Amit Ahuja, assistant professor of political science at UC Santa Barbara, has been named to the first class of Research Associates and Fellows of the National Asia Research Program (NARP). He is one of 39 scholars recognized for their research into issues of importance to U.S. interests in Asia.
A specialist in comparative and world politics, Ahuja will devote his fellowship to the study of ethnic politics in South Asia. As a region that is home to multiple ethnic and religious groups, South Asia's experience holds important lessons for questions related to the engagement and management of ethnic diversity. Ahuja will present his work at NARP's inaugural Asia Policy Assembly in Washington, D.C., in June.
Ahuja joined the Department of Political science at UCSB in 2008 after completing his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. He earned his master's degree in development economics at the University of London, and his bachelor's degree in economics at the University of Delhi.
His research interests include ethnic politics, which engages different aspects of the issue of inclusion and exclusion of ethnic groups; politics of economic development; security studies; and South Asia. He is currently working on a book manuscript that explores the patterns in performance of ethnic political parties of socially excluded groups –– why they succeed in some states and fail in others –– in India, the world's largest democracy. His next project focuses on ethnic and religious politics in the military.
A joint project of the National Bureau of Asian Research and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, NARP is a new research and conference program designed to reinvigorate and promote policy-relevant study of Asia, particularly by highlighting the research of NARP Associates and Fellows. NARP will support the work of the 27 research associates and 12 research fellows during their two-year terms, and bring it to the attention of policymakers.
The National Bureau of Asian Research was founded in 1989 with a major grant from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, and serves as an independent, nonpartisan research institution committed to informing and strengthening policy in the Asia Pacific. The bureau also helps train the next generation of scholars who concentrate on Asia.
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the national, living memorial honoring President Woodrow Wilson. Created by an Act of Congress in 1968 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Wilson Center is a nonpartisan institution that promotes policy-relevant research and dialogue.
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