Vidyasagar Sharma

Vidyasagar Sharma is a Research Associate at Bielefeld University's Faculty of Sociology, working on the DFG-funded project "Navigating Universities. Student Aspirations, Boundary Drawing, and Transformations in India and the Philippines" under Prof. Dr. em. Joanna Pfaff-Czarnecka. He is affiliated with Department 6 - Sociology of Transnationalization and Social Anthropology and the Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology.

Education:

• 2023-04 - Ongoing: Research Associate in DFG project "Navigating Universities..." at Bielefeld University
• 2021-08 - 2022-05: Urban Fellows Program, Indian Institute of Human Settlements, Bengaluru
• 2018-10 - 2021-02: Master of Philosophy in Political Science, University of Delhi (Dissertation: Changing Contours of Caste in Urban Spaces: A Case Study of Delhi)
• 2015-07 - 2017-07: Master of Arts in Political Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University
• 2011-07 - 2014-06: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Indira Gandhi National Open University

Research Focus: Sharma's work critically examines caste dynamics in Indian educational institutions, institutional violence against marginalized students, and the commodification of higher education. His research explores how social hierarchies manifest in university spaces and affect student experiences, particularly for Dalit-Bahujan communities, with strong emphasis on belonging, social exclusion, and educational equity.

Publication Trends: His prolific output spans academic journals and major media outlets including The Indian Express and The Wire. A consistent theme across his work is the intersection of caste discrimination and mental health among university students, with particular attention to institutional responses to student suicides and the moral crisis in India's higher education system.

Scientific Awards:

• 2019-07 - 2023-03: Junior Research Fellowship, University Grants Commission, India
• 2015-07 - 2016-07: Nirman Foundation Fellowship, Centre for Policy Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Professional Activities: Sharma is a member of the British Sociological Association (2023-present) and founded the academic initiative "Speaking From Margin" in 2021 to build solidarity for social justice in higher education. His research experience includes work as a Principal Investigator at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements and a Research Intern at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi.

Additional Information: Fluent in Hindi and English with working knowledge of German, Sharma bridges academic scholarship with public discourse through regular contributions to major media platforms addressing pressing issues in education policy and social justice.