Tariq Thachil on the Surprising Dynamism of Politics in Indian Slums
September 25, 2023
Over the last 15 years, India in Transition has brought readers brief, analytical perspectives on the ongoing transformations in contemporary India based on cutting-edge research across a wide variety of subjects. This year, IiT is bringing you another way to engage with insightful scholarship on India: in-depth interviews with researchers, where we hear directly from them on what inspired their work, how they are choosing to dig deeper into the subject, and how it adds to our understanding of the country.
In this interview, CASI Consulting Editor, Rohan Venkat spoke to CASI Director Tariq Thachil about his new book—Migrants and Machine Politics: How India's Urban Poor Seek Representation and Responsiveness (Princeton University Press, 2023), co-authored with CASI Non-Resident Visiting Scholar Adam Auerbach (American University)—and how its findings nuance our understanding of Indian urban politics.
CASI in the News
CASI's Fall 2023 Saluja Global Fellow Lecture, "Seeing India Through My Lens: East, West, and Coming Full Circle," by Mira Nair (Academy Award-Nominated Film Director & CASI Fall 2023 Saluja Global Fellow) on September 13, 2023 at Penn Museum, was covered in "Filmmaker Mira Nair’s Approach to Storytelling" by Kristina García in the September 20, 2023 issue of Penn Today. The event was co-sponsored by Penn Cinema & Media Studies, South Asia Center, and the Department of South Asia Studies.
Upcoming Events
2023-24 CASI Seminar Series
September 26, 2023, 12 noon (In-Person)
"The Representation Trap: How and Why Muslims Struggle to Maintain Power in India"
CASI / South Asia Center / Comparative Politics Workshop Seminar with Feyaad Allie (Harvard University)
October 5, 2023, 12 noon (In-Person)
"Romance, Religion, and the Problem of Migration in the Indian Himalaya"
CASI / South Asia Center / Dept. of Anthropology Seminar with Radhika Govindrajan (University of Washington)
November 2, 2023, 12 noon (In-Person)
"How is Policy Intent Set and Practiced in India?"
CASI / South Asia Center / PDRI Seminar with Suraj Jacob (Azim Premji University; CASI Fall 2023 Visiting Scholar)
2023 CASI VIRTUAL Data Seminar Series
CASI's Data Seminar Series continues in Fall 2023 on the following Wednesdays. All seminars will be held virtually and speakers will be hosted by Rukmini S. (Independent Data Journalist; CASI Fall 2022 Visiting Fellow).
Registration required!
September 27, 2023: 10:00am EDT / 7:30pm IST
"Numbers for Nourishment: Diet, Consumption, and Access Insights"
Purnima Menon (Senior Director, Food & Nutrition Policy, IFPRI/CGIAR)
October 25, 2023: 10:00am EDT / 7:30pm IST
"Inter-group Inequality in India: Insights from Surveys and the World Inequality Database"
Nitin Kumar Bharti (Postdoctoral Fellow in Economics, NYU-Abu Dhabi)
November 8, 2023: 9:00am EST / 7:30pm IST
“Learning in India: What Input and Outcome Data Can Tell Us”
Abhijeet Singh (Associate Professor, Economics Department, Stockholm School of Economics)
December 13, 2023: 9:00am EST / 7:30pm IST
“Connecting Boundaries: Merging Administrative and Geographic Data using SHRUG”
Paul Novosad (Associate Professor of Economics, Dartmouth College)
CASI Student Programs
Read all about the CASI 2023 Summer Interns and Summer Research Grant recipients' experiences on the CASI Student Programs Blog!
Questions about CASI Student Programs?
Please contact Juni Bahuguna (Assistant Director, Student & Visitor Programs) at junib@sas.upenn.edu
Our Campus & Regional Partners
Perry World House 2023 Global Order Colloquium
A New Age of Nuclearity? Great Powers and Greater Consequences
September 27-28, 2023
Campus Location
CASI's office is located close to the heart of Penn's campus at the Ronald O. Perelman Center for Political Science & Economics at 133 South 36th Street (Suite 230) Philadelphia, PA 19104-6215.
Please note: CASI is operating on a hybrid schedule.
