Shruti Kapila

Professor Shruti Kapila is a leading academic in Modern and Contemporary India (1770–present) and Global Political Thought at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of History. She is a Fellow and Director of Studies at Corpus Christi College and co-directs the Global Humanities Initiative.

• BA, Panjab University
• MA, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
• PhD, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London

Her research redefines global political languages through Indian intellectual history, focusing on sovereignty, democracy, violence, and republicanism. She explores intersections of psychoanalysis, psychiatry, and colonial India, and has pioneered decolonial curricula. Her book Violent Fraternity (2021) is hailed as a groundbreaking work.

Recent publications address Indian democracy, conservatism, anti-imperialism, and psychoanalytic theory. Themes include political violence, colonial science, gender, and intellectual history, often emphasizing South Asia’s global role.

She mentors graduate students in global and Indian political thought, many now in academic positions worldwide. She also advises Indian institutions like the National Commission for Women and engages in media commentary for outlets like the Financial Times and BBC.