Gita Chadha

Areas of Interest & Expertise

  • Sociological Theory
  • Research Methodology
  • Knowledge Production
  • Science Studies
  • Gender and Feminisms
  • Visual Cultures

Biography

Prior to joining the Azim Premji University, Bengaluru,  Gita was a faculty member at the post-graduate Department of Sociology, University of Mumbai for over a decade. In her teaching career of over three decades, she has taught at undergraduate colleges of Mumbai University and on the international programme of the University of London in Mumbai. She designed and taught a first-of-its-kind course in Feminist Science Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, India. She has outlined innovative pedagogic initiatives for integrating science and social science teaching for CSCS, Bengaluru and for the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru. 

A PhD in Sociology from the University of Mumbai and her thesis, Gender, Scientific Intuition and Genius: A Feminist Perspective, argued that intuition as an epistemic category is both marginalised and appropriated in the making of scientific knowledge.  Her research writings have been in the areas of science studies, sociological reimaginations of a feminist sociology and methodological debates in research.

Gita has been the Chairperson of the University Women’s Development Cell of the University of Mumbai. She has developed frameworks for feminist archiving at the Research Centre for Women’s Studies, SNDT University, Mumbai, India and at the NCBS Archives in Bengaluru.

She has also collaborated with women artists and poets in building common understandings of feminist art practices in India. 

Gita serves on the editorial board of the journals Catalyst and Confluence. Gita is also on selection committees for academic fellowships and juries for media awards.

She is a member of academic and professional bodies like the Indian Sociological Society and The Indian Association of Women’s Studies.

Gita held the Obaid Siddiqi Chair (2023−24) at the at NCBS and is currently Honorary Senior Fellow at the Archives, NCBS. 

Select Publication and Writings:

Edited Special Issues (Journals)

  •  Feminisms and Sociologies: Insertions, Intersections and Integrations in Contributions in Indian Sociology, Vol. 50 No. 3 (October 2016).
  • Feminist Science Studies: Intersectional Narratives of Persons in Gender-marginal Locations in Science, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. LII No. 17 (April 2017).
  • Power and Relationships in Academia, EPW Engage Vol 52 No. 50 (December 2017).
  • Gender and COVID-19: Perspectives from the Margins EPW Engage, Vol. 56 No. 11 (March 2021).

Edited Books 

  • Mapping Scientific Method: Disciplinary Narrations edited with Renny Thomas, Routledge (New Delhi) (2022) 
  • Re-imagining Sociology in India: Feminist Perspectives edited with M.T. Joseph, Routledge, London and New York (International Edition) and New Delhi (South Asia Edition) (2018).
  • Feminists and Science: Critiques and Perspectives in India (Vol 2.) edited with Sumi Krishna, Stree Publishers, Kolkata and Sage Publications, New Delhi (2017).
  • Feminists and Science: Critiques and Perspectives in India (Vol 1.) edited with Sumi Krishna, Stree Publishers, Kolkata (2015).
  • Zero Point Bombay: In and Around the Horniman Circle edited with Kamala Ganesh and Usha Thakker, Roli Books (2008).

