Gender, culture and capital in blending of tradition and modernity in India
Date: 02 September 2026
Venue: Online, link provided closer to event
About
Come and listen to Dr Govind Kelkar discuss the roles of gender, culture and capital in India and the ways in which these often blend tradition and modernity.
Dr Govind Kelkar is a leading feminist scholar whose work sits at the powerful intersection of gender, economics and social justice. Holding a PhD in the Political Economy of China, she currently serves as the Executive Director of the GenDev Centre for Research and Innovation in Gurgaon, India.
Over a distinguished career, Dr. Kelkar has bridged the gap between grassroots research and global policy. Her expertise in land rights and energy poverty includes a seven-year tenure as Senior Adviser to Landesa in Seattle, alongside key roles as the International Research Coordinator for ENERGIA (The Netherlands) and gender research lead at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. A truly global academic, she holds professorships and advisory roles across India's top institutes (CESS, CSD, IHD) and maintains deep international ties as a Distinguished Adjunct Faculty at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, and Honorary Professor at the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, China
Govind has authored 16 books, including Witch Hunts: Culture, Patriarchy and Structural Transformation (co-authored), Cambridge University Press, 2020 and a compendium, Gender, Culture, and Capital: Witch Hunts and Ritual Attacks Across Northeast India (co-authored), 2023.