Arun Kumar
Arun Kumar, who joined the TRG in April 2013, is a doctoral student at the Centre for Modern Indian Studies, University of Göttingen. His doctoral research inquires into the didactics of schooling and aspirations of the ‘poor’ in colonial India. His research is being supervised by Professor Rupa Viswanath at Göttingen and Professor Neeladri Bhattacharya at JNU, New Delhi.
Email: arunkumar019(ghi)gmail.com
Research Interests
My research interest centres around global history of poverty and poor (Europe, Africa, South Asia, and the United States), history of British imperialism and colonial India, educational histories, labour histories, histories of childhood, famine, caste-class hierarchies, modern history of science and technology, economic and cultural history, and oral histories.
Academic Background
| 2013-present | Doctoral Studies in Medieval and Modern History, Centre for Modern Indian Studies, University of Göttingen, Germany |
| 2010-2012 | MA in Modern History, Department of History, University of Delhi (Affiliated to the St. Stephen’s College) |
| 2007-2010 | BA History (Honours), Delhi College of Arts and Commerce (DCAC), University of Delhi, India |
Scholarships and Prizes
| 2013-present | Transnational Research Group PhD Fellowship, German Historical Institute, London |
| 2013 | Lala Ram Mohan Award for scoring highest marks in the MA History examinations at the University of Delhi |
| 2010-2012 | Delhi University Post-Graduate Scholarship |
| 2007-2010 | Sitaram Jindal Foundation Scholarship |
| 2010 | All Round Excellency Award, DCAC, University of Delhi, 2010 |
| 2010 | Damyanti Pathak Award, DCAC, University of Delhi, 2010 |
| 2009 | Sanjay Gupta Award, DCAC, University of Delhi, 2009 |
| 2008 | Best Essay Award by the International Transparency, Hong Kong, 2008 |
| 2008 | Best Essay Award by the NGO Nandini Voice for the Deprived, 2008 |
Current Research
Working Lives and Schooling in Late Colonial India (1880s-1940s)
Publications
‘Rethinking Inequality and Education: Crime, Labour and the School Curriculum in Indian Reformatory Schools (1880s-1920s)’ in Vikas Gupta et al, eds., Modern Transformation and Challenges of Inequalities in India, Orient BlackSwan, New Delhi (forthcoming)