Dr Ipshita Basu
Dr. Ipshita Basu is a distinguished political sociologist specializing in just development for socio-politically marginalized communities living in climate-vulnerable environments. With extensive research spanning South Asia—including Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka—her work sheds light on how historical legacies, state policies, and organized resistance underpin the unequal distribution of crises such as ill health, environmental uncertainty and violence.
She is the author of Reclaiming Indigeneity and Democracy in India's Jharkhand (Oxford University Press) and has published groundbreaking research on concepts of justice in development and security.
She currently leads a major British Academy-funded project on Planetary Health and Relational Wellbeing in India, pioneering an emic approach that grounds planetary health within local environmental histories, lived experiences, and relational dynamics. The project focuses on two ecologically fragile regions—the Western Ghats in Kerala and the Saranda forests in Jharkhand—to uncover how global structures of planetary (ill) health manifest in local contexts. Looking ahead, she aims to expand this work to other regions, offering a nuanced understanding of how global planetary crises are experienced on the ground.
A Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, she is deeply committed to transforming education and has played a key role in decolonizing teaching resources in development studies as part of the Pedagogies for Social Justice Project.
With a PhD in International Development from the University of Bath (2010) and prior degrees from Bath and Warwick, all funded by competitive studentships, Dr. Basu's academic journey is marked by excellence and impact. She has held esteemed positions as a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Surrey and Head of Research at BRAC's Institute of Governance and Development, shaping policies and discourses that challenge systemic inequities.
Her work is not just about studying inequality—it’s about reshaping the narrative, amplifying voices, and driving meaningful change in the face of global uncertainties.
Areas of Expertise (for media, public communication, research collaboration)
Planetary Health and Wellbeing
Justice in Development
Digitalising States/Social Protection/Land
Indigenous people, minorities and race/caste dynamics
South Asian Politics: Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka
