معرفی
Urmila Goel is an acting Professor of European Ethnology at Humboldt University of Berlin's Faculty of Philosophy, Institute for European Ethnology, having held this position since January 2024 (previously from 2016-2021). She is also an associate member of the Center for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies and has held visiting positions at institutions including Alpen-Adria University in Klagenfurt, European University Viadrina, and various international research centers.
Her educational background includes a doctorate in economics from the University of Kiel (1997), a master's in economics and econometrics from the University of Southampton, and a second master's in South Asian Area Studies from SOAS, London. She completed her habilitation in cultural anthropology at European University Viadrina in 2017 with the thesis 'The Internet – an Ethnography' and was granted a teaching license at Humboldt University in 2020.
Professor Goel's research focuses on migration (particularly nurse migration from India to Germany and migration to the GDR), racism, gender and sexuality, and the interrelationships of power relations. Her work takes an intersectional approach, examining how categories like gender, race, and nationality intersect to shape social experiences and power dynamics. She is particularly interested in anti-racist research methodologies and the critical examination of migration histories.
Her extensive publication record shows a clear trajectory from early work on economic theory to her current focus on migration, intersectionality, and digital ethnography. Her most recent work examines skilled worker recruitment from India, non-heteronormative desire, and the digital everyday, while maintaining her longstanding interest in migration histories and care work. The publications demonstrate her commitment to applying intersectional frameworks across diverse topics.
Her scientific recognition includes:
- Price for Outstanding Lecturing 2018, Humboldt University Berlin
- Price of the Faculty for Outstanding Lecturing 2010, Faculty of Philosophy 3, Humboldt University Berlin
Professor Goel has supervised student research projects including 'Students born after the fall of the Wall and the GDR/East' and has been involved in significant research projects such as 'WHO CARED' and 'Recruiting trainees from India.' Her grant history includes fellowships from ICAS:MP in Delhi, Max Weber Center for Advanced Studies, Jacobs Foundation, and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).
She leads the 'West-East Working Group Migration to the GDR' and coordinates the 'Study project Doing Transport. Ethnographic Explorations' for the 2024/25 academic year. Her research team includes collaborators across multiple institutions working on projects related to migration, gender, and intersectionality.
