Prof Swati Banerjee | Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Prof Swati Banerjee

Professor,
Mumbai Campus,

Programme Convenor School of Social Work - Mumbai Campus
Centre for Livelihoods and Social Innovation, School of Social Work - Mumbai Campus

Qualification

M.A. (TISS), Ph.D. (Mumbai)

Contact

sbanerjee[at]tiss[dot]edu

Swati Banerjee, PhD

Associate Dean, Office of Alum Affairs, OAA TISS

Professor of Social Work and Social Innovation

and Program Convenor,

School of Social Work,

Centre for Livelihoods and Social Innovation, TISS, Mumbai

and

Co-ordinator,

Right Livelihood College, RLC - Mumbai

(a collaboration with The Right Livelihood Foundation, Stockholm)

Associate Editor: Social Enterprise Journal (Emarald Publishing, UK)

Swati Banerjee, PhD is Associate Dean, Office of Alum Affairs, OAA TISS and Professor and Program Convenor at the School of Social Work, Centre for Livelihoods and Social Innovation at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. She also co-ordinates the Right Livelihood College, RLC- Mumbai which is part of the global network of universities initiated by The Right Livelihood Foundation that connects academia to practice.

She has been a post-doctoral fellow at Lund University, Sweden and visiting faculty at many Universities across the world including University of Roskilde, Lund University, University of British Columbia etc.

One of her key focus in teaching is pedagogical innovations, and her current endeavor in this direction is a collaboration with University of California, Santacruz (UCSC) for global innovations in Higher Education through Global Classroom/Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), being offered as part of her existing course on Inclusive Design Thinking Lab (IDTL): Innovations for Social Change along with, Global Political Ecology offered by UCSC.

Prof. Banerjee is also a recipient of several fellowships from national and international organizations including German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Ford Foundation, Erasmus Mundus and Erasmus Plus. She has been leading several international collaborations and research globally and has been heavily involved in research studies at both national level (including National Rural Livelihood Mission, Government of India, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) and at international level (including European Commission, ESRC, Erasmus Plus, etc). The key thematic focus of her research includes People Centered Social Innovation and Development; Social Context and Education, Community-Based and Grassroots Social Entrepreneurship and Empowerment of Women and Marginalized Communities, Human Centered and Inclusive Design Thinking for addressing key societal challenges of marginalities; Livelihoods and Post-Development concerns of Marginalized Communities (with a focus on Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups-PVTGs, Nomadic tribes etc), Participatory Methodologies, tools and approaches for Social Innovation and Development Practice with a focus on ‘ecologies of knowledges’ and knowledges from the grassroots.

She has several publications to her credit and is the editor of the recently published books, ‘People Centred Social Innovation: An emerging paradigm with global potential’ (Routledge, New York) and ‘Theory of Social Enterprise and Pluralism: Social Movements, Solidarity Economy, and Global South’ (Routledge, New York). She is Associate Editor of the Social Enterprise Journal and part of the editorial team of the Board of Reviewers and Consultants of the International Journal on Space and Culture, India.

She is also involved in global discussions on social innovation, poverty reduction and achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in United Nations ESCAP Asia Pacific regional forums. Simultaneously, she is part of several grassroots innovation initiatives in India including ‘UDAAN’, a field action initiative of TISS which is primarily engaged in building a collective enterprise of poor and migrant women from a low income neighbourhood, close to the dumping ground in the city of Mumbai. She thus envisions to work towards addressing marginalities through social innovation and grassroots social entrepreneurship with a focus on gender and intersectional knowledges, epistemic justice and repoliticization of processes of participation and empowerment.

People-Centered Social Innovation and Development (Framing the concept and complexities of Social Innovation as a driver for Social Change)

Social Context and Education

Participatory Methodologies and Tools for actor participation, epistemic justice and Social Innovation, towards co-evolving intersectional knowledges

Community Based and Grassroots Social Entrepreneurship and Empowerment of Women and Marginalized Communities (Decolonizing the concept of Social Entrepreneurship)

Human Centered and Inclusive Design Thinking for addressing societal challenges

Livelihoods of marginalized communities and Post Development understanding in livelihoods (with a focus on indigenous communities/particularly vulnerable tribal groups, nomadic tribes, women in marginalized communities etc.)