Journal Articles 

  • Evelyn Fox Keller: A Tribute, EPW Engage, Vol. 59, Issue No. 3 (January 2024)
  • Pandemic Conversations: Gender, Marginalities and Covid-19 in Gender and COVID-19: Perspectives from the Margins, EPW Engage, Vol. 56 No. 11 (March 2021).
  • Nadi Ke Kinare: Suma Chitnis ke Saath Ek Saakshatkar in Bharatiya Smajshastra Samiksha (Hindi Bulletin of the Indian Sociological Society) Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 80 – 102 (June 2020).
  • Kaagaz, Watan, Hum: Feminist Imaginations from Resistance with Akansha Tyagi in the Indian Journal of Secularism, Vol. 23, No. 4 (Jan-Mar 2020).
  • Nature, Nation, Science and Gender in the Sociological Bulletin, Vol. 67, Issue 3, pp. 334 – 337 (September 2018).
  • Towards Complex Feminist Solidarities after the List Statement in Power and Relationships in Academia, EPW Engage Vol. 52 No. 50 (December 2017).
  • Evoking Waris Shah, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol LII, No. 32 p. 76 – 78 (2017).
  • Feminist Science Studies: Intersectional Narratives of Persons in Gender-marginal Locations with Asha Achuthan, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. LII No. 17 pp. 33 – 36 (April 2017).
  • In- disciplining sociologies; disciplining feminisms: Towards a ​‘deep’ and critical integration in Feminisms and Sociologies: Insertions, Intersections and Integrations, Special Issue, Contributions in Indian Sociology, Vol. 50 No. 3 (October 2016).
  • Remembering Expressions in Miloon Saryajani, p.59 (March 2014).
  • Physics Plagiarism: A Time for Introspection in Economic and Political Weekly Vol. XXXVII, No. 50 p. 995‑4996 (2002).
  • Homi Bhabha: Scientific Intellectual as Patron with Vidya Kamat, Humanscape (August 2002).
  • Fire: A Relational Sexuality, New Quest No. 138 p. 353 (Nov-Dec 1999).
  • Sokal’s hoax: A Backlash to Science Criticism in Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XXXIII, No. 47 p. 2964 – 2968 (1999).
  • Science and Gender, New Quest, No. 128 (March 1998).
  • Sokal’s hoax and tensions in the Scientific Left in Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XXXII, No. 35 p. 2194 – 2196 (1997).
  • The Science Question in Post-Colonial Feminism, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XXXII, No. 15 (1996).
  • Nature, Nation, Science and Gender in Reframing the Environment: Resources, Risk and Resistance in Neoliberal India edited by Manisha Rao, Routledge, New Delhi, 2020.
  • Introduction: Mapping and Marking Feminist Sociologies in India with M.T. Joseph in Re-imagining Sociology in India: Feminist Perspectives edited by Gita Chadha and M.T. Joseph, Routledge, London and New York (International Edition) and New Delhi (South Asia Edition) 2018.
  • ‘Science, Sociology of Science and Society: Is there a Relationship? in Breaking the Silo: Integrated Science Education in India edited by Anup Dhar, K. Sridhar and Tejaswini Niranjana, Orient Blackswan, New Delhi, May 2017.
  • Tracking a Consciousness: Questions, Dilemmas and Conundrums of Science Criticism in India in Feminists and Science: Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India – Vol. II edited by Sumi Krishna and Gita Chadha, pp. xxxiii – xliii, Stree Publishers, Kolkata and Sage Publications, New Delhi (2017).
  • Fingerprints and Erasures: Mapping the Creative Process in Science in Feminists and Science: Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India – Vol. II edited by Sumi Krishna and Gita Chadha, pp. 207 – 231, Stree Publishers, Kolkata and Sage Publications, New Delhi (2017).
  • ‘Blue Flower Mentoring’: Interview with Vidita Vaidya in Feminists and Science: Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India – Vol. II with Sumi Krishna and Unnati Tripathi, edited by Sumi Krishna and Gita Chadha, pp. 72 – 92, Stree Publishers, Kolkata and Sage Publications, New Delhi (2017).
  • ‘Science in Architecture and Architecture in Science: A Conversation with Neera Adarkar in Feminists and Science: Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India – Vol. II with Unnati Tripathi, edited by Sumi Krishna and Gita Chadha, pp. 232 – 251, Stree Publishers, Kolkata and Sage Publications, New Delhi (2017).
  • ‘Eine postkoloniale Geschichte der Wissenschaftskriik aus feministischer Sicht’ (In German), in Jahrbuch Deustsch Als Fremdsprache (Intercultural German Studies) edited by Andrea Bogner et al., Iudicium Verlag Publishers (2015). 
  • ‘Tracking a Consciousness: Questions, Dilemmas and Conundrums of Science Criticism in India’ in Feminists and Science: Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India edited by Sumi Krishna and Gita Chadha, Stree Publishers (2015).
  • ‘Teaching Feminist Science Studies in India: An Experiment’ with Chayanika Shah in Feminists and Science: Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India edited by Sumi Krishna and Gita Chadha, Stree Publishers (2015).
  • ‘Women, Gender and Science and Nation Building: South Asia’ in the Encyclopaedia on Women and Islamic Cultures edited by Suad Joseph, Brill Publications, Netherlands (2007). 
  • ‘Towards an informed science criticism’ in Culture and the making of Identity in Contemporary India edited by Kamala Ganesh and Usha Thakkar, Sage Publications (April 2005).

