jharkhand, December 12-14, 2011

10. 2010. Corporate Social Responsibility and Development: An Anthropological Study of Microsoft India’s Project Jyoti in Delhi, paper presented At Golden Jubilee National Seminar of Anthropological Society of India in December

11. 2010. Indigenous Knowledge System in Small Scale Fishing Business: An Ethnographic Study at Daman and Diu India, paper presented at the, National Workshop on Recent Trends in Cultural Studies, Central University of Jharkhand 22-23 November 

Research Project / Consultancy :

• 2022 Principal Investigator, ‘Tribal Religion and Hindu Philosophy: A Study of Tribe-Hindu Continuation in India’ funded by Indian Council of Philosophical Research

• 2022 Principal Investigator, Ethnographic Study of PVTGs of Uttar Pradesh: Buxa and Raji, Funded by Uttar Pradesh Tribal Development Department.

• 2018. Co-Investigator, Ethnographic Study of eight PVTGs of Jharkhand, Funded by Dr. Ram Dayal Munda Tribal Research Institute, Ranchi 

• 2009. Research Assistant, Prof. Mark Allen Peterson, University of Miami, on project ‘Remapping the Indian Mediascape’ funded by National Science Foundation, USA

Workshops / Refresher / Orientation / FDPs :

1. 2022 participated in the Online Lecture & Training Programme on “Faculty Development Programme-QIP” organised by Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi, India, held during 30th January - 13th February.

2. 2021 Attended Online Refresher Course/FDP Advanced Research Methodology Tools and Techniques organized by Teaching Learning Centre, Ramanujan College, University of Delhi April 15-30.

3. 2020. Participated in International Workshop on Gender- Sensitive Responses to COVID-19 organised by Centre for Women’s Studies & Development, Faculty of Social Science, Banaras Hindu University July 16-23, 2020

4. 2019.  Attended Refresher Course in e-Learning and e-Governance at UGC-HRDC, JNU from 19th to 30th August.

5. 2018. attended one week GIAN workshop “ Managing and Governing Resource in the ‘Anthropocene’: Political Ecological Explorations from South Asia” organized by Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Kharagpur on 26th November -01st  December

6. 2017. Attended a two week Training Workshop on Research Methodology in Social Sciences at Council for Social Development New Delhi 11-22 December.

7. 2017. Attended Refresher Course in Social Science at UGC-HRDC, BHU from 22th February to 14th March 

8. 2017. Attended Crafting and Conducting High Quality Research Workshop organized by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad from 6th to 8th January 2017.

9. 2013. Participated in One Week Workshop ‘Feminist Theory: Indian Context’ Organised by Women Studies and Development Centre, Delhi University January.

Chairing of Academic Sessions :

1. 2021. Co-Chaired Scientific Session 7 Parallel Session 4: Rural/Urban during Indian Anthropology Congress 2021 'Anthropology: Theory to Application' February 21-23, 2021.

2. 2018. Chaired a Session titled ‘The Discourse of Illness and Disease’ in the national seminar Critical Health Humanities organised by English and Interdisciplinary studies Forum, MMV, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India 5-6 October.

3. 2015. Chaired a session on “Tribal issues, Government Projects and Planning” in National Seminar on International Day of World Indigenous People in 21st Century 7th August 2015.

4. 2013. Chaired an Academic Session in International conference themed Voices from The Margin: Society, Culture and Exclusion organised by school of Language, Central University of Jharkhand in February.

Invited Talks :

1. 2020. Delivered an Invited talk on session 'Reviewing and Analysing Secondary Literature' during an international virtual workshop Improvising Strategies for Social Research: Methodological Concerns organised by Indian Anthropological Association and Anthropology without Borders WCAA, August 12-13, 2020.