Books

Swati, Banerjee., Stephen, Carney., & Lars, Hulgård. (Eds). (2020). People Centered Social Innovation: Global Perspectives on an Emerging Paradigm. New York: Routledge.

Philippe, Eynaud., Jean-Louis, Laville., Luciana, Lucas dos Santos., Swati, Banerjee., Lars, Hulgard. and Flor, Dinis de Araujo Avelino. (Eds.). (2019). Theory of Social Enterprise and Pluralism: Social Movements, Solidarity Economy, and Global South. New York: Routledge.

Journal Articles

Robin, Shields., Swati Banerjee et al (2021). The double pendulum: Accountability relationships and learning in urban South Asia in International Journal of Educational Development, Volume 84.
ISSN 0738-0593, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2021.102438.

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738059321000912)

Swati, Banerjee., Luciana., Lucas dos Santos and Lars, Hulgard (2021). Intersectional Knowledge as Rural Social Innovation in Journal of Rural Studies.
ISSN 0743-0167, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.04.007.

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0743016721001078)

Swati, Banerjee (2017). Indigenous Women and Intersectional Feminist Praxis: Contemporary Marginalities and Marginal Voices from India and Canada in South Asian Journal of Participative Development. Vol. 16, No 2. 2017.

Dinesh, Chand and Swati, Banerjee (2019). Exploring the intersections of gender, caste and space in the life of Musahar women in Uttar Pradesh in South Asian Journal of Participative Development. Vol. 19, No 1.

Dinesh, Chand and Swati, Banerjee (2019). Migration and Livings: A Livelihood Strategy for Survival of Musher Community in Uttar Pradesh in Journal of Social Work Education, Research and Action. Vol. 5, No. 1.

Chapters in Books

Swati Banerjee., and Abdul, Shaban. (2021 in press). Unpacking Epistemic Diversities in Grassroots Social Innovation and Enterprises in India: A critical agenda for Re-Centering People. In Jürgen Howaldt, Christoph Kaletka, Antonius Schröder (Eds.). A Research Agenda for Social Innovation. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Swati, Banerjee., and Abdul, Shaban. (2019). Reimagining the Social Enterprise through grassroots social innovations in India. In Philippe Eynaud, Jean-Louis Laville, Luciana Lucas dos Santos, Swati Banerjee, Lars Hulgard and Flor Dinis de Araujo Avelino (Eds.). Theory of Social Enterprise and Pluralism. New York: Routledge.

L, Lucas dos Santos., and Swati, Banerjee. (2019). Social enterprise: is it possible to decolonise this concept? In Philippe Eynaud, Jean-Louis Laville, Luciana Lucas dos Santos, Swati Banerjee, Lars Hulgard and Flor Dinis de Araujo Avelino (Eds.). Theory of Social Enterprise and Pluralism. New York: Routledge.

Sunil, Santha., Swati, Banerjee., and Devisha, Sasidevan. (2019). Mapping Social Innovation Among Youth and Adolescents: A Situational Assessment of Livelihood Promotion and Enhancement Initiatives in India. In S. Bharat & G. Sethi (Eds.). Health and Wellbeing of India's Young People: Challenges and Prospects. New Delhi: Springer.

Linda, Lundgaard Andersen., and Swati, Banerjee. (2020). Arenas for Gendering Social Innovation and Marginalized Women’s Collectives. In Swati, Banerjee., Stephen, Carney., and Lars, Hulgård. (Eds). People Centered Social Innovation: Global Perspectives on an Emerging Paradigm. New York: Routledge.

Swati, Banerjee., Stephen, Carney., and Lars, Hulgard. (2020). Introduction. In Swati, Banerjee., Stephen, Carney., and Lars, Hulgård. (Eds). People Centered Social Innovation: Global Perspectives on an Emerging Paradigm. New York: Routledge.

Swati, Banerjee. (2019). Social Innovation in South Asia. In Howaldt, Jurgen/Kaletka, Christoph/Schroder, Antonius/Zirngiebl, Marthe (Eds). Atlas of Social Innovation: New Practices for a Better Future. Dortmund: Sozialforschungsstelle, TU Dortmund University.

https://www.socialinnovationatlas.net/

Revisioning Social Exclusion: Situating Organizing As a Process and Perspective for Change (Co-authored) in Anup Shekhar Chakraborty and Padam Nepal (eds.). Politics of Exclusion and Inclusion in India - Constructing Commonalities and Complexities. New Delhi. Authors Press. 2016.

