Tori Gross

Tori Gross is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago and serves as the Assistant Director of MAPSS (Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences). Her research bridges anthropology, political science, and South Asian studies, focusing on caste dynamics, identity politics, and the interplay between neoliberal values and state sovereignty in contemporary India.

Her work explores the gendered production of parastate sovereignty in Tamil Nadu, analyzing how marginalized communities negotiate power through historical claims. Her 2022 article in Modern Asian Studies examines caste consolidation and revisionist histories in South India.

Her current research investigates the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu, historically resistant to Hindu nationalism, by analyzing neoliberal ideals, post-truth media, and globalized identity politics.