Shailaja Paik (born 1973 or 1974) is an Indian historian of modern Indian history who focuses on intersections of class, sexuality, and caste, with a particular emphasis on Dalit experiences and perspectives. She is currently the Charles Phelps Taft Distinguished Research Professor of History and affiliate faculty in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Asian Studies at the University of Cincinnati. She is a 2024 MacArthur Fellow.[1]
Life
editPaik was born into a Dalit family in Pohegaon, Maharashtra, India, where she was one of four daughters. The family moved to Pune, where Paik grew up in a "one-room house in a slum area" in Yerawada. Her parents, and especially her father, encouraged the girls to obtain an education.[2]
Paik attended Savitribai Phule Pune University (1994 BA, 1996 MA) and earned her PhD in 2007 from the University of Warwick.[1]
Paik first came to the U.S. in 2005, as part of a fellowship from Emory University.[2]
Paik has previously worked at Union College as a visiting assistant professor of history (2008–2010) and at Yale University as a postdoctoral associate and visiting assistant professor of South Asian history (2012–2013). Paik has worked at the University of Cincinnati since 2010.[1]
Publications
editBooks
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "Shailaja Paik". MacArthur Foundation. 2024-10-01. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ a b Thiagarajan, Kamala (2024-10-01). "This new MacArthur "genius" says she defied caste prejudice thanks to Dad and Mom". NPR.