Anant Kumar
| Anant Kumar | |
|---|---|
| Born | India |
| 💼 Occupation | Professor, behavioural scientist |
| 🏅 Awards | Fulbright–Nehru Fellowship (2015) |
| 🌐 Website | anantkumar |
Career
Anant Kumar is an Indian academic and behavioural scientist. He is a Professor and Head of the Rural Management Programme at the Xavier Institute of Social Service (XISS) in Ranchi. [1] He concurrently serves as an Adjunct Additional Professor at the Global Institute of Public Health in Thiruvananthapuram.
Kumar was a Guest Fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla, in 2013. [2] In 2015, he was awarded the Fulbright–Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship. During this fellowship, he conducted research on public health systems and participatory policy at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. [3]
Education
Kumar completed his BA and MA in psychology at the University of Allahabad and higher education MPhil and PhD at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. His academic training spans psychology, behavioural science, and social medicine. [1]
Research and contributions
Kumar is a scholar of social medicine and political sociology, recognized for his research on health inequities and identity politics in Eastern India, particularly Jharkhand. His primary contribution to public health involves a critical evaluation of national sanitation strategies like the Swachh Bharat Mission, where he argues that environmental health outcomes are inextricably linked to social determinants such as caste and regional political economy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his scholarship focused on health system strengthening by documenting systemic shocks to rural healthcare [4], the ethics of mass fatality management [5], and the mental health implications of social stigma [6].
In the realm of gender theory, Dr. Kumar developed the Complementing Gender Analysis framework as a departure from traditional models [7]. This framework critiques the standard equality principle for creating competing gender roles and instead advocates for an equity-based approach that utilizes social and psychological capital to foster complementary relations. His work further addresses "body politics" through research on menstrual taboos, domestic violence [8], and the intersectional influence of caste and class on women’s empowerment via self-help groups Kumar, A (2014). "Health inequity and women's self-help groups in India: The role of caste and class". Health Sociology Review. 16: 160–8..
Parallel to his health research, his contributions to identity politics and subaltern studies analyze the shifting ethnic and religious landscapes of Jharkhand [9]. This includes seminal work on the de-Sanskritisation of the Kurmi community [10], tribal domicile policies [11], and the socio-economic vulnerabilities of informal urban laborers, such as rickshaw pullers in Ranchi.
He has authored and edited several volumes on health systems and leadership, including:
- Visionary Leadership in Health: Delivering Superior Value (2014). [12]
Professional affiliations
Kumar holds several life memberships in professional bodies:
- Association of Healthcare Providers (India): Distinguished Fellow (Life Member)
- Epidemiology Foundation of India: Life Member
- Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists: Life Associate Member
- Indian Association for Social Sciences and Health: Life Member
- Indian Public Health Association: Life Member
- Indian Association for the Study of Population: Life Member
- Rotary International: Life Member
He is an active member of the Rotary Club of Ranchi, focusing on community education.
This article "Anant Kumar" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Anant Kumar. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Faculty Profile: Dr. Anant Kumar". Xavier Institute of Social Service. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
- ↑ "Former Fellows of the Institute". Indian Institute of Advanced Study. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
- ↑ "PHLP and Gillings Global Gateway Welcome Fulbright Scholar". UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
- ↑ Kumar A, Rajasekharan Nayar K, Koya SF. COVID-19: Challenges and its consequences for rural health care in India. Public Health in Practice 2020;1:100009. [PMid:34171041 PMCid:PMC7199699 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhip.2020.100009]
- ↑ Kumar A, Nayar KR. COVID-19 and Mass Fatality Management: A Public Health Challenge. Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2020;14:e38-9. [PMid:32713413 PMCid:PMC7445452 DOI: 10.1017/dmp.2020.277]
- ↑ Kumar A, Nayar KR. COVID-19: Stigma, discrimination, and the blame game. International Journal of Mental Health 2020;49:382-4. [DOI: 10.1080/00207411.2020.1809935]
- ↑ Kumar, A. (2016). Complementing Gender Analysis Methods. Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work, 13(1), 99–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/15433714.2014.997097
- ↑ Kumar A. COVID-19 and Domestic Violence: A Possible Public Health Crisis. Journal of Health Management 2020;22:192-6. [DOI: 10.1177/09720634201926]
- ↑ Kumar A, Panda PK. Ethnicity, religion, and identity politics among tribes in Jharkhand. Economic and Political Weekly 2018;53(39).
- ↑ Kumar A, Kujur JM, Minz JA. De-Sanskritisation of Kurmi Identity in Jharkhand. Economic and Political Weekly 2024; 59 (29).
- ↑ Kumar A. The politics behind Jharkhand’s domicile policy. Economic and Political Weekly 2014;49(17).
- ↑ Kumar, Anant (2010). Visionary Leadership in Health. SAGE India; First Edition (25 August 2014). ISBN 9788132113201. Search this book on
