Mentorship & Professionalization Certificate Program

(University of Delhi, Department of Anthropology, doctoral student/ICMR Junior Research Fellow)

Hi, I am Suresh Dahal, an ambitious researcher in the field of Biological Anthropology. In addition to my doctoral studies, I also work as a Junior Research Fellow in a project funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). My research focuses mental health (depression, anxiety and behavioral disorder), cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, diabetes), and population genetics. I have experience conducting ethnographic studies in rural communities of both tribal and non-tribal populations of India. I have a great passion for Anthropology teaching and research.

WAAC PAPER TITLE:  "Depression and hypertension: A Community based pilot study from Punjab, India"

WAAC PAPER ABSTRACT: Depression is a major global health problem affecting 350 million people globally. It is a common risk factor for hypertension. The incidence of hypertension is higher in depressed individuals as compared with the general population. Depression has been associated with abnormalities in brain structure and function such as reduces gray matter (GM). Impairment in the brain activity may predispose individuals to develop hypertension and CVD due to reduced regulatory control on blood pressure and heart rate during stressful situations. Aim: The present study attempt to understand the association of depression with hypertension among the rural population of North India. Method: A community based pilot study was conducted in Mansa district of Punjab, North India. Individuals aged between 30-75 years of either sex were recruited through random door-to door household survey. Results: In the present study, the total sample consisted of 522 individuals (245 males and 290 females).  In the total studied population, 27.1% participants had depression (11.5% mild depression, 10% moderate depression and 5.6% severe depression). Females were more depressed (32.4%) as compared to males (19.2%).  35.5% individuals had both depression and hypertension. Conclusion: Depression is associated with hypertension in the studied population. Depression should be considered while managing hypertensive subjects and find ways to enhance their psychological wellbeing in order manage and control hypertension.

(University of South Florida, Department of Anthropology, Doctoral Candidate)

My research in medical anthropology emerges at the intersection of food and nutrition, disability, and substance use. My doctoral work focused on spinal cord injury rehabilitation – a component of which, pertinent to this conference, investigated the moral economy of care work circulating the rehabilitation space and holistically affecting patients’ lives. Starting in Fall of 2023, I will begin an Assistant Professor position at Cal State Dominguez Hills, continuing this work while providing student training in mixed methods health research.

WAAC PAPER TITLE:  "The Moral Economy of Care for Spinal Cord Injury Patients"

WAAC PAPER ABSTRACT:  In spinal cord injury (SCI) care, there exists a double bind where patients are granted moral, transcendental possibilities while also being expected to “do nothing.” These individual dimensions simultaneously exist within governmentalities which not only function through restrictive mechanisms but are often rationalized in order to create compliance amongst patients. This paper draws on 10 months of ethnographic research at an activity-based SCI rehabilitation therapy center, illustrating the techniques and rational systems instituted by biomedical care professionals. It argues that, by situating statements within their proper ethical worlds, we can make sense of physician recommendations and prognoses, which SCI patients at times experience as harsh utterances that take away any hopes of recovery. Alternatively, SCI rehabilitation specialists communicate similar recommendations, but from a stance of collaboration and being-with patients, rather than standing apart from them, illuminating an entire affective world underlying SCI care dynamics. Thus, this paper argues for a means of analyzing SCI rehabilitation as a biocultural practice that utilizes culturally relevant (rational) logics to provide physical and affective motivational energy to patients. Case studies illustrate how factors such as injury level, patient interest, and physical capabilities all combine to create different expectations of recovery outcomes, which translate to different rehabilitation techniques used. What results is a concrete argument for how attention to ‘expert knowledge’ for SCI patients must attend to structural and affective assemblages where concepts such as ‘risk,’ ‘hope,’ and ‘expertise’ are simultaneously rational, structural, and affective. 

