Dr. Sarver Kumar Chahal
Designation- Fellow
Email- drskchahal@gmail.com
EPBAX-
Duration of Fellowship May 2019 to Apr 2021
Research Project Hindu social reform: a study of the framework of Jotirao Phule.
About: Dr. Sarver Kumar Chahal is a Fellow in Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla and teaches History at Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana State (India). Coming from a very humble background, Dr. Chahal has distinguished academic career spanning over twenty seven years. Familiar with many languages like English, Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi and Telugu, he has done his M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees from M.D. University, Rohtak. He taught at M.D. University P.G. Regional Centre, Rewari (which has now become Indira Gandhi University) before joining the Kurukshetra University in 1995 where still he is Professor. He is also heading Mahatma Jotiba Phule Chair in his university which is the only Chair after the name of Phule in north India. He was Chairman of the Department of History during 2015-2018 and also Deputy Director of the Centre for Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Studies in his university. In 2006, he achieved Research Award (for undertaking P.D.S.) of the University Grants Commission, New Delhi. In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious IIAS Fellowship. Prior to this, his alma-mater had bestowed him a certificate of appreciation for his ‘achievements in professional life.’Dr. Chahal specialises in the modern Indian history having particular interest in Dalit studies, reform movements of Phule, Gandhi and Ambedkar for the depressed classes, and other movements of the lower castes/classes in different regions of India. A combination of the Phule-Ambedkar-Foucault perspectives influence his work which covers diverse areas such as hegemonic systems and social hierarchies, history of the struggles of marginal groups and their forms of protest, social movements and social change, identity construction/de-construction, issue of caste/community/gender sensitization and policies of inclusion/affirmative action/social justice in modern India. His research investigates how the marginalized groups have been understanding, responding and engaged with/to the social movements as well as the politics thereanent, and also coming out with their ‘alternative’ models as against the hegemonic/paronalistic models in colonial and contemporary India.
Dr. Chahal has published about thirty peer-reviewed papers/book chapters in history/philosophy/social science/arts journals and anthologies. His recently published book is titled Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: The Maker of Modern India, Nirmal Publications, Kurukshetra, 2019. His earlier important book is Dalits Patronised: Indian National Congress and Untouchables of India 1921-1947, Shubhi Publication, New Delhi, 2002. He has also contributed/edited History chapters in Panipat and Jhajjar District Gazetteers published by the Gazetteers Department, Government of Haryana as well as several text-lessons for distance learning published by various universities. He has guided research for a number of M.Phil. (about 100) and Ph.D. (13) students leading to their respective degrees. He is on the editorial boards of the research journals of many universities.
Dr. Chahal has organised half a dozen of national-level Seminars/Conferences and presented several papers in national and international conferences. He has delivered many invited lectures in various universities/institutions/colleges including Refresher/Orientation lectures, Conference Keynote/Valedictory addresses, and also the Ambedkar memorial lectures in the universities like R.T.M. University, Nagpur, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune and M.D. University, Rohtak etc. He has been member of many Government/University committees/bodies on archives, history/historical records, academics, curricula and social science studies and research. He has been associated with/invited by South Asian History Conference, Indian Social Science Congress, Indian History Congress, Deccan History Congress etc. for academic pursuits.
As Resident-Fellow at the IIAS, Dr. Chahal is writing a monograph on ‘Hindu Social Reform: A Study of the Framework of Jotirao Phule.