2. 2020. Delivered an Invited Plenary titled ‘Corporate Science, Ecological Communities and Politics of New Extractivism in South Asia’ in the International Seminar on Science Society and Politics in South Asia Organised by International Office, Utkal University 3-4 March 

3. 2018. Delivered an Invited Plenary Speech titled ‘Ecological Challenges to Tribal Health’ in the national seminar Critical Health Humanities organised by English and Interdisciplinary studies Forum, MMV, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India 5-6 October 

4. 2018. Delivered an Invited Talk titled “Ethnographic Research” as resource person for the 10 days ICSSR Research Methodology Workshop organised by Centre for Tribal Folklore Language and Literature, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi on 21-30th March

5. 2018. Delivered an Invited Talk titled “Visual Ethnography” as resource person for the 10 days visual Documentation and Documentary Film Making Workshop organised by Centre for Indigenous Culture Studies, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi on 5-14th March 

6. 2018. delivered an Invited Talk titled Spiritual Ecology and Tourism Development: Revisiting Ethnographic Traditions and Sacred Complex Studies in India in International symposium on Reviving the Buddhism in Itkhori: Towards Cultural-Spiritual Tourism in Jharkhand organised by Government of Jharkhand Tourism, Art-Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs 6-7th March.

Academic Programmes Organised :

1. 2022. Organizing Secretary Janjytiya Gaurav Divas and International Seminar Organised by Centre for Endangered Languages, CUJ and Department of Anthropology and Tribal Studies 15- 17th November

2. 2021. Co-Convener Janjytiya Gaurav Divas Organised by Department of Tribal Studies and CEL CUJ 15th November

3. 2021. Convener of the panel no. 44 The Kinship between anthropology and technology: Exploring the accelerated interface between the two in the IUAES 2021 Yucatan Congress Heritages, Global Interconnections in a Possible World Yucatan Mexico, virtual mode. November 9th to 13th

4. 2021. Co-Convener Seven day periodical lectures on Vishwa Adivasi Divas organized by SC-ST Cell, CUJ in collaboration with ICPR, New Delhi August 9 -15th.

5. 2021. Organizing Secretary  webinar on the topic “Multidisciplinary discourse on Indigenous Cultures and Endangered Languages” organised by Centre for Endangered Languages, CUJ on 4th June, 2021. 

6. 2020. Organizing Secretary in one day webinar on Langauage and Culture Documentation of Jharkhand organised by Centre for Endangered Languages, CUJ

7. 2020. Organizing Secretary in one day Webinar Culture and Health: Exploring Resilience in Tribal India on 9th August (12 invited talk and 200 participants)

8. 2018. Academic Consultant and Organizing Secretary in an International Symposium, “Reviving the Buddhism in Itkhori: Towards Cultural-Spiritual Tourism in Jharkhand” funded by Department of Tourism, Art-Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Jharkhand 6-7th March

9. 2012. Convener, Academic Seminar on ‘Indigenous Environmental Philosophy in the Global Era’ of Akhra: Tribal India International Festival, at Central University of Jharkhand on 8th to 10th November

10. 2011. Assistant Organizing Secretary, 35th Session of Indian Folklore Congress and National Seminar on Folklore: Discourse of the Indigenous People and Marginalized at Central University of Jharkhand, December 12-14, 2011

11. 2011. Co-convener, Salva Tagore: 150Th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore (Academic and Cultural Event) at Central University of Jharkhand on 12th to 14th November.

Publications :

1. 2022. Creating Patronage through Corporate Social Responsibility: Impact of Mining Industry on Scheduled Tribe of Jharkhand COATS “Tribal Studies: A Journal of COATS”, Vol-X, Issue No-1 ISSN No.2321-3396 (UGC-CARE).

2. 2022. Reflections on Ecological and Biological Theories in Anthropology. International Journal of Health Sciences, 6(S2), 4099–4116. https://doi.org/10.53730/ijhs.v6nS2.5908

3. 2021. Waste Management and Sustainable Development Goals: A study of Indigenous Knowledge and Practices in Tribal Household of Ranchi Modern Thamizh Research Vol.9 (4) 3771-3784 (co-authored with Soren Swati)

4. 2021. Mining Policy and Political Ecology of Extractive Development in Jharkhand Manaviki, 13(2), 233-258, ISSN 09757880

5. 2020. Ethnogenesis of Ho under Colonial Shadow: Exploring Identity Question in Resource Frontiers of Jharkhand Glocal Colloquies Vol 6 pp.18-31.

6. 2020. Mining, Agriculture Change and Resilience: Reflections from Indigenous Knowledge in the Anthropocene. In: Bauddh K., Kumar S., Singh R., Korstad J. (eds) Ecological and Practical Applications for Sustainable Agriculture. Springer, Singapore ISBN 978-981-15-3372-3 (June).

7. 2020. Indigenous Heroes of Nature and Culture: Fashioning Environmental Fandom in Hodesum in Chaturvedi R, Singh H Singh A (eds.) Hero and Hero Worship: Fandom in Modern India Vernan Press USA ISBN 978-162-27-3859-5 (October).

8. 2019. Mining and Anthropology in Indian Industrialism, in M. C. Behera edited Shifting Perspectives in Tribal Studies. Singapore: Springer Publication. e-ISBN 978-981-13-8090-7/ Print ISBN 978-981-13-8089-1.

9. 2019. Ethicizing Corporate Environmentalism: An Anthropological Study of Mining Industry in Jharkhand.  Indian Anthropologist, 49(1): 15-36. ISSN: 09700927 https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26855089) (UGC Journal No. 20683) 

10. 2019. Engaging with Mining in Anthropocene (in 4 quadrant) for ARPIT course published by National Resource Centre in Anthropology, UGC-HRDC Utkal University.

11. 2019. Anthropology of Science, Technology and Society (in 4 quadrants) for ARPIT course published by National Resource Centre in Anthropology, UGC-HRDC Utkal University.

12. 2018. Demystifying ‘Green’ in Iron Mining: An Ethnographic Study among the Ho of Jharkhand. Jharkhand Journal of Development and Management Studies, 16(4): 7869-7886. ISSN 0973-8444, http://www.xiss.ac.in/JJDMS/Vol16/Issue4/index.php (UGC Journal No. 48435).

13. 2018. Towards Anthropology of Corporate Social Responsibility in India. Oriental Anthropologist, 18(2): 223-244. ISSN: 0972-558X e-ISSN: 0976-3430 (UGC Journal No. 36629) (with Mukherji, I.) https://doi.org/10.1177/0976343020180204

14. 2016. Module 29 Postcolonial Theory in Course Theories and Methods in Social-Cultural Anthropology for UGC ePG Pathsala (Postgraduation Course e-Content in anthropology) (http://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/ahl.php?csrno=1)

15. 2016. Module 30 Globalization Theory in Course Theories and Methods in Social-Cultural Anthropology for UGC ePG Pathsala (Postgraduation Course e-Content in anthropology) (https://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/Home/ViewSubject?catid=Vu+b7LQyc9e/jifd2gmpPA==)

16. 2016. Chapter 33 Industialization and Tribe in Course Tribal Culture of India for UGC ePG Pathsala (Postgraduation Course e-Content in anthropology) (http://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/ahl.php?csrno=1)

17. 2016. Book Review of “Mining Capitalism” in Journal of Climate Change and Sustainability Vol 4 Issue 1 (http://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:cces&volume=4&issue=1&article=br)

18. 2016. Book Review of “Enacting the Corporation” in Journal Indian Anthropologists Vol 46 No1 ISSN: 09700927 (https://www.jstor.org/journal/indianth)

19. 2015. Ethnographies of Mining in Late-Industrialism. Indian Anthropologist, 45(2): 75-86. ISSN: 09700927 (http://www.jstor.org/stable/43899403) (UGC Journal No. 20683) 

20. 2014. Mine Man Multinational Complex: Towards a Political Ecology of Corporate Profit Sharing in India (pp 114-34) in the Conference Proceeding Book Gupta R L, R K Mallik,and Aditya P. Tripathi (eds.) Corporate Social Reality: Expectations, Realities and Challenges, Wisdom Publication: Delhi ( ISBN No: 978-938-15-0588-5)

Research Guidance :

• PG Dissertation: 10 (completed)

• Ph.D.  students: 03 (enrolled)