James Chiriyankandath

Dr. James Chiriyankandath is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, part of the School of Advanced Study, University of London. His research spans the politics, international relations, and contemporary history of South Asia and the Middle East, with a focus on nationalism, religion, democratization, and post-colonial development.

• Education: PhD from SOAS, University of London
• Current Fellowship: Senior Research Fellow (2009-2026)

Research Interests:
• Hindu nationalism and Indian democracy
• Indian foreign policy and electoral politics
• Decolonization and Commonwealth studies
• Human rights and poverty reduction policies

Article Trends: His publications examine South Asian political transformations, majoritarian nationalism, poverty reduction policies, and the intersection of religion and politics. Key themes include BJP's electoral dominance, post-colonial governance challenges, and comparative analyses of democratization.

• Recent Projects:
  • Colonial laws and decriminalizing poverty
  • 'Expanding Social Programmes' (Brazil, India, China, South Africa)

Supervision: Co-supervises PhD topics on human rights violations, Birsa Munda's anticolonialism, and U.S. democracy promotion in Iraq/Lebanon.