NCID-1325
Madhavi Devasher
Postdoctoral Research Associate
University of New Hampshire
Education/Degree:
1 Political Science (Yale University)
About
Dr. Devasher is a political scientist, specializing in ethnic politics, especially in South Asia. She is currently a postdoctoral research associate at the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies. She received her PhD in political science from Yale University and her BA from Stanford University. Her research examines the impact of ethnic and religious identity on elections in democratic societies by studying the political choices and representation of the large, vulnerable Muslim minority in India. She also has interests in the relationship between political regimes and conflict, with a focus on South Asia. Her work draws on qualitative and quantitative methods, extensive fieldwork in India, and language proficiency in Hindi, Urdu, and French.
Current Work
She is working on a book project highlighting how vulnerable minorities in developing democracies respond to the political system to ensure their welfare. This draws on fieldwork in Uttar Pradesh, including original survey data on the political preferences of Indian Muslim voters. Contrary to existing predictions, she demonstrates that voters often defect from a co-ethnic choice when voting, forging mutually beneficial relationships with politicians from other ethnic groups. Her research thus demonstrates how multi-ethnic democracies can thrive. The project also intervenes in current Indian political debates which she addressed through an op-ed in the Indian Express in the lead up to the 2014 Indian National Elections. Separately, she is completing work on an article that demonstra, and explains why we observe higher levels of conflict between India and Pakistan when Pakistan is under a civilian regime.
Research Area Keyword(s)
Political Science