(University of Delhi, Department of Anthropology, Ph.D. Research Scholar)

My higher education journey started as a University top rank holder in B.Sc. Anthropology from Sree Chaitanya College, West Bengal State University. I was a top rank holder in DUET 2019 and completed an M.Sc. in Anthropology from Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi in 2021. I have been awarded a UGC NFOBC and UGC SJSGC Doctoral Fellowship in 2022 after serving as a Project Fellow under the project, "Ethnographic Study of Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-nomadic Communities," entrusted by NITI AAYOG at Anthropological Survey of India, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Currently my Ph.D. research interest includes the application of Indigenous knowledge for community development with special reference to Mountainous Tribes of India under the supervision of Dr. M. Kennedy Singh, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi.

WAAC PAPER TITLE:  "Tamang Indigeneity: Reconstructing Traditional Knowledge for Community Development"

WAAC PAPER ABSTRACT:  Indigeneity encompasses the conspicuous representation of knowledge of the first people in their land. With the growing interventions of modernization, the socio-cultural attributes of indigenous communities are gradually declining over time. However, if not earlier, indigenizing identity has now become a precursor of relocating, sustaining, and preserving community-specific traditional knowledge around the world. This paper aims at demonstrating the ways in which ‘Tamang’, a scheduled tribal community living in various parts of Darjeeling in the state of West Bengal, India, utilize their indigenous knowledge for developing their own selves.  After conducting long-term ethnographic fieldwork and using genealogy, participant observation, interviews, informant’s interpretation, audio-visual recording, etc. an anthropological discourse has been made to trace the paradigm shift in appraisals, analysis, planning, experimenting, implementing, and practicing certain activities that leads to sustainable development through and use of indigenous knowledge. The study highlights the vulnerability of the Tamang socio-economic condition and the places they are living in. Therefore, restructures developing a community that can be buttressed with sustainability and equitability through imperative, valuable, and rational utilization of indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing in lifeways. Thus, the study ultimately draws a framework of sustainable community development where an indigenous community like Tamang will be able to adjust to meet their social and economic needs avoiding external conundrums besides preserving their sociocultural identity. Therefore, resolving the negative consequences of acculturation, transitioning identity, and assimilation that they are highly exposed to.

(Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Department of Anatomy, Doctoral Student)

I am a passionate student of human anatomy with a strong interest in the intersection of anatomy and anthropology. Currently pursuing a Doctoral degree in Anatomy, my research examines the connections between human anatomy, cultural practices, and their impact on health. Attending the anthropology conference, I look forward to sharing research on anatomical variations across populations and discussing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in understanding the human body within its sociocultural context.

WAAC PAPER TITLE:  "Navigating the complexities of orofacial cleft: From functional challenges to societal stigma"

WAAC PAPER ABSTRACT:  There are many myth regarding the aetiology of orofacial cleft in Nigeria. These beliefs are held by various cultures within the community and vary significantly. These cultural beliefs often shape attitudes towards disability and family life. Parents and individuals with orofacial cleft often face stigma, structural and social inequalities due to societal misconception about orofacial cleft. Societal prejudices and biases also play a role in the stigmatization and discrimination of individuals with orofacial cleft. This sigma can come from family members, friends, community members, health care workers and even the parents themselves (internalized stigma). This can be an obstacle to good health and create barriers to healthcare for the stigmatized. Cleft aetiology is multifactorial with both genetic and environmental input however intensive research have yielded significant advances in recent years facilitated by molecular technologies in the genetic field. Children with orofacial cleft may experience a range of functional and aesthetic problems such as hearing problems, feeding and speech difficulties. While this cleft defects can be surgically repaired during childhood, residual deformities from scarring and abnormal facial development may cause ongoing functional and psychological problems. This study aims to investigate and deepen our understanding of the stigmatization, discrimination and social exclusion that children with orofacial cleft in Nigeria experience on a daily basis using the social and medical models of disability. This includes examining the ways in which this children are impacted by negative attitudes and behaviours, identify potential strategies for improving their social integration and overall quality of life.

(Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo)

WAAC PAPER TITLE:  "Public Archaeology in Montealegre: Memories of resistance, oral history, and connection of the community with the local archeologic remains"

WAAC PAPER ABSTRACT:  One of the main focuses of the research "Nuestra Señora de Montealegre I: In search of the site of the First Black Anti-Slavery Rebellion in the modern history of America" and the implementation of a Public Archaeology program. The program encompassed a series of different activities that enabled the participation of the public in every stage of the project. These activities surpassed community outreach, not only informing the community about the project but also allowing all stakeholders to engage in the research, management, and interpretation of the cultural assets of the surroundings. In this regard, the public was considered as an equal partner, thus avoiding the reproduction of neocolonial patterns in the archaeological scientific production. The main outcome of the program was the generation of a space for cohesion and collaboration with the community. Spaces for dialog were enabled to promote the understanding, appreciation, and protection of the archaeological remains, and to allow stakeholders to speak their minds and participate in various capacities.  Additionally, an ethnographic survey was carried out to trace and record community memories related remains of the site. The purpose of this was to explore the relationship, knowledge, and social use of the heritage by the community, and to verify its significance as a symbolic referent of the local cultural identity. We found that the locals regard the archeological remains as important and there’s a sense of respect towards them due to their antiquity. Most of the participants connect them to the natives of the island.  

(University of Colorado Boulder, School of Education, Doctoral Candidate)

WAAC PAPER TITLE:  "Transformative Agency as Defiance – Caste Marginalized Students' Challenges to Indian Higher Education"

WAAC PAPER ABSTRACT:  My presentation examines interview responses from caste marginalized Dalit students in India to understand ways they engage with the dominant narratives about what it means to be a Dalit in the spaces of Indian higher education, how they (re)present themselves in their everyday life and how their agency gets manifested in their interactions on campus. The interviews were conducted completely online on video calling platforms such as Zoom and WhatsApp video call. Participants’ responses suggested that Dalit students are powerful dynamic individuals who not only critique the institutional limitations placed on them but also take active initiatives, such as challenging arguments favoring caste hierarchy and driving policy changes in their colleges to influence change. Our analysis shows how a small group of Dalit students use transformative agency to develop themselves as historical actors, the first step to which included realizing their subjugation, unequal distribution of power and resources in their environments. Participants’ mobilizing against issues and organizing practices targeted towards improvement in their social status can be understood as a plausible attempt to dispute the social order and repudiate the socially imposed humiliation and indignity upon them. It is important to understand the learning of Dalit students and the social change they initiate because of the sociopolitical contexts of their everyday life on university campuses.

(University of Hyderabad, Department of Anthropology, ICSSR Doctoral Scholar)

My M.Phil. dissertation was titled "Interethnic Relations in a Manipuri village: A Case Study." I completed a course on research methodology and have a special grasp on qualitative data analysis. I also have fieldwork experience from an IMA, M.Phil., and the Ph.D. program. Now, I am working on migrant workers who came from the Northeastern States of India and working in the unorganized service sector of Hyderabad City (India).

WAAC PAPER TITLE:  "Women at work: Northeastern Migrants, Discrimination and Beauty Care in Hyderabad, India"

WAAC PAPER ABSTRACT:  Considering the problems faced by migrants particularly women world over, understanding their lives has contemporary importance. Research on migration in anthropology has covered much ground. However, studies on northeast migrants in metropolitan cities working in the  unorganised service sector are few.  This paper focuses on the first generation of female migrants from the three Northeast India states of Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram that work primarily in beauty salons and spas in Hyderabad  Building on the concept of affective labor, this paper highlights  the experiences and conditions like precarity and gender discrimination faced by the migrants in the workplace. Migrants use social networks and ethnicity to address the problems faced by them in the place of migration. This has implication in creating policy to integrate northeast migrants that may create an inclusive economy.