Sarada Balagopalan

Sarada Balagopalan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Childhood Studies at Rutgers University's Camden campus. Her interdisciplinary research examines postcolonial childhoods through anthropology and education lenses, focusing on marginalized children's experiences with schooling, labor, rights discourses, and citizenship pedagogies. She challenges exclusionary humanist frameworks while decentering hegemonic childhood assumptions.

Research Focus

Dr. Balagopalan leads two major projects:

• An archival study of democratizing Indian schooling since the 19th century, analyzing curricular designs for marginalized children.
• An ethnographic exploration of India's 'demographic dividend,' particularly urban female youth transitioning from schooling to vocational skilling.

Professional Contributions

• Chief Advisor for India's national middle-school 'Social and Political Life' textbooks (2005-2008)
• Board member of Nirantar (New Delhi gender/education center)
• Collaborator with Eklavya NGO on Indian public school reforms
• Former Associate Fellow at Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS)

Her book Inhabiting Childhood: Children, Work and Schooling in Postcolonial India (2014) analyzes tensions between child labor and education within colonial, national, and capitalist frameworks.