Framing Innovations in Policy Agenda: Convergence of NRLM and PRIs for Gendered Inclusion in Chandrakant Puri (Ed.). Two Decades of Panchayati Raj in India. Mumbai: University of Mumbai. 2015.

How “Inclusive” is Growth in India? (Co-authored) in B.B Pradhan, Madhu Madan and Nilendra Lokhande (Eds.). Inclusive Growth and Socio – Economic Development. 2014.

Structural Social Innovation: Towards a new Paradigm in Contemporary Social Work Education and Practice in India (co-authored) in M Chougule and J Gandhi (ed.). Social Work Education and Practice in India. Pune: Centre for Social Research and Development. 2013.

Women’s Leadership Blossom’s in Ashtul Village, Akola in D. Parthasarathy, Thanksy F. Thekkekara, Veena Poonacha (Ed). Women’s Self Help Groups: Restructuring Socio-Economic Development. New Delhi: Dominant Publishers. 2011.

The Impact of Depleting Forest and Changing Patterns of Life on the Access to Food of the Katkari Tribal Women in Raigad, Maharashtra in Prabha Krishnan (Ed). ‘In Search of Annapurna: Meeting the Evolutionary, Ecological and Ethical Needs of the Community. Mumbai: TRUTH (Trust for Re-education and Understanding of true health). 2000.

Policy Documents – National (Government of India)

State Perspective and Implementation Plan (SPIP), Chhattisgarh in collaboration with Chhattisgarh State Rural Livelihood Mission, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. 2016
Report of the Task Force on Micro Finance and Self Help Groups for Maharashtra, Government of Maharashtra, India. 2009.

A Policy Study on Katkari Tribe in India (co-authored), a report prepared as part of Centre for Research, Training and Development (CRTD) on behalf of Academy of Development Sciences, Raigad, Maharashtra, for UNDP. 2003.

Policy Documents – International (with International Organizations)

Social Innovation Strategies - Regional Report: South Asia. Report prepared as part of Global Mapping on Social Innovations, FP 7 SI Drive, European Commission. 2016.
A Policy Brief on Social Innovation, Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development in South Asia (with a focus on India). Report prepared as part of FP 7 SI Drive, European Commission. 2016.

Research Report/Papers

Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP): An Assessment Report of Shroffs Foundation Trust Engagement with MKSP (co-authored). 2017

Mapping Social Innovation among Youth and Adolescents in India: A Situational Assessment of Livelihood Enhancement and Skill Building Initiatives (co-authored). A Research Report prepared as part of the initiative of the Centre for Excellence on Adolescent and Youth (CoAY), a collaboration of Tata Institute of Social Sciences and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). 2016.

Social Innovation in Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development: Case Study Results. A Research Report prepared as part of FP 7 SI Drive Project on Social Innovation funded by European Commission. 2017.
https://www.si-drive.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/SI-DRIVE-Deliverable-D10_3-Poverty-1.pdf

Relation Between Environment, Quality of Life and Gender in Slums in India, a Research Paper done as part of the International study/research programme at the International Women’s University (ifu), University of Kassel, Germany. 2000.

