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Ayesha Ray, Ph.D.

Ayesha Ray, Ph.D.
Professor
Political Science Department

Hafey-Marian 205

Expertise: war, security, terrorism, South Asia

Biography

Ayesha Ray has a Ph.D. in Political Science from The University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests focus on war, security, defense, terrorism, and South Asia. She is the author of The Soldier and the State in India: Nuclear Weapons, Counterinsurgency, and the Transformation of Indian Civil-Military Relations, (SAGE: 2013); Culture, Context, and Capability: American and Indian Counterinsurgency Approaches (IDSA: 2016) in addition to several book chapters and articles in prestigious international publications. Her third book, Female Militants in South Asia: Fighters and Facilitators will be published in 2025 by Lynne Rienner. She currently serves on the Editorial Board of Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. Her hobbies include music, dance, cinema, traveling, martial arts, cooking, and reading.

Publications, Presentations, and Conferences

  • Forthcoming Book: Female Militants in South Asia: Fighters and Facilitators, Lynne Rienner, 2025.
  • "The Indian Army," in Milan Vaishnav ed., Institutional Roots of India's Security Policy, Oxford University Press, 2024.
  • “Women in the Indian Military: Debates and Lessons on Gender Integration,” in Being (Re) Armed: Women and the Security Sector, Peace Prints: A South Asian Journal of Peacebuilding, Vol. 10, No. 1. Summer 2024.
  • "Prosecuting Western and Non-Western Islamic State Fighters," War on the Rocks, September 22, 2021.
  • Book Review, The Absent Dialogue: Politicians, Bureaucrats, and the Military in India, Journal of Armed Forces and Society, Vol. 0(0) 1-3, SAGE, 2021.
  • "Civil-Military Relations 1870-2020,” 150th Commemorative Issue, United Service Journal, October-December 2020.
  • "Kashmir Still Roiled in Conflict," East Asia Forum Quarterly, October - December 2020.
  • "Teaching in Times of Crisis: Covid-19 and Classroom Pedagogy," Covid-19 and Emergency eLearning in Political Science and International Relations Series, PS: Political Science and Politics, 54:1, 2020. Cambridge University Press.
  • "Resisting Authoritarianism and Patriarchy in India," International Studies Association Annual Conference, April 6-9, 2021.
  • "South Asia’s Female Soldiers," King’s College and Wilkes University Women’s and Gender Studies Conference, April 4, 2021.
  • Carnegie India Workshop, State Capacity and Institutions, March 4-6, 2021.
  • "The Taliban’s Impact on Women and International Security," Women’s Studies Lecture, King’s College, Wilkes Barre, PA, November 9, 2021.
  • "The Electoral College: A Comparative Perspective," Constitution Day Panel, McGowan Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility,” King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, PA, September 16, 2021.
  • Panel Discussion on Elizabeth Shackelford's book, The Dissent Channel, McGowan Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility, King's College, Wilkes-Barre, PA, February 22, 2021.
  • Invited Guest Speaker, Center for Global Affairs, NYU, December 1, 2020.
  • Invited Speaker, Online Webinar, "China Enters the Kashmir Battlespace," Center for Global Policy, Washington D.C., July 1, 2020.
  • "Resisting Authoritarianism and Patriarchy in India," Women in International Security WIIS-Toronto Twitter Conference, April 7, 2020.

Education

  • B.A., Political Science, St. Xavier's College, Calcutta, India
  • M.Phil., International Relations, JNU, New Delhi, India
  • Ph.D., Political Science, The University of Texas at Austin

Awards and Designations

  • 2023 Max and Tillie Rosenn Award for Faculty Excellence
  • Chairperson, Diversity Equity Inclusion Committee

CV / Website