Dr Gayatri Balu | Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Dr Gayatri Balu

Assistant Professor
Mumbai Campus,
Assistant Professor, Advanced Centre for Women's Studies, School of Development Studies

Qualification

Ph.D (Gender Studies) - JNU.

MA (Social Work) - TISS, Mumbai.

MA (Women's and Gender Studies) - IGNOU

B.Tech (Computer Science) - CALICUT UNIVERSITY

Contact

gayatri.balu[at]tiss[dot]ac[dot]in

Gayatri is an alumna of both Jawaharlal Nehru University and TISS, Mumbai. She holds a Ph.D. in Gender Studies. Her doctoral dissertation, titled "Mapping Transformations: A Study of Velichappads in Kerala," explores gender, caste, and labour within marginalised religious practices. With a diverse professional background, Gayatri has served as Principal Project Scientist at STEMtheGap, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi; as a Senior Research Associate at the Society for Social and Economic Research, New Delhi; and as a Young Professional at the Odisha Livelihoods Mission in Bhubaneswar. Gayatri is bilingual scholar publishing in Malayalam and English.

Research interests include the sociology of religion, gender and STEM education, gender and public policy, and the care economy.

Balu, Gayatri. 2024. “Reassessing Responses and Reimagining Needs: Nattukar and Dowry Deaths in Kerala.” Social Scientist 52 (7/8): 47-58

Balu, Gayatri. 2024. “Living on the Margins, Working in the Planned: Domestic Workers Traversing to/Between Squatter Settlements and Planned Colonies in South and South-West Delhi.” Society and Culture in South Asia 10(2): 177-196.

Balu, Gayatri. 2022. "Masculinity and Marriage: Interrogating Possession among Velichappad Men of Northern Kerala." Men and Masculinities 25 (5): 765-781.

Balu, Gayatri. 2021. “In Search of Writing.” Economic and Political Weekly 56 (52): 80–81.

Balu, Gayatri. 2020. “Housing Sector in Kerala and the Relevance of Sustainable Approach” Praxis International Journal of Social Science and Literature 3 (09): 1-13

Other Publications:

Balu, Gayatri. “Periyar: A Study in Political Atheism.” Book Review, Doing Sociology, August 2023

Balu, Gayatri & Asok, Aswathi. “Seeking a Discussion: Unraveling the Gender Politics Shaped by Kudumbashree.” TrueCopy Think [Malayalam], July, 2023.

Balu, Gayatri. “25 years of her Kudumbashree.” Cue[Malayalam], May 2023.

Balu, Gayatri. “Nothing human is alien to me: Not a Book Review.” LeftWord Blog, October 2022

Balu, Gayatri. “Digitalisation, Unpaid Labour and Anganwadi Services.” Doing Sociology, July 2022.

Will be updated soon...

Courses taught:

Women’s Literature in South Asia: Issues and Perspectives

Gender and Public Policy