Bandana Purkayastha is Professor of Sociology & Asian American Studies at the University of Connecticut (UCONN). She has served as the President, Sociologists for Women in Society (2013-2014), and is, currently, American Sociological Association’s national representative to the International Sociological Association (2014-2018).
The recipient of American Sociological Association Asia and Asian American section’s 2016 Contribution to the Field (career) award, Professor Purkayastha’s research interests focus on intersectionality, human rights, migration, violence & peace. She has published over fifty peer-reviewed articles, books, and chapters on these subjects. Examples of her recent articles and books include: Human Trafficking Amidst Interlocking Oppressions: A focus on Pakistan (2015); Voices of Internally Displaced Persons in Kenya: A Human Rights Perspective (2015); The Human Rights Enterprise: The State, Resistance, and Human Rights. (2015); Human Rights in Our Own Backyard: Injustice and Resistance in the US, which was awarded ASA-Human Rights section’s Gordon Hirabayashi book award; “Intersectionality in a Transnational World” (in Gender & Society); Sexual Violence, Race, and Media (In)visibility: Intersectional Complexities in a Transnational Frame (in Societies).
Professor Purkayastha spent several months in 2017 at University of Hyderabad on a Fulbright-Nehru professional excellence fellowship. She has been recognized for her teaching, mentoring, research, and leadership through several university, state, and professional awards.. She has served in several editorial positions and on international expert committees including on World Health Organization’s initiative on female migrants (“Women on the Move”).
She was recognized by her colleagues from near and far with the 2019 Sociologists for Women in Society mentoring award.
Bandana Purkayastha 