Upcoming talk: Join me online for "The University Prefigured" · 23 Oct · 12:00 CET · StAR Erasmus+ Project, UniTN Webinar Series
My writing brings together academic scholarship and public engagement across questions of caste, higher education, belonging, knowledge production, and social justice. Through academic publications, book reviews, and public essays, I engage with contemporary debates on universities, institutional life, reading practices, and everyday exclusion and resistance.
Sharma, V. (2026). “(Re)Imagining Resistance: Study Circles, Reading and the Politics of Belonging on a University Campus in India.” International Quarterly for Asian Studies, 57(2), 195–215. [Read ↗]
Alfiler, C. A., Pfaff-Czarnecka, J., & Sharma, V. “Mothers and Morals in Educational Mobilities: Insights from the Asian Global South.” Under Review.
2026
Sharma, V. Book Review: N. Sukumar, Caste Discrimination and Exclusion in Indian Universities: A Critical Reflection. Bedside Books, The Sociological Review. May 2026. [Read ↗]
2025
Sharma, V. Book Review: Amy T. Y. Lai, In Defense of Free Speech in Universities: A Study of Three Jurisdictions. Contemporary Education Dialogue, 22(2), 345–349. [Read ↗]
2024
Sharma, V. Book Review: "Untold Stories of the Undesirables." Economic and Political Weekly, 59(19), 26–28. [Read ↗]
2023
Sharma, V. “Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway: An Epistemological Challenge to Childcare Norms.” Economic and Political Weekly, 58(42), 65–66. [Read ↗]
2022
Sharma, V. Book Review: Tom Barnes, Informal Labour in Urban India: Three Cities, Three Journeys. Review of Development and Change, 27(1), 122–124. [Read ↗]
2020
Sharma, V. Book Review: Mukul Sharma, Caste and Nature: Dalits and Environmental Politics. Journal of Sociology, Jadavpur University, 11(11), 219–224. [Read ↗]
2026
Sharma, V. “The Death of a Cambridge Don: Jason Arday, Academic Merit and the Politics of Belonging.” The Wire. 19 Aug 2026. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “भोजपुरी को ‘अश्लील’ कोई कैसे कह सकता है? सांस्कृतिक स्मृतियों से बाज़ारू चकाचौंध तक!” [How can Bhojpuri be called ‘Obscene’? From Cultural Memories to Commercial Glitz!] Translated by Shishu Ranjan. द वायर/ The Wire. 2 Aug 2026. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “Who Gets to Call Bhojpuri Vulgar? From Cultural Memory to Commercial Hook.” The Wire. 9 Jul 2026. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “Why Reading has Become a Threat to the Right-Wing Authoritarian State.” The Wire. 25 May 2026. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “We Need Critical Readings on Campuses. DU Notification and Azim Premji University Violence Stand Against That Spirit.” The Indian Express. 27 Feb 2026. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “Universities Need to Remain Sites of Dissent.” The Wire. 18 Feb 2026. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “UGC’s New Equity Rules May Fall Short of Real Social Justice.” The Indian Express. 28 Jan 2026. [Read ↗]
2025
Sukumar, N., & Sharma, V. “The Attack on the CJI and the Shadow of Caste.” The Indian Express. 2 Oct 2025. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “Why Ban on Sci-Hub and Libgen Stands Against the Efforts of Decolonisation.” The Indian Express. 2 Sep 2025. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “For a Successful Digital Revolution, India Needs to Fix the Institutional Neglect Plaguing Our School System.” The Indian Express. 7 Aug 2025. [Read ↗]
Ganesh, G., & Sharma, V. “Student Suicides in Universities Are Often a Product of Institutional Violence. We Must Take a Stand.” The Indian Express. 21 Jul 2025. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “Indian Universities Have a Caste Problem. A Bit of Empathy Will Go a Long Way.” The Indian Express. 15 Jul 2025. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “Rituals of Selection: UGC’s New Draft and Politics of Faculty Recruitment in Indian Universities.” Doing Sociology. 23 Mar 2025. [Read ↗]
2023
Sharma, V. “Why Collaboration between Varsities and Private Industry Will Be a Catastrophe for Social Justice Projects in Higher Education Research.” The Mooknayak. 21 Dec 2023. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “Belonging, ‘Performance’ and Everyday Exclusion in IITs: A Critical Note on Student Suicides.” Doing Sociology. 21 Sep 2023. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “Campus, Constellation, and Caste: Dalit-Bahujan Students and the Unending Battle of Belonging.” Live Wire / The Wire. 13 Apr 2023. [Read ↗]
2022
Sharma, V. “Rethinking Public University: The Moral Crisis of Higher Educational Institutions in India.” Live Wire / The Wire. 30 Sep 2022. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “Hurdang: A Production of Hatred Against the Caste-Based Reservation System.” Live Wire / The Wire. 21 Jul 2022. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “Production of Saffron Pedagogy and Its Implications.” Mainstream Weekly, 60(21). 14 May 2022. [Read ↗]
2021
Sharma, V. “The Missing Solidarity in Deepa P. Mohanan’s Battle.” Live Wire / The Wire. 19 Nov 2021. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “Karnan: A Powerful Cinematic Projection of Dalit Assertion and Anger.” Round Table India. 1 Jun 2021. [Read ↗]
Sharma, V. “Debate: How Exclusive Are the Faculties of Institutions of Higher Education?” Live Wire / The Wire. 7 Jan 2021. [Read ↗]