Jens Lerche

Jens Lerche is a Professor in Agrarian & Labour Studies at the Department of Development Studies, SOAS University of London. With over 50 publications spanning from the 1990s through 2025, his academic career demonstrates sustained engagement with the political economy of labor, caste, and agrarian change in India. His work bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical research on contemporary Indian society, particularly focusing on marginalized communities including Dalits, Adivasis, and agricultural laborers.

Lerche's research interests center on the complex intersections of labor, caste, race, and class within contemporary capitalism, with particular attention to how these systems of oppression operate in the Indian context. His work explores the bypassing of traditional agrarian transitions in neoliberal India, the dynamics of social movements like the farm laws protests, and the structural discrimination faced by migrant workers. Through concepts like 'conjugated oppression,' he develops theoretical frameworks that account for how multiple forms of social hierarchy interact within capitalist development.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a consistent scholarly trajectory examining how traditional caste hierarchies intersect with emerging class formations in India's political economy. His work has increasingly focused on contemporary social movements, including the farmers' protests and responses to the migrant labor crisis during the pandemic, while maintaining theoretical connections to broader debates about capitalism, inequality, and social change. The 2025 publication on Uttar Pradesh elections demonstrates his ongoing engagement with current political developments in India.

Lerche frequently collaborates with fellow scholars, most notably Alpa Shah, with whom he has co-authored multiple publications examining the intersections of caste, class, and social movements. His work appears across diverse publication formats including academic journals, book chapters, reports, and digital commentaries, demonstrating his commitment to engaging both academic and public audiences on critical issues of social justice and political economy in India.