In today's episode of the podcast, we interview Raghavi Viswanath. She is a PhD researcher at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence and also works as a senior research associate at the Public International Law and Policy Group in Amsterdam, a consultant for cultural rights collectives in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, and a lecturer in human rights law at the University of East London, as well as a careers coach at the St. Anne's college in Oxford and  a moot court mentor.

We learn about Raghavi's career path and PhD research, as well as what the PhD is like at her university and how far along the journey she currently is. Since she is also our first guest doing a PhD in law, we learn a bit more about the different doctoral degrees in law, and in particular the difference between the JD and PhD in law. We also look at the future prospects of those who select this doctoral journey, and what Raghavi has learned so far on her doctoral journey.

We round off the episode learning about a day in the life of Raghavi, the impact of COVID-19 on her PhD and daily tasks, her best advice, and how she sets boundaries around work

References

• EUI 
• University of East London
• On the northbound gaze, see Mogobe Ramose, ‘“African Renaissance”: A Northbound Gaze’ (2000) 19:3 Politeia 47, at 47-61.
• On breaking form/genre/language conventions, see Gloria Anzaldua, Borderlands/La Frontera (2nd ed., Aunt Lute Books, 1999). 
• See also Mackda Ghebremariam Tesfau and Marie Moise's Italian translation of Grada Kilombo's Plantation Memories for disrupting language conventions.  
• On the Irulars, the semi-nomadic community, see Thanaraj, ‘Jai Bhim Portrays The Injustices Faced By The Irular Tribe Of Tamil Nadu, But Who Are They?’, Adivasi Lives Matter, 19 November 2021
• On the need to visibly center collaborative praxis in academia, see this thread by Rohini Sen.  
• Some scholars are compiling a resource on caring as a research ethic/method
• On challenging Eurocentric epistemologies, see this interactive Walking Together guide put together to incorporate First Nations, Metis, and Inuit perspectives into the University of Alberta curriculum
• On Global North scholars ceding space, see Dr. Ibram X Kendi's How to Be an Antiracist (One World, 2019). See also Dr. Tara Van Ho's scathing twitter thread  
• Scholars whose work on working against Eurocentric epistemologies, decolonizing curricula and academia which have really inspired me: Lotika Sarkar, Gayatri Spivak, Foluke Adebisi, and Clelia Rodriguez, amongst others.
• Devon Price  - Laziness does not exist