Andrea Malji, Ph.D.
amalji@hpu.edu
Hawaii Pacific University
About Me:
I am an Assistant Professor of International Studies and Diplomacy and Military Studies at Hawaii Pacific University. My research focuses on political violence, religion, and nationalism with a regional specialization in South Asia. I have received several research grants to conduct fieldwork in South Asia. My research has been published, or is forthcoming, in a wide variety of venues including Cambridge University Press Elements, PS: Political Science and Politics, Education about Asia, Progress in Development Studies, Religions, Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, and the Journal of Religion and Violence. I also publish commentary in public outlets including 9dashline, Berkley Center, Inkstick, and South Asian Voices,
I teach several courses including Terrorism and Political Violence, Human Rights, Religion and Nationalism, Civil Resistance, Islam and Politics, International Relations of Asia, International Relations, Introduction to Politics, Comparative Politics, World Politics, Culture and Politics of the Developing World,Civil Resistance, the Politics of South Asia, and Research Methods.
I enjoy learning languages and am currently studying Chinese and Malayalam. In 2021, I was selected as a Fulbright Nehru research scholar to conduct research in Kerala (India) examining how diverse religious communities build turst among one another.
Research Interests
Terrorism
Political Violence
Gender and Politics
Terrorism
Hindu Nationalism
South Asia
Nationalism, National Identity
India
Sri Lanka
Rohingya
Asian Politics
Myanmar
Radicalization And Extremism
Countries of Interest
India
Sri Lanka
Myanmar
United States
My Research:
My research focuses on political violence with a regional specialization in South Asia, specifically India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. I have a regional interest in South Asia, but a broad interest in nationalism, religion, terrorism, conflict, development, and gender. My most recent research analyzes the impact of nationalism on religious minorities in South Asia. I am a 2021 Fulbright Nehru scholar and will be carrying out research in India on how trust is built among diverse religious communities.
Publications:
Journal Articles:
Significant variations in infection, testing, and mortality rates have exposed key differences in the initial COVID-19 response by Indian states. At the onset of the pandemic, states like Gujarat, known for its large economic output, suffered high COVID-19 case fatality rates, a disorganized response, and poor access to healthcare. In contrast, Kerala, a less industrialized state on India’s southwestern coast, experienced low infection rates and fatalities. The low case fatality rate was accompanied by widespread access to care, extensive testing, and an organized response by the state. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to compare how the Gujarat and Kerala models performed. Since 2000, the Gujarat model has emphasized industrialization and economic development, often at the expense of social development. In contrast, the Kerala model emphasizes social development, often at the expense of economic development. This article analyses the initial response to COVID-19 by Kerala and Gujarat and finds that the Kerala model and its emphasis on social development helped the state respond more effectively to the first wave of the pandemic compared to Gujarat.
This article explores the gendered nature of Hindu and Buddhist nationalism in India and Sri Lanka. Nationalist movements have become increasingly prevalent in both countries and frequently rely upon Islamophobic discourse centred around a fear of Muslim expansionism. Specifically, nationalists in each country frame their concerns through a gendered lens concerning Muslim fertility vis-à-vis Hindus and Buddhists, religious intermarriage of Muslim men with Hindu/Buddhist women, and the securitization of Muslim women’s clothing choices. Femonationalist rhetoric has also increasingly been utilized by Hindu and Buddhist nationalists to frame Muslim women as victims of Islam’s patriarchal structures and in need of saving by Hindus and Buddhists. This article draws upon original field research in India and Sri Lanka, including interviews with Hindu and Buddhist nationalist groups, their leaders, and Muslim minorities and organizations.
Religious sites are often at the center of confrontation. Groups frequently clash over the structures and the historical narratives surrounding sacred spaces. Religious sites encompass deeply entrenched meanings for groups of all backgrounds. These spaces represent identity, tradition, history, family, and belief systems. For minority groups, their religious sites can help provide a sense of belonging and serve as a monument to their history in the community. Due to their symbolic importance, religious sites are also vulnerable to violence by outside groups. Destructive acts targeting religious architecture and symbols are common throughout the world, but are especially frequent in identity-based conflicts, such as in Bosnia. However, the study of these attacks and their relationship to nationalist movements, particularly in Asia, has not been adequately studied. This article examines the destruction of Islamic sites in three distinct countries and contexts: India, Myanmar, and Xinjiang, China. In each case, Muslims are religious minorities and face varying levels of persecution. This article argues that the destruction of religious spaces and symbols has been used both literally and symbolically to claim a space for the dominant group and assert a right to the associated territory. The elimination of Muslim sites is part of a broader attempt to engage in a historical revisionism that diminishes or vilifies Muslims belonging in the region.
Women are less likely to be tenured and promoted due in part to an inhospitable gendered institutional climate (Hesli, Lee, and Mitchell 2012). Interventions often direct women to undertake tasks to improve their odds at success; we instead suggest ways that men can be better allies to improve junior women’s advancement. Based on our experiences, observations, and academic literature, we specifically examine the ways that junior women may be undermined in the profession in research, teaching, and service and make suggestions for men to intervene formally and informally to produce more equitable institutions.
This article analyzes the factors behind the rise of Hindu nationalism and how it creates regional and global security concerns.
Other:
This article details the subnational diplomatic dynamics between India and Sri Lanka and the growing influence of China in the region.
This element in the series on Religion and Violence explores religious nationalism in India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar by examining the cases of Sikhs (Khalistan), Hindu nationalism in India, and Buddhist Nationalism in Sri Lanka and Myanmar. I emphasize the similarities (and differences) among these movements and how gender and social media have helped shape the modern movements.
This article explores how Buddhist Nationalism is a rising force within Sri Lanka and impacts how it interacts with other countries, particularly Myanmar and India.
This article explores the impact of Buddhist nationalism in Myanmar and what it means amid the recent coup.
How Buddhist nationalism threatens Sri Lanka's domestic stability.
This article provides commentary on Sri Lanka's policy of forced cremation of all Coronavirus victims. Cremation is forbidden in Islam and this policy serves to further marginalize Sri Lanka's Muslim population.
Media Appearances:
TV Appearances:
Dr. Malji discussed the fall of Kabul and the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the potential ramifications.
Dr. Malji gave a 5 minute live broadcast interview with CNA on 4/21 regarding the Easter terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka.
Newspaper Quotes:
Dr. Malji discussed the ramifications of the recent declaration of war by Myanmar's National Unity Government against the military junta which seized power in a coup earlier in the year.