Rohit Varman

Rohit Varman is Professor of Marketing and Consumption at the Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, within the Department of Marketing. He has held academic positions at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIMC), and Deakin University before joining the University of Birmingham in 2019. At Birmingham, he has served in leadership roles including Head of the Department of Marketing and Doctoral Lead.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of Utah
• MBA, McGill University

Rohit Varman's research lies at the intersection of critical marketing, consumer culture, and social justice. His work critically examines corporate violence, exploitation, unfree labor, colonialism, and resistance to marketization. He explores how power, caste, religion, and historical legacies shape consumer behavior and market systems, particularly in post-colonial contexts. His scholarship bridges disciplines such as sociology, organization studies, and critical theory.

His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward decolonizing marketing knowledge, theorizing necroptics and death-worlds, and exploring transformative service and alternative organizing. His work frequently appears in top journals including Journal of Consumer Research, Marketing Theory, and Organization Studies, and he has co-edited influential volumes with Cambridge University Press and Routledge.

Scientific Awards and Honors:

• Emerald Citation of Excellence (2015)
• Former President, International Society of Markets & Development (ISMD)

Rohit is deeply engaged in academic service: he is Co-Editor-in-Chief of Marketing Theory and Associate Editor of Consumption, Markets & Culture. He has served on multiple editorial boards and guest-edited special issues on critical themes. He is passionate about mentoring PhD students in areas such as Critical Theory, Marketing and Society, Consumer Culture, History of Marketing, Subaltern Consumption, and Resistance Movements. He has successfully supervised four PhDs and served on several supervisory committees.

He is actively involved in research networks and has been a visiting researcher at institutions like Karlstad University, New School, and IIT Bombay. His work continues to push the boundaries of marketing as a discipline by centering ethics, justice, and critical reflection.