Postdoctoral Affiliate
I completed my DPhil in Anthropology at the University of Oxford, under the supervision of Professor David Gellner and Dr Lys Alcayna-Stevens. My research focused on individuals’ responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and the related state-led policies in Pakistan from March 2020 to July 2021, spanning four waves of the pandemic across both urban and rural areas. I conducted interviews with state officials, healthcare professionals, and individuals from diverse occupations and socio-economic backgrounds.
Using a political economy framework, I examined how intersectional inequalities related to class, gender, and ethnicity influenced people’s responses to the pandemic. Additionally, I used Charles Rosenberg’s dramaturgical model to organise the pandemic’s progression, from initial denial at the outbreak’s onset to retrospective reflections on lessons learned. My findings show that intersectional inequalities significantly exacerbated the impact of the pandemic among low-income, ethnic, and gender minorities, with the effects being most severe for individuals experiencing all three forms of marginalisation. Despite positive portrayals in media and political discourse, state-led policies were biopolitical and often failed to address the needs of these vulnerable groups. The research has important implications for pandemic preparedness, highlighting the need for policies that focus on marginalised populations and their specific vulnerabilities.
I also hold an MPhil in Social Anthropology from the University of Oxford, where my research examined perceptions of well-being and happiness in informal settlements, where residents face daily uncertainty due to the threat of eviction from their makeshift homes. My study emphasised factors that were important to these communities, which are often overlooked by conventional economic metrics of well-being.
Following my MPhil, my interests expanded to environmental anthropology and climate change. Initially, my doctoral project aimed to explore energy bureaucracy in Pakistan and the formation of discourses around renewable energy. However, I pivoted to researching Covid-19 as the pandemic began, starting my DPhil fieldwork in February 2020.
Research Interests
My research interests include:
- Intersectionality
- Covid-19, pandemics, and epidemics
- Marginalisation
- Climate change
- Disaster response
- Human rights and social justice
Please feel free to get in touch via email. I am open to collaborations with others who share similar interests or those who seek to apply qualitative research methods to their work.
Email: priya.sajjad@anthro.ox.ac.uk
