Krithika Srinivasan

My research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of political ecology, post-development politics, animal studies, and nature geographies. My work draws on research in South Asia to rethink globally established concepts and practices about nature-society relations. Through empirical projects on street dogs, biodiversity conservation, animal agriculture, and non-elite environmentalisms, my scholarship focuses on decolonizing and reconfiguring approaches to multispecies justice. My research and teaching are deeply rooted in long-term field engagement and praxis in India.

My current research, ROH-Indies, is focused on the street dog-public health interface in India. This project, funded by a Wellcome Trust Collaborative Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences, brings together history, behavioural ecology, social psychology, and more-than-human geography to investigate the conditions for multispecies health and wellbeing. 

I welcome discussions and debates with academics, practitioners, students, and others interested in my research/teaching and am happy to be contacted for copies of my publications.

Email: k.srinivasan@ed.ac.uk

Office: Room 3.16, Old Infirmary Building, Institute of Geography,

           Drummond Street, Edinburgh EH89XP

6th October, Friday: 2 - 3 pm; 4 - 5 pm

I worked as a Lecturer in the departments of Geography at the University of Exeter and Durham University before moving to Edinburgh. I have a PhD from King’s College London and an MA from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) where I was subsequently employed as a researcher; my years at TISS have had a particularly formative influence on my work. I continue to be involved in the Indian academy through a collaboration to introduce and establish human-animal studies as a field of scholarship and education at TISS and India more broadly.

Current

Guillem Rubio Ramon, 'Animal nations: More-than-human nationalisms in Catalonia and Scotland', School of GeoSciences

Anjali Dalal, 'Agricultural transitions and sustainability: A study of farmers' perspectives in rural North West India', School of Social and Political Science

Felix Clarke, 'Re-making Human and Non-Human Lives: The Politics of Reintroductions for Conservation', School of GeoSciences

Priyanshu Thapliyal, ‘Everyday knowledges of people street-dog cohabitation in central Himalayas, India’, School of GeoSciences

Completed

Elliot Hurst, Constructing wetlands and waterscapes in rural India and Scotland, Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling

Public Scholarship

'The free dogs of India' (2023) (with Chris Pearson), Aeon Magazine, 04/05/2023

'The political ecologies of farming animals in India', Animated Film, funded by The Royal Society of Edinburgh & Farm Forward

The Animal Turn podcast, Series 3 Episode 4, 'Urban Biopolitics with Krithika Srinivasan' https://www.theanimalturnpodcast.com/s3e4

Knowing Animals podcast, Episode 150, 'Street dogs as nature with Krithika Srinivasan'  https://t.co/pHb2yiMpsa?amp=1 

ASRI Distinguished Lecture series, 20th October 2021, 'The ethics, politics and ecologies of farming animals in multicultural societies: Insights from India'

Rabies awareness animations produced in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (funded by University of Edinburgh iTPA): English version; Hindi version 

Srinivasan K., (2021) The future of conservation with elephants and dogs, The Geographer, Spring 2021, p. 32

Srinivasan K. (2020) Lockdown protects the well-off: But how about those who face hunger, homelessness or poor health? 18 Apr 2020, The Hindu

Srinivasan K., Kurz T, Kuttuva P. (2018) Remaking zoöpolis: Human street-dog cohabitation & rabies prevention in India - Preliminary report on selected findings 

Srinivasan K., Kasturirangan R., and Rao S. (2018) “Conservation Scapegoats and Developmentality.” Seminar. 702. (lead author; http://www.india-seminar.com/2018/702/702_krithika_srinivasan_et_al.htm)

Srinivasan K., (2016) What the Fights over the Beef Ban and Jallikattu tell us about the Cultural Politics of Animal Welfare. The Wire (http://thewire.in/20564/the-cultural-politics-of-animal-welfare-in-india/)

Srinivasan K., Rao S., Kasturirangan R., (2015) Killing off India's dogs is not the way to get rid of its rabies problem, The Wire, 17^th September, Available at: http://thewire.in/2015/09/17/killing-off-indias-dogs-is-not-the-way-to-get-rid-of-its-rabies-problem-10831/ (lead author)

Srinivasan K., Rao S., (2015) A multipronged approach is needed to control dog menace, Hindustan Times, 16^th September. 

Kasturirangan, R., Srinivasan, K., Rao, S. (2014). Dark and Dairy. The Hindu, 8th November, Available at: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/the-sorry-tale-of-the-milch-animals/article6578663.ece

Tata Institute of Social Sciences (2005) The state and civil society in disaster response: An analysis of the Tamil Nadu tsunami experience, Mumbai: Tata Institute of Social Sciences (co-author)

Media cover

Kaveri M (2020) Push for native Indian dog breeds: Experts demand govt effort and caution, The Newsminute.com, 05/10/20, https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/pm-modi-s-push-native-indian-dog-breeds-experts-demand-govt-effort-and-caution-132391

O’Dea B (2018) Natural histories: Dog, BBC Radio 4, 04/09/2018: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bgq6f4

Traub A (2016) In defence of the dogs and crows, The Telegraph, 15/9/2016: http://epaper.telegraphindia.com/paper/11-0-15@09@2016-1001.html 

Blakemore E (2015) How we decide which animals become endangered, Smithsonian Magazine, 14/10/2015: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-we-decide-which-animals-become-endangered-180956923/

Eveleth R (2015) Meanwhile in the future: endangered animals live in armored zoos, Gizmodo.com, 09/01/2015:  http://t.co/auqDUSXau9 

TISS-University of Edinburgh Human-Animal Studies Initiative: In collaboration with Prof. Manish Jha, TISS, I have been leading this initiative to introduce and establish teaching and research in human-animal studies in India. Initially funded in 2017-18 by the HSI/ASI Human-Animal Studies International Development Project, it includes a programme of activities comprising an ongoing Master’s course titled ‘Animal Ethics and Social Justice’, public lectures, and student internships.  

I am South Asia Advisor and Member, Board of Directors for US-based NGO, Farm Forward

Political Ecology

Food, Animals, and Society