Dr Rohini Rai
Lecturer in Sociology of Race

Research area(s)

Dr Rohini Rai’s research focuses on ‘race’, ethnicity, indigeneity and migration with a commitment to social justice imperatives, drawing on postcolonial, decolonial, critical race and Indigenous intellectual traditions.

Rohini's research interests lie in understanding how racialisation takes shape across global contexts, particularly in the Global South, with a focus on Northeast India, the Eastern Himalaya and their diasporas in the Global North. She is particularly interested in the relationships between ‘race’, bodies and space, and the construction of 'borders' and the lived and embodied experiences of 'borderlands'.

Methodologically, Rohini specialises in critical qualitative approaches, including autoethnography, urban ethnography, counter-storytelling and creative arts-based methods. Her collaborative and community-engaged research praxis places ethical and responsible engagement with marginalised communities at its centre.

Rohini has worked with a range of organisations, including the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) . She is committed to making research accessible and meaningful beyond academia and regularly engages with wider publics.

Research Interests

- Sociology of race; ethnic and racial studies

- Critical Indigenous Studies; Critical Race Theory

- 'Race', Space and Bodies

- Intersection of 'race', tribe and caste

- Postcolonial and decolonial theories.

- Critical qualitative methodologies