Maansi Parpiani

Experience

• 

  Observer Research Foundation

  Jan 2012 - Nov 2013

  Research Associate

  - Was part of a 6-member team that conducted a participatory rural appraisal for a CSR project for Reliance Industries in a tribal district of the state of Madhya Pradesh. Co-authored the project documentation, including the final report of the project- Led a project on women’s safety in Mumbai – organised events and wrote advocacy pieces in newspapers and magazines

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  The Asiatic Society of Mumbai, Town Hall

  Apr 2014 - Jun 2015

  Junior Research Fellow

  - Received the prestigious grant to study the migration of female tribal workers from rural Central India (Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Jharkhand) to Mumbai, and their work as domestic workers - Project also aimed to improve their access to social security measures instituted for all domestic workers by Govt. of Maharashtra- Worked with the state government to enhance their access to existing schemes, through the deletion of the requirement of a permanent address proof document, that most migrant workers would not possess.Documented the workers’ self-operated co-operative as a social security best practice. - Research report titled ‘Tribal Migrants and the Making of the Good Domestic Worker in Mumbai’ was published by the Asiatic Society of Mumbai in 2015 Show less

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  Københavns Universitet - University of Copenhagen

  Sept 2014 - May 2021

  Research Experience - Dissertation titled ‘Politics of Work: Locality, Migration and Precariousness in Mumbai’ published by University of Copenhagen and defended in June 2019- In addition to year-long ethnographic fieldwork, data collection included examining newspaper archives at the Marathi Grantha Sangrahralaya, and at the Centre for Education and Documentation in Mumbai, and compiling of quantitative data on labour welfare schemes, collected from various departments of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of Maharashtra- Managed a team of 3 research assistants for a year-long fieldwork in India and lead the budgetary management of the different research grantsTeaching Experience- Co-designed and co-taught a B.A. course titled ‘Globalisation and Development in South Asia’ with Dr Ravinder Kaur. The multi-disciplinary course included modules on international development questions like that of - migration, poverty, labour and social movements, gender and caste stratification in the region.- Also taught classes on M.A. programmes in Urban Studies and Urban Anthropology at the University of Copenhagen. My classes have focused on a critical conceptualisation of the term ‘urban informality’- Supervised B.A. theses spanning topics such as CSR law in India, Denmark-India business relations and inheritance law for women in India Show less

  • Guest Researcher

    Jun 2019 - May 2021

  • PhD Fellow

    Sept 2014 - Jun 2019
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  YUVA

  Jul 2015 - Sept 2016

  Researcher

  - I worked with YUVA as part of my dissertation research. Along with two research associates, I compiled and maintained a quantitative database of the labour helpline run by the NGO, including number of cases and wages recovered. - We also conducted in depth qualitative interviews of the workers, contractors and employers for a comprehensive view on wage fraud in Mumbai- On the basis of this research, I authored a report on the particular challenges of migrant workers in Mumbai, titled ‘Calling the Labour Helpline: Wage Fraud in Construction Sector in Mumbai’, published by YUVA in 2016 Show less

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  Aajeevika Bureau

  Oct 2019 - Dec 2021

  - Identification, conceptualisation and operationalisation of research work across Aajeevika's fieldlocations cutting across rural source and urban destinations- Conceptualize and lead dissemination of research/ knowledge in various forms including articles inpeer-reviewed journals, book chapters as well as scholarly articles for academic platforms- Support the knowledge dissemination and communication mandate of Aajeevika, including popularwriting for media outlets and digital portals- Co-mentored and led a national Research Fellowship program funded by the International Labour Organisation - New Delhi on corridors of internal migration in India (in cooperation with the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development – Kerala) Show less - One of two principal investigators on rapid assessment study of the impact of COVID-19 on the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, commissioned by ILO- New Delhi (Jointly undertaken with Indian Institute of Human Settlements)- Ongoing research project on the occupational safety and work-site accidents of migrant workers in small-scale manufacturing and recycling units in Mumbai- Provide research support on policy paper on internal migration in India, commissioned by ILO (New Delhi)- Support knowledge dissemination and communication mandate, including popular writing - Liaise with other like-minded organizations, individuals and academics within the NGO and academic fraternity Show less

  • Research Lead

    Oct 2020 - Dec 2021

  • Senior Consultant - Knowledge and Dissemination

    Oct 2019 - Sept 2020
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  Københavns Universitet - University of Copenhagen

  Aug 2021 - now

  In a global, urbanized world with the majority of people living in urban areas and high numbers living in slums/informal settlements, there has been a call by many governments to resettle urban slums in the light of extreme weather events and disasters such as urban floods. However, relocation processes post-disasters have been proven unsuccessful; post-disaster resettlements have shown resettled communities being affected by flooding and other disasters. In this context, this project will investigate how resettlement of urban slums is creating new disaster risks. This project is built around a synergistic partnership between University of Copenhagen, Roskilde University in Denmark and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in India. This project will contribute with new knowledge on how disaster risk is created in urban resettlement and push the field of disaster studies in a new direction theoretically highlighting the contours of disaster risk creation. Show less

  • Postdoctoral Researcher

    Jun 2022 - now

  • Guest Researcher - Department of Public Health

    Aug 2021 - May 2022