Antara Ray

Assistant Professor

BA (Hons) Sociology (Presidency College, 2006)

MA Sociology (Jadavpur University, 2008)

PGD-Industrial Relations & Personnel Management (Bhawans College of Communication & Management, 2008)

PhD Sociology (West Bengal State University)

UGC - NET (2008)

WB-SET (2007) and secured State Funded Research Scholarship.

I did my B.A. in Sociology Honours from Presidency College and have secured Merit Certificate from University of Calcutta for securing first class fourth in B.A. Sociology Hons. After which I did my M.A. in Sociology from Jadavpur University. I have also secured scholarship from Government of India (MHRD).

My doctoral work is on the operation of caste in everyday life which includes intensive field work with various caste groups in Urban Kolkata. I have joined West Bengal State University just after completing my M.A. in Sociology. After working there for four years as Assistant Professor, I joined Presidency University in August 2013. 

Currently I am working in the area of caste and Dalit to understand the dynamics, working and identity construction.

Administrative Experience:

1. Member of UG Board of Studies at West Bengal State University (2009 - 2014)

2. Member of PG Board of Studies at West Bengal State University (2009 - 2014)

3. Member of PG Board of Studies at Gour Banga University (2011 - 2019)

4. Paper Setter, Moderator, External Examiner at West Bengal State University, Rabindra Bharati University, Netaji Subhash Open University, University of Calcutta.

5. Member of Equal Opportunity Cell, Presidency University.

6. Member and External Expert of Syllabus Review Committee, 2023-24, West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education.

I have started my academic career as a Guest Lecturer at Jadavpur University where I taught from August 2008 to August 2009.

I joined as an Assistant Professor in Sociology Department at West Bengal State University in September 2009 and worked till July 2013 and joined Presidency University in August 2013.

I teach the major courses on Politics, Indian Society, Classical Thinkers and Dalits in UG and PG respectively. I regularly offer courses on reading various theories on Caste, Dalit Literature, Ambedkar, Periyar, Dalit Women to PG students.

Students pursuing PhD under my supervision:

1. Trisha Saha: Understanding Dalit Literature in Bengal

2. Arhita Biswas : Understanding School Toilets as a Sanitary and Social Space: An
exploratory study of select schools affiliated to the West Bengal Board of Education

3. Samip Sinchuri : Aspirations and Association of the Dalits: A Study of Kami, Damai and Sarki Caste Groups in the District of Darjeeling, West Bengal

4. Debopam Gangopadhyay : Appropriations: Language, Place and Matua Identity Formation (1989 - 2019)

1. Life-Member of Indian Sociological Society.

2. Member of West Bengal Sociological Association

3. Executive Member, M.A.S.S, Kolkata, A Centre of Associates for Sociological Studies, Kolkata.

4.Life Member of North West Indian Sociological Association.

5. Life Member of Social Science Humanities Association.
 

BOOK CHAPTERS:

1. Ray, Antara and Ramanuj Ganguly. 2012. “ Human Rights Ideals and Caste – Affected Practices in Contemporary India”, in Alok Kumar Meena (ed.), Human Rights: Evolution, Implementation and Evaluation, New Delhi: Palm Leaf Publication, ISBN 819095391-5.

2. Ray, Antara and Ramanuj Ganguly. 2015. “Changing Experience of Dalit Youth in Contemporary India”, in Manish K. Verma (ed.), Globalization and Environement: Discourses, Policies and Practices, Jaipur and New Delhi: Rawat Publications, ISBN 978-81-316-0709-1.

3. Ray, Antara and Ramanuj Ganguly. 2020 “Re (Caste-ing) Justice: Globalization and Dalits in India”, in Manish K. Verma (ed.), Globalization, Environment and Social Justice: Perspectives, Issues and Concerns, Routledge.

4. Ray, Antara. 2019. "(Re)Interrogating The Salience of B.R. Ambedkar in Understanding Caste System: A Sociological Mapping in Contrast" in Vimal K. Lahari (ed.), Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: Life and Mission, New Delh: Reliance Publishing House.

5. Ray, Antara. 2022. "Caste and Public Policy: The Case of West Bengal" in R. Choragudi, S. Pellissery and N. Jayaram (eds), Caste Matters in Public Policy, Routledge.

ARTICLES (JOURNALS)

1. “Conditions of Work of Female Domestic Workers of Kolkata”, Jadavpur University Journal of Sociology, Vol. 3, No 3, March 2010, ISSN 0976-5212.

2. “Phenomenology: From Husserl to Schutz”, Samaj Tatwa, Vol.17, Issue 1, June 2011, ISSN 0975-9980.

3. “Re-Thinking Dalit Women in Post Colonial India”, in Social Trends (Refereed Journal), March 2014, ISSN: 2348-6538.

4. “Foregrounding Differences and Diversity: Dalit Youth of India”, Social Trends (Refereed Journal), Vol. 2, No.1, March 2015, ISSN 2348-6538.

5. Book review: Rakhshanda Jalil, Tarun K. Saint and Debjani Sengupta (eds.), Looking Back the 1947 Partition of India 70 Years On. Sociological Bulletin May19, 2020, ISBN 978-93-5287-620-4.

6. "A Study on Locating Ambedkar in the Field of Gender" in Journal of Namibian Studies: History Politics Culture, Volume 30 (2021), 27-43, Special Issue 1, https://doi.org/10.59670/kz15g272.

7. "Women As Political Leaders in Municipalities: A Study in West Bengal" in IJFANS International Journal (Peer Reviewed, UGC Care I), Volume 11, Special Issue 4, 2022, eISSN 2320 7876.

8. "Bengali Dalit Autobiographies: A Sociological Exploration of Dalit Identity" in Journal for ReAttach Therapy and Developmental Diversities, Vol. 5 No. 2 (2022), July-December 2022, eISSN 2589-7799.

9. "The Intersection of Caste and Nature: A Study of Dalit Fishing Community of Kakdwip (Sundarbans Delta)" in Journal of the Oriental Institute (Peer Reviewed), Vol. 72, Issue 02, No.6, April-June 2023. ISSN00305324.

10. "The Possibilities of Situating Sociology of Dalits" in Education and Society, Peer Reiewed Journal of Indian Institute of Education, Vol.46, Issue - 4, No. 5, July 2023, ISSN 2278 6834.

11. "A Study of Dalit Identity & Consciousness in West Bengal, India" in Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 20th August 2023, Vol. 29 No. 3, e-ISSN: 2148-2403 https://doi.org/10.53555/kuey.v29i3.6670.

12. "Women Councillors in Local Governance: A Study in Southern District of West Bengal, India" in Cahiers Magellanes-NS (Web of Science), Vol. 06, Issue 2, 12-7-2024, eISSN 1624-1940.