Draft:Kunal Debnath

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Declined by Sulfurboy 13 days ago. Last edited by Kuru 13 days ago. Reviewer: Inform author.

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Kunal Debnath is an Indian political scientist and academic. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, and was an ODA Visiting Scholar at the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge, during Easter Term 2026.^[1]^[2] His research interests include political sociology, identity politics, caste, marginalised communities, populism, and electoral politics.^[3]

Academic career

Debnath completed his PhD in Political Science in 2022 at Rabindra Bharati University.^[4]^[5]

Debnath has also undertaken editorial responsibilities in academic publishing. He serves as an Associate Editor of Development in Practice, a peer-reviewed journal published by Taylor & Francis.^[6] He is also an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Contemporary Politics, published by the Department of Political Science, Bangalore University.^[7]

Research

Debnath's research has examined caste, identity formation, political marginalisation and political mobilisation in eastern and northeastern India. His work has particularly focused on the Nath (Yogi) community in Bengal and Assam.

His monograph, Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam, was published by Brill in 2024.^[8] The book examines the historical and contemporary formation of Nath identity and the community's relationship with caste, religion, political mobilisation and social marginalisation.

The monograph has been reviewed in several academic journals, including History and Sociology of South Asia, Society and Culture in South Asia, Contemporary South Asia, Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Economic and Political Weekly, and Critical Sociology.^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]

The review in Critical Sociology examined Debnath's monograph in relation to caste, subaltern scholarship and identity politics, discussing its historical and ethnographic treatment of the Nath Yogis of Bengal and Assam, its use of insider positionality and lived experience, and its analysis of recognition, political mobilisation and marginalisation.

In Contemporary South Asia, Souvik Chatterjee's review examined Debnath's study of the social and political history of the Naths in Bengal and Assam, including his argument concerning the community's caste identity and political mobilisation.

Debnath has published research articles in journals including Economic & Political Weekly, Contemporary South Asia, Development in Practice, Studies in People's History, and History and Sociology of South Asia.^[15]

Books

Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam. Leiden: Brill, 2024. ISBN 978-90-04-68937-4.^[16]
Marginalised Groups in India: Historiography, Politics, and Policies. Edited with Souvik Chatterjee. Routledge, 2025.^[17]
Democratization, Social Justice, and Human Rights: Interrogating India's Experience. Edited with Bankim Chandra Mandal. Peter Lang, 2026.^[18]

References

↑ "Kunal Debnath". Rabindra Bharati University. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
↑ "Dr Kunal Debnath — VIDWAN". INFLIBNET Centre. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
↑ "Kunal Debnath". Rabindra Bharati University. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
↑ "Dr Kunal Debnath — VIDWAN". INFLIBNET Centre, Ministry of Education, Government of India. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
↑ "Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam" (PDF). Brill. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
↑ "Editorial Board". Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
↑ "Editorial Board". Journal of Contemporary Politics. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
↑ "Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam". Brill. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
↑ Putatunda, Mainak. "Review of Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam". History and Sociology of South Asia. doi:10.1177/22308075241274086.
↑ Bag, Laboni. "Review of Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam". Society and Culture in South Asia. doi:10.1177/23938617241262813.
↑ Chatterjee, Souvik (2025). "Review of Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam". Contemporary South Asia. 33 (2): 344–345. doi:10.1080/09584935.2025.2495511.
↑ Jacobsen, Knut A. (2025). "Review of Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam". Contemporary Voice of Dalit. doi:10.1177/2455328X251343468.
↑ Saha, Soumya (2025). "Navigating Hierarchies: Debating the Nath-Yogis' Place in Caste Politics". Economic & Political Weekly. 60 (22). doi:10.71279/epw.v60i22.39207.
↑ Singh, Pushpraj; Rana, Ekta (2026). "Dignity, hierarchy and dispossession: Reading Nath identity politics through experience, theory and power". Critical Sociology. 52 (6): 1599–1607. doi:10.1177/08969205261430354.
↑ "Dr Kunal Debnath — VIDWAN". INFLIBNET Centre, Ministry of Education, Government of India. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
↑ "Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam". Brill. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
↑ "Marginalised Groups in India: Historiography, Politics, and Policies". Routledge. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
↑ "Democratization, Social Justice, and Human Rights: Interrogating India's Experience". Peter Lang. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

External links

[1] "Kunal Debnath". Rabindra Bharati University. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

[2] "Dr Kunal Debnath — VIDWAN". INFLIBNET Centre. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

[3] "Kunal Debnath". Rabindra Bharati University. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

[4] "Dr Kunal Debnath — VIDWAN". INFLIBNET Centre, Ministry of Education, Government of India. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

[5] "Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam" (PDF). Brill. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

[6] "Editorial Board". Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

[7] "Editorial Board". Journal of Contemporary Politics. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

[8] "Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam". Brill. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

[9] Putatunda, Mainak. "Review of Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam". History and Sociology of South Asia. doi:10.1177/22308075241274086.

[10] Bag, Laboni. "Review of Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam". Society and Culture in South Asia. doi:10.1177/23938617241262813.

[11] Chatterjee, Souvik (2025). "Review of Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam". Contemporary South Asia. 33 (2): 344–345. doi:10.1080/09584935.2025.2495511.

[12] Jacobsen, Knut A. (2025). "Review of Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam". Contemporary Voice of Dalit. doi:10.1177/2455328X251343468.

[13] Saha, Soumya (2025). "Navigating Hierarchies: Debating the Nath-Yogis' Place in Caste Politics". Economic & Political Weekly. 60 (22). doi:10.71279/epw.v60i22.39207.

[14] Singh, Pushpraj; Rana, Ekta (2026). "Dignity, hierarchy and dispossession: Reading Nath identity politics through experience, theory and power". Critical Sociology. 52 (6): 1599–1607. doi:10.1177/08969205261430354.

[15] "Dr Kunal Debnath — VIDWAN". INFLIBNET Centre, Ministry of Education, Government of India. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

[16] "Caste, Marginalisation, and Resistance: The Politics of Identity of the Naths (Yogis) of Bengal and Assam". Brill. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

[17] "Marginalised Groups in India: Historiography, Politics, and Policies". Routledge. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

[18] "Democratization, Social Justice, and Human Rights: Interrogating India's Experience". Peter Lang. Retrieved 19 September 2026.

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