Balu Sunilraj
Dr Balu Sunilraj is a scholar of political science interested in a wide array of research topics, such as party politics, public policy, political economy, political sociology, cultural themes, and labour-related questions.
He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from CPS-Jawaharlal Nehru University. After the submission of the doctoral dissertation, he dedicated two years to research roles in the development sector that embraced an interdisciplinary approach. Following that, Balu had a teaching stint at Christ (Deemed to be) University and Gitam (Deemed to be) University.
Notable accolades include serving as a visiting fellow to Royal Holloway, University of London, under the ESRC-granted India-European Networking grant. His passion lies in field-oriented jobs that contribute to meaningful social engagement. He is eager to continue exploring and contributing to research topics that address contemporary societal challenges.
BA (Hons)-Hindu College, University of Delhi.
MA, M.Phil., PhD- Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
His doctoral dissertation explored the manifestation of party-society linkages and partisanship from a comparative perspective, focusing on two Indian states, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. While he continues exploring Kerala's socio-political dynamics, his research interest has broadened into themes related to cultural contestations; the interrelationship between caste and politics; and populist politics. He has published his research in esteemed journals such as Studies in Indian Politics, Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, and Economic and Political Weekly. Additionally, he has written chapters for edited volumes released by well-known publishers such as Routledge, Springer, and Orient Blackswan.
Articles in Journals
‘The Local Roots of Communist Support in Kerala’. Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, Vol, 61, Issue 1, February 2023, pp 65 -89.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14662043.2023.2177038
‘Interrogating Populist Tendencies within the Left Rhetoric in Kerala’,(co-authored with Sarath Sasikumar), Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 57, Issue 16, April 2022, pp 14-18.
https://www.epw.in/journal/2022/16/commentary/interrogating-populist-tendencies-within-left.html
‘Kerala Elections 2021-Mandate for Social Egalitarianism and Left-Democratic Alternative’,(co-authored with Sarath Sasikumar), Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 56, Issue 22, May 2021, pp 22-27.
https://www.epw.in/journal/2021/22/commentary/kerala-elections-2021.html
‘Countering the Left by Moving Rightwards: Political Positioning of the Congress in Kerala,’ (co-authored with Sarath Sasikumar), Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 56, Issue No 8, February 2021, pp 16-21.
https://www.epw.in/journal/2021/8/commentary/countering-left-moving-rightwards.html
‘The Historical Legacy of Party System Stability in Kerala’, (co-authored with Dr Oliver Heath), Studies in Indian Politics, Vol.5, No. 2. December 2017. Sage Publications, pp 1 -12.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2321023017727959
'Beyond Liberal versus Faithful-Exploring Non-Brahmin Contestations at Sabarimala',Kerala’,(co-authored with Sarath Sasikumar), Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 59, Issue No 29, July 2024, pp 44-53.
https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/29/special-articles/beyond-liberal-vs-faithful-binary.html
'Critical analysis of debates on Tamil populism: perspectives from the field', (Co-authored with Rahul N), Contemporary South Asia, Vol 32, Issue No 3, pp 1-20.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09584935.2024.2371810
Book Chapters
‘COVID-19 crisis exposes India's neglect of informal workers’,(Co-authored with Jenny Sulfath) in Bharat Bhushan (eds) Media, Migrants, and the Pandemic in India. Routledge India, 40-44.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003291527
‘A City Turned into Wasteland for Its Workers,’(co-authored with Suresh Garimella) in Natasha Badhwar et al. (eds.),Lockdown 2020: A People’s History of Cruelty and Compassion (Delhi: Yoda Press,2021), pp 155-163.
‘Everything in the City Comes at a Price,’(co-authored with Suresh Garimella) in Natasha Badhwar et al. (eds.), Lockdown 2020: A People’s History of Cruelty and Compassion (Delhi: Yoda Press,2021), pp 195-205.
‘2014 Lok Sabha Mandate in Kerala: Signs of Deviation’, in Ashuthosh Kumar and Yatindra Singh Sisodia (eds.), How India Votes: A State by State Look (Delhi: Orient Blackswan,2019), pp 352-368.
‘Eclectic Nature of Populism-A Comparative Study of European Populism and Dravidian Populism’(Co-authored with Aashti Salman) in Jose C.C, Madhumathi Desphande and Paul C.Hing(eds.), Encyclopedia of New Populism and Responses in the Twenty-First Century, Springer Publications.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9859-0_107-1
Working Papers
‘Covid-19 Crisis: An Indictment of India's Informal Economy’,(co-authored with Jenny Sulfath), Working Paper No 39, Centre for Sustainable Employment, Azim Premji University, February 2021.
Book reviews
‘Unveiling the New Republic’, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol.59, No.3, January 2024, pp 39-41.
https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/3/book-reviews/unveiling-new-republic.html
Academic Notes
‘Socio-political Reading of a Tragedy in Kerala’, (co-authored with Sarath Sasikumar), Economic and Political Weekly, Vol 57, Issue 42, October 2022, p 8.
https://www.epw.in/journal/2022/43/comment/sociopolitical-reading-tragedy-kerala.html
EECURI (Examining Electoral Changes in Urban and Rural India) Network Conference titled ‘2014 Lok Sabha Elections in Rural and Urban India’ at ICSSR, New Delhi, August 19-20, 2014 (Paper presented: "Kerala Lok Sabha elections 2014: Some Observations").
EECURI (Examining Electoral Changes in Urban and Rural India) Network Conference titled ‘National, State and Local Elections in India (2014-15): Analysis and Reflections’ at Sariska, Rajasthan, January 18-19, 2016 (Paper presented: "Local Body Polls In Kerala: An Analysis").
Conference organised by Christ University and The University of Toledo titled ‘New Populism and Responses of the 21st Century’ at Christ University, September 24-25, 2021 (Paper Presented: "Interrogating Populist Tendencies Within Left Rhetoric in Kerala").
Conference organised by Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster and National Institute of Advanced Studies as part of British Academy Knowledge Frontiers Award on the theme of Democracy, Ideology, and Political Dynamics in Kerala at NIAS, January 24, 2024 (Paper Presented: Theorising Left Rhetoric in Kerala via Populist Prism).
Convener of ICSSR sponsored International Conference titled ‘ Modernities Redefined: Perspectives from South Asia’, organised by Gitam School of Humanities and Social Sciences on February 22nd and 23rd, 2024 at Bengaluru.
- Political Theory
- Contours of Populism
Email: [email protected]
Phone no: +918375988831