About
Anjana Ramkumar is a PhD candidate in Development Sociology at Cornell University. She researches the intersections of agroecology, rural development and the cultural politics in South Asia. Based on 10 months of ethnographic fieldwork, Anjana’s dissertation examines the politics of heritage rice revival in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Her work draws on and contributes to scholarship in political ecology, critical agrarian studies and South Asian studies.
Anjana’s research has been supported by grants from the National University of Singapore, the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, Cornell University and the Qualitative and Interpretative Research Institute, Cornell University. She uses a combination of qualitative methods in her research including participant observation, semi-structured interviews and narrative analysis.
Born in India and raised in Singapore, Anjana has conducted fieldwork in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines and India on a range of topics related to the environment, agriculture and development. Her research is broadly driven by an interest in understanding agrarian alternatives that challenge neoliberal and neocolonial approaches to development.
Alongside her research pursuits, Anjana has been actively engaged in teaching. She has taught a range of courses including field-based and writing-focused classes in varying capacities. Her approach to teaching is anchored in pedagogies of care and inclusivity. She is currently a graduate fellow with the Centre for Teaching Innovation at Cornell University.
Prior to graduate school, Anjana worked in Singapore’s foreign service, specializing in international climate change negotiations.
Committee members
Education
Bachelor of Environmental Studies, National University of Singapore
Master of Social Sciences by Research (Geography) National University of Singapore
Selected Publications
- Fisher J., Goldstein, J. & Ramkumar, A. (2024) Rice Self-Sufficiency Initiatives in Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Senegal: A Comparative Analysis. Development and Change 56(2), pp. 229-253.
- Ramkumar, A. (2024). Back to the Future: Traditional rice varieties and agrarian memory in South India. Gleanings: Culture and Agriculture. American Association of Anthropologists.
- Ramkumar A. (2021). [Review of Roses From Kenya: Labor, Environment, and the Global Trade in Cut Flowers by Megan A. Styles]. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography 42(3), pp. 528-530.
Selected Awards and Fellowships
- 2024: National University of Singapore Development Grant
- 2024: Centre for Teaching Innovation Graduate Research Fellowship, Cornell University
- 2023: Global PhD Research Award, Cornell University
- 2022: Marleigh Grayer Ryan Student Writing Prize: Graduate Honorable Mention
Teaching Experience
- GDEV 1200: Freshman Writing Seminar | Making Sense of Seeds (Instructor of Record)
- EDUC 2410: The Art of Teaching
- GDEV 3240: Environmental Sociology
- GDEV 1102: Introduction to Global Development
