Professional Affiliation

Associate Professor of Political Science and Founding Director of the South Asia Studies Program, Wellesley College

Expert Bio

I was born and raised in central Pennsylvania. As a teenager, I lived in South India, where my interest in Southern Asia began. After College, I worked for three years to assist Tibetan refugees in India, Afghan refugees in Pakistan, and internally displaced people in Sri Lanka. I have strong interests in Buddhist arts, Islamic social thought, soccer, and squash.

 

Education

B.A. (1985) Philosophy, Haverford College; M.A. (1989) Political Science, Columbia University; M.Phil. (1992), Political Science, Columbia University; Ph.D. (1996) Political Science,Columbia University

 

Experience

Co-Founder and Advisor, Center for Religious and Community Studies, based in Surabaya Indonesia, 2005-present; Visiting Professor, Airlangga University, Surabaya Indonesia, 2005; Principal Advisor, Federal Advisory Committee on Labor Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State, 2003-2004;

Trade Specialist, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 2002; Lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, 1996-1999; Assistant, Secretary of Committee on Political and Security Affairs, United Nations Organization, 1986-1987

 

Expertise

Politics and Political Economy of South and Southeast Asia, particularly India, Indonesia, and Pakistan; International and Comparative Labor Politics; Islamic Welfare Associations; Islam and Reproductive Health; Islamic Education

Wilson Center Project

"The Islamic Social Sector and Human Security in Pakistan"

Project Summary

My aim is to explain the motivations and operations of the Islamic social sector in Pakistan, with attention to ways that governmental agencies and departments and non-governmental organizations can aid human development and human security in Pakistan without undermining the legitimacy of their Pakistani partners. I aim to explain how the Islamic social sector works through charities, corporations, societies, trusts, and unregistered associations, such as kidmat committees, to promote human development and human security.

Major Publications

• "Core Labour Standards under the Administration of George W. Bush," (International Labour Review 2009), reprinted in New Directions in U.S. Foreign Policy, (Routledge 2009);
• Labour, Democratization, and Development in India and Pakistan, (Routledge 2007);
• "Women's Empowerment through Islamic Organizations," Visions of Development, (Ashgate 2006);
• "Pakistan's Recent Experience in Reforming Islamic Education," Education Reform in Pakistan", (Wilson Center, 2005), reprinted in Madrasas in South Asia, (Routledge 2007)