Ranjana Saha

Ranjana Saha is a Senior Research Fellow and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Turku, Finland, affiliated with the Department of European and World History. She holds a PhD from the University of Delhi and has held postdoctoral positions at Manipal Centre for Humanities and IISER Mohali. Her research focuses on decolonizing histories of 'scientific' motherhood in colonial India, emphasizing intersections of medicine, race, and empire. She has published widely in journals like Indian Economic and Social History Review and authored Modern Maternities (Routledge, 2023).

Education: PhD (History, University of Delhi), MPhil (History, University of Delhi), MA (Jawaharlal Nehru University), BA Hons (Lancaster University).

Research Interests: Social History of Medicine, Colonial Child Healthcare, Transnational Motherhood, Decoloniality, Material Culture. She explores how colonial medical advice shaped motherhood practices in Bengal, analyzing exhibitions, baby weeks, and material culture like baby foods.

Recent Articles: Focus on midwifery, breastfeeding advice, and child welfare exhibitions in colonial contexts, highlighting transnational and decolonial perspectives. Key works include studies on 'scientific' motherhood's material and cultural dimensions.

Awards: Professor Partha Sarthi Gupta Prize (2014), Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship (2023–2026).

Teaching & Grants: Designed courses on colonial medicine and gender history. Secured grants from the Finnish Society of Sciences, German Research Foundation, and others. Active in organizing workshops on decoloniality and child health history.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the Turku Institute for Advanced Studies (TIAS) and the HEX Centre (Tampere University) on projects like 'Decoloniality' and 'Histories of Expertise.'