A photo of a water body with ducks swimming and with vegetation nearby

Department of
Humanities and Social Sciences

Research Overview

The department faculty come from diverse HSS disciplines including history, architecture, literature, film and media studies, development studies, economics, political science and sociology. Faculty also carry out research in interdisciplinary areas such as environmental sustainability and development, history of astronomy and mathematics and heritage conservation that cut across different social and natural sciences.

Research Areas

History

Topics: History or architecture, History of mathematics, Medieval and modern history, Intellectual History of Modern Maharashtra

Venketeswara R. Pai, Pushkar Sohoni, Chaitra Redkar

Political Science

Topics: Gandhian studies, Political ideas in Modern India

Chaitra Redkar

Development Studies

Topics: Political ecology, Water management, Gender studies, Environment and development

Shalini Sharma, Bejoy K. Thomas, Sara Ahmed

Economics

Topics: Political economy, Ecological economics, Development economics

Bejoy K. Thomas

English Literature and Language

Topics: English and Anglophone literature, English for academic purposes

Pooja Sancheti

Architecture

Topics: History of Architecture, Material Culture

Pushkar Sohoni

Media and Film Studies

Topics:

Shalini Sharma

Research Centres and Initiatives

Centre for Water Research

The aim of the Centre for Water Research (CWR) is to generate interdisciplinary knowledge about water systems, train the next generation of scholars to look at water from a multi-dimensional lens, and provide a platform for IISER Pune to engage in research that can inform action and policy.

Faculty members from different departments in the institute such as Biology, Earth and Climate Science and Humanities and Social Sciences are involved in the activities of CWR. An international advisory group comprising of water scholars and practitioners provides inputs to CWR in its research and outreach. The Living Waters Museum (LWM), a virtual repository curating visual narratives on our water heritage, is part of CWR.

For more information on CWR, write to CWR Team at info_cwr@iiserpune.ac.in

To know more about LWM, get in touch with Dr. Sara Ahmed at sara.ahmed@iiserpune.ac.in or livingwatersmuseum@gmail.com