Navtej Purewal

Navtej Purewal is Professor in Anticolonial and Decolonial Politics and Praxes at the Decolonising Arts Institute, University of the Arts London (UAL), a position she joined in 2024. Prior to this, she was Professor of Political Sociology and Development Studies at SOAS, University of London (2019–2024) and Deputy Director of the SOAS South Asia Institute (2014–2019). She has also held academic positions at the University of Manchester and served as a visiting chair at the University of Sydney. Her work bridges the social sciences, humanities, and arts, with a strong focus on decolonial praxis and critical development studies.

Her educational background includes a PhD in International Development from Lancaster University, an MA in South Asia Area Studies from SOAS, and a BA in Political Science from Vassar College. She is fluent in English and Punjabi, enabling deep engagement with South Asian communities and scholarship.

Navtej's research centers on the intersections of coloniality, development, identity, and social justice. She critically examines how structures of power, shaped by imperialism and inequality, are reflected and challenged in society. Her work emphasizes gender, caste, religion, and bordering processes, particularly in the Punjab region and its diaspora. She advocates for the use of art and creative methods to visualize and confront systemic injustices.

Her recent projects include AHRC-funded initiatives such as 'Border Crossings'—which uses virtual reality to explore Partition memory among the UK South Asian diaspora—and 'GRID Heritage,' a network that amplifies marginalized voices in cultural heritage through craft, textiles, and performance. These projects reflect a consistent trend in her scholarship: interdisciplinary, community-engaged, and committed to decolonizing knowledge production.

Scientific awards and honors mentioned include:

• AHRC/UKRI India Fellowship
• Multiple AHRC grants for interdisciplinary research
• British Academy grant for research on sexual and gender-based violence in Indian universities

She has advised postdoctoral researchers and collaborated with leading scholars such as Dr. Eleanor Newbigin, Prof. Raminder Kaur, and Prof. Parul Dave-Mukherji. Her grants reflect a sustained commitment to funding impactful, socially engaged research. Navtej is also involved in developing educational resources for critical teaching on 1947 and its legacies.

She is a key member of the Decolonising Arts Institute, a research hub dedicated to challenging colonial epistemologies and fostering anticolonial practices through art and scholarship. Her leadership in projects like GRID Heritage and Border Crossings underscores her role in building collaborative, transnational research teams focused on justice, memory, and cultural transformation.