Debanuj DasGupta

Debanuj DasGupta is an Associate Professor of Feminist Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Previously, they served as Assistant Professor of Geography and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Connecticut (2016–2020). They hold a PhD in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from The Ohio State University, an M.A. in Geography & Urban Planning from The University of Akron, and a B.A. in Sociology from Presidency College, University of Calcutta.

Debanuj’s research focuses on the global governance of migration, sexuality, HIV/AIDS, and the intersections of race, space, and queer migration. They employ scholar-activist methodologies to examine LGBTQ+ migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Current projects include a monograph on Queer Migrations in Three Meditations, exploring HIV/AIDS and national-security state entanglements, and a graphic novel collaboration with South Asian LGBTQIA+ activists and artists on COVID-19 Pandemic and Trans/Queer Life-Making in South Asia.

Debanuj has received awards including the SSRC Junior Scholar Award and UCHRI Engaging the Humanities Research Award. They co-edited volumes such as Queer Then and Now and Queering Digital India, and serve on the editorial board of Geography Compass. A survivor of the detention/prison industrial complex, Debanuj has over two decades of activism in sexual liberation and migrant justice movements in the U.S. and India.