A highly regarded Indian American cultural anthropologist has been appointed as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at New School University in New York.
Arjun Appadurai's appointment is effective from January 1, 2004.
Announcing this on September 11, university president Bob Kerrey said: "Appadurai is an accomplished and well-known scholar, who is highly-regarded in the fields of international affairs, anthropology, sociology, and political science."
Appadurai said in a press statement that "New School University brings together a remarkable set of interdisciplinary faculty and academic values, bridging philosophy, social theory, design, the performing arts and media.
"I am delighted to be able to join Bob Kerrey in leading an extraordinary university, in the world's most vibrant city, as it brings its mission to a globalising world," remarked Appadurai.
Appadurai was born in Mumbai and educated at the University of Bombay (intermediate arts), Brandeis University (BA), and the University of Chicago (MA and Ph D in social thought).
He has had extensive teaching and research experience, most recently as the William K. Lanman, Jr. Professor of International Studies at Yale University, where he is also the director and chair of the Centre on Cities and Globalisation.
{{/usCountry}}He has had extensive teaching and research experience, most recently as the William K. Lanman, Jr. Professor of International Studies at Yale University, where he is also the director and chair of the Centre on Cities and Globalisation.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier in his career, Appadurai served as the Samuel N. Harper Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, where he was also the director of the Globalisation Project. Previously, he was professor of anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Appadurai has received numerous academic honours, scholarships, and grants. He has been a distinguished lecturer at many academic conferences in Europe, India and the United States.
He has conducted extensive fieldwork in India, South Africa, and the Philippines and is the author or editor of nine books (three additional books are in preparation) and over 80 scholarly articles. In addition to English, he is fluent in French, Hindi, Marathi and Tamil.
He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and serves on the boards of many scholarly bodies.
New School University, with 7,000 matriculated students and 25,000 continuing education students, is committed to critical scholarship, artistic integrity, and ethical responsibility in the social sciences, humanities, the arts and design.