Chapters in Books 

  • Nature, Nation, Science and Gender in Reframing the Environment: Resources, Risk and Resistance in Neoliberal India edited by Manisha Rao, Routledge, New Delhi, 2020.
  • Introduction: Mapping and Marking Feminist Sociologies in India with M.T. Joseph in Re-imagining Sociology in India: Feminist Perspectives edited by Gita Chadha and M.T. Joseph, Routledge, London and New York (International Edition) and New Delhi (South Asia Edition) 2018.
  • ‘Science, Sociology of Science and Society: Is there a Relationship? in Breaking the Silo: Integrated Science Education in India edited by Anup Dhar, K. Sridhar and Tejaswini Niranjana, Orient Blackswan, New Delhi, May 2017.
  • Tracking a Consciousness: Questions, Dilemmas and Conundrums of Science Criticism in India in Feminists and Science: Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India – Vol. II edited by Sumi Krishna and Gita Chadha, pp. xxxiii – xliii, Stree Publishers, Kolkata and Sage Publications, New Delhi (2017).
  • Fingerprints and Erasures: Mapping the Creative Process in Science in Feminists and Science: Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India – Vol. II edited by Sumi Krishna and Gita Chadha, pp. 207 – 231, Stree Publishers, Kolkata and Sage Publications, New Delhi (2017).
  • ‘Blue Flower Mentoring’: Interview with Vidita Vaidya in Feminists and Science: Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India – Vol. II with Sumi Krishna and Unnati Tripathi, edited by Sumi Krishna and Gita Chadha, pp. 72 – 92, Stree Publishers, Kolkata and Sage Publications, New Delhi (2017).
  • ‘Science in Architecture and Architecture in Science: A Conversation with Neera Adarkar in Feminists and Science: Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India – Vol. II with Unnati Tripathi, edited by Sumi Krishna and Gita Chadha, pp. 232 – 251, Stree Publishers, Kolkata and Sage Publications, New Delhi (2017).
  • ‘Eine postkoloniale Geschichte der Wissenschaftskriik aus feministischer Sicht’ (In German), in Jahrbuch Deustsch Als Fremdsprache (Intercultural German Studies) edited by Andrea Bogner et al., Iudicium Verlag Publishers (2015). 
  • ‘Tracking a Consciousness: Questions, Dilemmas and Conundrums of Science Criticism in India’ in Feminists and Science: Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India edited by Sumi Krishna and Gita Chadha, Stree Publishers (2015).
  • ‘Teaching Feminist Science Studies in India: An Experiment’ with Chayanika Shah in Feminists and Science: Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India edited by Sumi Krishna and Gita Chadha, Stree Publishers (2015).
  • ‘Women, Gender and Science and Nation Building: South Asia’ in the Encyclopaedia on Women and Islamic Cultures edited by Suad Joseph, Brill Publications, Netherlands (2007). 
  • ‘Towards an informed science criticism’ in Culture and the making of Identity in Contemporary India edited by Kamala Ganesh and Usha Thakkar, Sage Publications (April 2005).

Web 

Others

  • A Wide Canvas: Review of the book Between Femininity and Feminism: Colonial and Postcolonial Perspectives on Care in The Book Review, Vol. XL, No. 7 (July 2016).
  • So it Goes – a book on visual artist Yardena Kurulkar’s works published by Chemould Prescott Road (2022), ISBN: 978−81954610−0−4.
  • At home: South Asian Women’s Storytelling in the Time of COVID-19, published in StoryCenter – an online resource hosted from Berkeley, California, U.S.A. (April 2020).
  • Against Abuse — An essay on #MeToo in the context of the Indian art world in Art India, Vol. XXII, Issue 3 (December 2018).
  • The Byproduct – Review of Mithu Sen’s show UnMYthU in Art India, Vol. XXII, Issue 1 (March 2018).
  • Returning the Gaze: An Essay on Rekha Rodwittiya’s show Love Done Right Can Change the World in Art India (September 2017).
  • Content and Context, An Essay on Amar Kanwar’s show Lightning Testimonies in Art India Vol. XX Issue II (April 2016).
  • Patriarchy dehumanises both men and women in Hindustan Times 22nd July (2012).
  • Aamir Khan’s Show: Flawed but Courageous in Hindustan Times 13th May (2012).
  • Confronting the Conundrum of International Women’s Day in Hindustan Times 4th March (2012).
  • Choosing the mela over the mall in Hindustan Times 19th February (2012).