Dr. 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 and a Master’s from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is currently a Fulbright-Nehru Fellow at Stanford University and has been an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at Göttingen University. Additionally, he has held positions at the Institute of Political Economy, Carleton University; the Center for South Asia, Stanford University; the International Centre for Development and Decent Work, Kassel University; and the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity.
Over the past two decades, Dr. Mhaskar’s research has examined the multifaceted vulnerabilities workers experience at the lower end of India’s rising economy. His primary focus has been on large-scale industrial closures in Mumbai (late 1990s onwards), joblessness, displacement, migration, labour markets, and social and political movements. He is currently working on his book manuscript, tentatively titled The Unmaking of an Industrial Habitat. He is a peer reviewer for academic journals and leading university presses. His scholarly work has been published in top peer-reviewed journals, as well as in edited books, policy reports, and working papers. He also frequently writes opinion pieces for mainstream newspapers and online platforms.
Technical Change and Occupational Choices in the Modern Indian Industry, c.1870s-2006: A Study of Mumbai’s Cotton Textile Mills
The research aims to examine technological innovations in the production processes of Mumbai’s modern textile industry from the 1870s to 2009. It explores technological advancements in cotton cloth manufacturing and their implications for occupational choices. The project seeks to contribute to research on historical social inequalities and their links with modern occupations. It employs various research methods, including large-scale statistical data analysis, review of historical documents, and qualitative data analysis. Adopting a long-term perspective allows us to understand the role of technological changes in modern urban industrial settings and their connection to historical social structures.
