Shefali Chandra

Shefali Chandra is an Associate Professor of History, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Asian American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. She holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from Mount Holyoke College. Her research focuses on South Asian globalization, colonial/postcolonial histories, and intersections of caste, whiteness, and sexuality. She currently works on India’s relationship with the U.S. and has written on topics like transnational feminism, decolonial theory, and postcolonial democracy.

Research Interests:

• Global South Asia studies
• Critical race and caste theory
• Postcolonial feminist historiography
• Decolonization of knowledge systems
• Transnational solidarity movements

Her work has been recognized with awards including the Common Ground Teaching Innovation Award (2011) and the Roland Grimm Award for Research in Asia (2018). She teaches courses on South Asian America, postcolonial theory, and gendered histories of globalization.

Grants & Fellowships:

• Arts & Sciences Seed Grant (2012)
• Center for the Humanities Faculty Fellow (2015-2018)
• Humanities Summer Research Grant (2016)