Dr. Aashish Xaxa is a sociologist and development scholar whose work spans urbanisation, Indigenous studies, governance, comparative social policy, and post-state theories, with a sustained focus on decolonial and Global South perspectives.
His forthcoming monograph, Urban Development in Indigenous India (Cambridge University Press), advances a pioneering critical comparative account of how development regimes have shaped Adivasi communities and territories. His articles have appeared in Economic & Political Weekly, Journal of South Asian Development, and Social Change, among others. He has contributed to major international reference works including the United Nations Encyclopaedia of Sustainable Development (Springer) — the largest editorial work on sustainable development — and Implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Regional Perspectives — The Asia and Pacific Region (Springer).
He has presented his research at universities in India, Ireland, Europe, the United Kingdom, Taiwan and the United States. His Insight Series Lectures have brought together internationally renowned scholars to deliberate on development and Indigenous Peoples issues. He serves as India Coordinator of the EthnoKino Film Festival — a global Indigenous Peoples film festival based at Bern, Switzerland. He writes on decolonial movements, literature, and cinema for platforms including Medium, National Herald, Sanglap, and Youth Ki Awaaz.
He is the recipient of the First Tribal Award (2025), conferred by the Commissioner of Tribal Affairs, New Delhi
