Ashok Kaul
PhD, IIAS Fellow, Baden-Baden, Germany,
Professor Emeritus in Sociology,
Banaras Hindu University
[email protected]
Prof. Ashok Kumar Kaul is an Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Banaras Hindu University. Born in Bandipur, he comes from an illustrious literary Kaul family of Bandipur, Kashmir. His early education was in Kashmir and he did his Masters and PhD in Sociology from Banaras Hindu University. He has forty years of lecturing and research experience at in India and internationally. He has published six books and produced more than fifty papers. The well-reviewed books are Kashmir: Fractured Nativity VDM (Germany) 2009, Kashmir: Contested Identity, Rawat, 2011 and ‘Nativity Reclaimed’, Authors press, 2017,’Advanced Sociological Theories (In Hindi), Pearson International, 2016. Bharat Ka Samajshaster, Rawat, 2005. Other contributions include chapters on ‟Ethno- nationalism in India’ in Peter Ratcliff’s book on Race, Ethnicity and Nation, London University Press, UK (1994), ‘Sociology of India’ in Langer’s book on “Emerging Sociology, published by Aldershot, London, and equally important publications include, „Sustainable Development: A need for comprehensive Human Approach‟ in Sustainable Development and Global community,Vol.111,edited by G. Laskar and K. Hiwaski in IIASD,2002, pp.35-40 and “Geographical and social dimensions of Naxal Movement: A micro level observation” in Bangladesh Sociological studies: An International Biannual Journal, Volume 3, Number 2 (published in 2011) pp153-170. ‘The Cultural Capital: Loss, Conversion and Prospect of Subjugated Kashmiri Landscape’ in ‘Marginality, Exclusion and Social Justice’ edited by Ashishs Saxena, Rawt Publication, 2013. Lived religion in a plural society: a resource or liability in Argument Biannual Philosophical Journal, University of Cracow, volume 4, number 1, 2014, pp89-102. Religious Resurgence: a derivative discourse (co-authored) in Warp and Rags of Religion, Gothenburg University edited by Daniel Enstedt, Larsson et.al. Gothenburg University, 2016, Pp203-2014 ‘Contemporary youth: change of referent loss of identity’ (co-authored) in Handbook of Sociology of Youth in BRICS countries, edited by Dwyer et.al, World scientific, 2017, pp253-266 and ‘Sustainability: Revisiting enduring Modern and identified traditions’ Springer,2021, pp.59-72 in Environment, Development and Sustainability in India, Issues and alternatives edited by Manish verma. His latest book a sociological novel ‘Under current in Bandipore’ by Vitasta publications is well acclaimed in literary and academic circles. He has been four times panellist in the ‘All India Sociological conference-symposium’ (Aligarh, Jammu, Jaipur and Varanasi), a rare privilege bestowed by the All India Sociological society.
He was associated with the editorial work with the following: Regional Editor international centre of Global Changes, Nautsweza, Poland (90-93), Gandhian Perspective (2004-2006), Referee to Current Sociology, (UK) and a member of Editorial Advisory Committee of Sociological Bulletin (2005-2007).He acted as a Reviewer for the Research journal ‘Social Change’ ISD, New Delhi and also for ‘The Journal of European Legacy’, published by Rutledge. Besides being a member of Board of studies in many universities, nationally, he has been also associated with UPSC, UUPSC, Higher Education, UP and ICSSR and UGC activities in some capacity or other, over the years. Under his supervision sixteen students have been awarded their (PhD) doctorate degree. He has also been guide to Post-Doctoral ICSSR Fellows.
Prof Kaul was post-doctoral fellow at the University Of Klagenfurt, Austria (1991-92), and the Department of Sociology University of Alberta, Edmonton (1993-94), and has been invited Visiting Faculty at the Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi (2002), at CSS, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (2005),Central University Tezpur and also at GND University Amritsar(twice). He chaired the workshop on “Cultural Decentring” in 19th IMISE Conference at Oxford University. He has given special lectures on “Ethnicity and nation-state” in Erasmus University, Rotterdam, State University Binghamton, New York, as well as, a special lecture at the International University, Tokyo, Japan. Nationally, he has been a Resource person in many of the Academic staff Colleges (Name changed now) of the country. He was invited to give lectures in IIT, Khargpur, IIT, Kanpur, IIT Jodhpur, Delhi School of Economics, Jawaharlal University, School of Social Systems, Allahabad Central University and Punjab University Chandigarh. He served ICCR Chair Abroad at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden from February to June, 2013, where besides academic presentations; he published two articles in popular journal ‘Sydasien’ Sweden. He has been invited more than thirty television talk shows and he has been writing for newspapers over the years, His write-ups are in the newspapers, like Hindustan (Hindi),The Hindustan Times, Rising Kashmir and Greater Kashmir are in quite numbers. He has been bestowed the prestigious KECCS Award, New Delhi (2016).A Recipient of ‘Meritorious Award’ of IIAS in 2002, he was admitted to IIAS Fellow in the Annual Meeting of the International Institute for Advanced Studies, which was also its the 30th Anniversary International Conference on Systems Research, Informatics and Cybernetics, on August 3, 2018 in Baden-Baden, Germany. The Executive council of Banaras Hindu University has appointed him as a Professor Emeritus in sociology since July 1st, 2019, after his superannuation from active services.