Bandana Purkayastha
Professor of Sociology and Asian and Asian American Studies
Bio
Bandana Purkayastha is a Professor of Sociology and Asian & Asian American Studies at UConn, and serves as the Associate Dean for Social Sciences, Regional Campuses, and Community Engagement in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
She is an internationally recognized researcher, mentor, and leader in the field of sociology. Her co-edited book, “Human Rights in Our Own Backyard,” was awarded the 2013 Gordon Hirabayashi Sociology of Human Rights Book Award by the American Sociological Association (ASA) Human Rights section. In 2016, she received a Contribution to the Field career award from the ASA Asia and Asian American section. She was also a co-winner of the ASA’s 2019 Jessie Bernard Award, given in recognition of scholarly work, inclusive of research teaching, mentoring, and service, that has enlarged the horizons of sociology to encompass fully the role of women in society.
Purkayastha has held editorial positions with several high-profile journals, including Gender & Society, the Journal of South Asian Diaspora, Sociology of Race & Ethnicity, Qualitative Sociology, ISA-Current Sociology; as well as ISA’s Global Dialogue, and Frontpage Publications. She has served as an expert advisor for many international and state entities, including the World Health Organization’s expert group on female migrants and health, as well as the United Nations (UN) International Organization of Migration and the UN Development Programme on forced migration.
Research Interests
- Migration and migrants
- Gender; Intersectionality
- Transnationalism
- Human rights and human security
- Violence and peace
- Knowledge Hierarchies
Current Scholarly Projects
- An interdisciplinary, international project on methodologies and methods for studying pandemics and the impact on migrants, supported by a grant from the Social Science Research Council. Collaborators include Soma Chaudhuri (Michigan State University), Elizabeth Chacko (George Washington University), and other scholars in India and the U.S.
- A co-edited handbook on Humanitarianism and Inequalities with Silke Roth (University of Southampton, UK) and Tobias Denskus (University of Malmo, Sweden).
- Several peer reviewed journal articles on decolonial perspectives on migration, gendered impact of COVID on migration, racism against South Asian Americans, and inequalities in higher education.
- A book on human rights praxis (under contract, Routledge) with Davita Silfen Glasberg and William Armaline.
- A book on Water, Inequalities, and Rights (in preparation).
- Public-focused podcasts and interviews based on the co-edited volume Feminist Autoethnographies of COVID-19 with Melanie Heath (McMaster University, Canada), Akosua Darkwah (University of Ghana), and Josephine Beoku-Betts (Florida Atlantic University).
Teaching and Mentoring
Dr. Purkayastha has earned the following recognitions for excellence in teaching and mentoring:
- UConn Department of Sociology graduate students’ Best Mentor award (a record three times)
- AAUP and the Connecticut State legislature’s recognition for teaching promise (2001)
- UConn Alumni Association Teaching Excellence Award (2010)
- ASA Section on Asia and Asian America’s Distinguished Teacher and Mentor Award (2009)
- Sociologists for Women in Society’s Feminist Mentoring Award (2018).
- South African S.H.E Foundation Women Who Inspire Award (2020)
Leadership and Service
- Associate Dean for Social Sciences, Regional Campuses, and Community Engagement, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (2022-present)
- Head of the UConn Department of Sociology (2011-2016)
- International Sociological Association (ISA) elected executive committee (2018-2023)
- President of Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) (2013-2014)
Public Engagement
Recent media appearances include:
- EKWomen: Biography of Bandana Purkayastha. Segment on female academics.
- UNDP & IOM international Migrants Day 12/15/22
- Doing Sociology: Gender & Transnationalism
- Feminist autoethnographies during COVID-19
- ASA invited panelists Karyn Lacy (University of Michigan), Shelley Correll (Stanford Unibversity) and Bandana Purkayastha (UConn) on Jan 22, 2021.

bandana.purkayastha@uconn.edu | |
Phone | 860 486-3791 |
Curriculum Vitae | b-purkayastha-cv-1-23-with-doi |
Office Location | 218 Manchester Hall |