In a recent interview, International Programs Office staff had an opportunity to speak with Dr. Shanthie Mariet D’Souza, the second Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Chair at the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Policy (SPP) for spring 2024. This prestigious appointment is the result of a partnership with the United States-India Educational Foundation that began in 2022 with inaugural Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Chair, Dr. Srinivas Chokkakula. Every year, UMass will host distinguished Indian scholars to teach and conduct research at the university.
Dr. D’Souza is a renowned international relations expert in social science research whose work explores the challenges of climate change, energy transition, violent extremism, and the political economy of conflict, particularly in India, Afghanistan, and South Asia.
“Dr. D’Souza has an international footprint not only through speaking and convening, but her writing in some of the top outlets of the world of foreign affairs has been prodigious since she’s been here and beyond. We are honored to have Shanthie D’Souza as the Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Chair,” says Dr. Jane Fountain, director of SPP.
Dr. D’Souza’s career has been shaped by the belief that an impactful approach to international relations requires a greater level of people-to-people interaction and a deeper understanding of people’s issues at the grassroots level, and to connect these issues to national and international levels. She emphasizes on the need for interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary approaches and engagement with diverse stakeholders to address critical issues in India and South Asia.
“[In India] there is a need to do more in terms of building an interface and connect with a larger community which is outside the academia by building that ecosystem of multi-level stakeholdership and engagement between people and the policy making community, industry, women's group, or those related with resource development, or even in terms of innovation and sustainability at sub-national levels. I think what is more interesting here [at UMass Amherst] is the fact that everything is interconnected in a way that it leads to a holistic approach of doing things” says Dr. D’Souza.
At UMass Amherst, Dr. D’Souza is working towards building tangible connections between the university and Indian institutions by fostering the cross-pollination of ideas and exploring opportunities for building sustainable relationships between India and the U.S. through an Indian Lab Webinar Series, research, outreach and teaching.
The India Lab, housed in the UMass Amherst School of Public Policy, will be instrumental in creating a space for policy makers, practitioners, subject matter experts, universities, and institutes to connect and work on similar issues in India such as health, environment, energy, cyber security, critical and new emerging technologies. The first webinar on March 11th featured Ambassador Shyam Saran, former Foreign Secretary of India on the topic of climate policy making in India. The next webinars in April will focus on Fueling India's Development: ESG and the Geopolitics of Climate Change and India’s energy policy and practice.
As a founding professor at the Kautilya School of Public Policy in Hyderabad, Dr. D’Souza’s teaching and scholarship have focused on bridging the intersection between international relations and public policy by adopting comparative approaches and emulating best practices. In keeping with her innovative curriculum design, the course she is teaching at UMass Amherst this spring, is focused on global climate change and the geopolitics of energy. This course explores the need for a bottom-up approach to policy making, which includes consideration of groups at the margins when analyzing the impact of energy use on climate change. The course also explores ways in which India and the U.S. can build platforms of collaboration on climate change and energy issues, identifying areas of convergence and alternate pathways of building cooperation.
As the Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Chair, Dr. D’Souza aims to have a meaningful impact on people’s lives by addressing issues of critical global challenges. By raising awareness about India, she hopes to inspire faculty and students to deepen their interests and strengthen their connections with India. She is extremely grateful for the hospitality and unwavering support of Dr. Fountain and other UMass colleagues. “I am delighted that we have a scholar of Dr D’Souza’s stature at UMass Amherst to help shape our engagement with India. Her work on creating grassroot scholarly connections is precisely what we need to build sustainable partnerships,” says Kalpen Trivedi, vice provost for global engagement.
Visit, India Lab Webinar Series on India's Climate, Energy, and Geopolitics | School of Public Policy (SPP) or click here to register for the upcoming April 1, 2024 webinar, “Fueling India’s Development: ESG and the Geopolitics of Climate Change”
Stay up to date on additional webinars in the India Lab series, along with links to Dr. D’Souza’s articles by visiting, https://www.umass.edu/spp/news.
To learn more about the Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Chair at UMass Amherst, visit usief.org.in.