Aditi Saraf

Dr. Aditi Saraf is an Assistant Professor in Cultural Anthropology at Utrecht University, focusing on sovereignty, commerce, and spatial politics in South Asian borderlands. Her ethnographic and archival research connects political economy, militarization, and environmental challenges in Kashmir and Ladakh.

• Education: PhD in Anthropology (2016, Johns Hopkins University), MA in Sociology (Delhi University), BA in English (Delhi University)
• Awards: Wenner-Gren Hunt Fellowship

Her research interests span economic anthropology, political ecology, and feminist geography, particularly examining:

• Transnational trade networks in contested territories
• Financial surveillance and informal credit systems (e.g., Hawala)
• Climate change impacts on food security in Ladakh

Recent publications analyze border-making through financial infrastructure, sovereignty contestation, and cultural interpretations of political economy in South Asia.