About
Priya Deshingkar is Professor of Migration and Development at the University of Sussex's School of Global Studies. Her affiliations include collaborations with the Overseas Development Institute (as former Research Fellow), Asia Research Institute (Singapore), Centre for Migration Studies (Ghana), and African Centre for Migration and Society (South Africa). She holds a PhD in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies, an MSc from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, and a BSc (Hons) in Zoology from the University of Delhi.
Her research adopts feminist and decolonial approaches to analyze migration, focusing on precarious work, human smuggling, trafficking, and displacement. Key themes include Southern epistemologies, irregular migration, and the role of intermediaries in labor mobility. Her work challenges policy narratives by emphasizing migrant agency and contextual vulnerabilities.
Recent publications explore migration during crises (e.g., COVID-19), gendered migration patterns, and critiques of anti-trafficking frameworks. Articles frequently analyze South Asia, Africa, and the Gulf, employing mixed methods to uncover systemic drivers of exploitation.
She directs major research initiatives including the DFID-funded Migrating out of Poverty Consortium (£8.64M) and the ESRC Protracted Displacement Project. She teaches postgraduate modules on forced labor and migration, integrating critical perspectives into Sussex's decolonized curriculum.