Conference Papers

Neoliberalism, Livelihoods and Entrepreneurship Development: A Policy Critique on ‘Targeting’ Women and Self-Help Groups as Agents of Change. Paper for Conference on Women, Labour and Livelihoods organized by the Advanced Centre for Women’s Studies, TISS, 11th – 12th December 2014.
Interrelationship between Indigenous Communities and Environment: Changing Processes and Concerns. Paper for Conference on Social Work and Social Development 2012: Action and Impact, Stockholm. 2012.
Conceptualising Margino – Analytic Feminism: A Paradigm for practice with women in marginalized communities. Paper for National Symposium on 'Development, Democracy and Governance' organized by Calcutta Research Group and Centre for CODP, School of Social Work, TISS, Mumbai. 2011.
Gender and Development in the Third Sector: Examining Micro-Credit Interventions as a Tool for Empowerment of Women, abstract published under the proceedings of the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR), Toronto, Canada. 2004.
Stories of contestation and assertion in the daily life of indigenous women: A gender sensitive methodological approach, abstract published under the proceedings of the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR), Toronto, Canada. 2004.
Environmental Degradation and Livelihood Security of Indigenous Women in India: Responses and Challenges for the Third Sector, abstract published under the proceedings of the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR), Bangkok. 2006.
Implementation Of Tribal Development Programme: A Critique (co-authored), abstract published by IUCISD under the proceedings of the 13th International Symposium – IUCISD. 2004.
Examining Micro Credit Interventions as a tool for Democratising Intra-Household Relationships (co-authored), abstract published by the Indian Association of Women’s Studies, IAWS (paper presented at the Xth National Conference on Women’s Studies). 2002.
Depletion of Forests: Impact on Tribal Women and Role of Participatory Technology, abstract published under the proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Women Engineers and Scientists. 1999.

International

‘Organizational Perspectives on Accountability and Learning: Cases Highlighting Innovative Practices (OPAL- CHIP)’ funded by ESRC, UK in collaboration with University of Bristol and University of Kathmandu. 2021 onwards.

‘Contextualizing Intersectional Societal ‘Structurescapes’: creating a research agenda on structure-agency-education dynamics driving grassroots social change and innovations in South Asia (CISS-South Asia)’ in collaboration with University of Bath, UK. 2021 onwards.

‘Global Classroom (Collaborative Online International Learning-COIL)’ in collaboration with University of California, Santa Cruz. 2021 onwards.

‘Organizational Perspectives on Accountability and Learning (OPAL): School Management Models and the Social Impact of Schooling in Mumbai and Kathmandu’, research project funded by ESRC, UK in collaboration with University of Bristol, University of Kathmandu and University of Roskilde. 2018 onwards.

‘Social Innovation: Driving Force of Social Change, SI Drive, FP 7’ project funded by the European Commission (large Scale Collaborative Project with 26 Universities participating from across the World), 2014-2018.

‘Social Innovation and People-Centered Development in the Global Knowledge Economy’, in collaboration with Roskilde University, Denmark. 2013 onwards.

Right Livelihood College, RLC-Mumbai, a collaboration with The Right Livelihood Foundation, Stockholm.
RLC-Mumbai is one of the 10 RLCs across the world. The Right Livelihood College (RLC) is a global network of education and research initiative of universities and the Right Livelihood Award Foundation, which institutes the Right Livelihood Award award, also known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize". The RLC promotes and implements transdisciplinary education and research on social justice, poverty and inequality reduction, and environmental sustainability together with laureates of the “Alternative Nobel Prize”, 2014 onwards.

‘Innovative, Interdisciplinary and International Perspective on Social Issues and Solutions: Social Work, Social Innovation and Women Empowerment’ funded by the Strategic Internationalization Grant (SIG) Initiative, Kennesaw State University, USA. A collaborative project with Kennesaw State University, USA. 2014 – 15.

‘People Centered Development and Innovation in Teaching, Research, Field Action and Practice’ under Erasmus Plus, a collaboration with Roskilde University funded by European Commission, 2015-17.

National

Assessment of ‘Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyajana (MKSP)’ in Gujarat (being implemented by Shroff Foundation Trust). MKSP is a sub component of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), Government of India (a programme that aims to improve the livelihoods and status of women in agriculture and bridge the gender gap that still exists in the Indian agrarian world to bring about systemic change). 2017.

Preparation of the State Perspective and Implementation Plan (SPIP) through an extensive state-wide research and consultations for the National Rural Livelihood Mission, Chhattisgarh, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. 2013 - 2017.

Mapping Livelihoods and Social Innovation among Youth and Adolescents in India as part of the initiative of Centre for Excellence on Adolescent and Youth (CoAY), a collaboration of Tata Institute of Social Sciences and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). 2016.

Capacity Building modules and training for community workers of Conservation Wildlands Trust (CWT), an initiative funded of Piramal Foundation (CSR) and implemented in collaboration with National CSR Hub, 2014 – 16.

Capacity Building Programme for Self Help Group Women of Kudumbashree Programme (designing of Post Graduate Diploma in Development Praxis), sponsored by the Government of Kerala. 2014 - 2016.

Study of Vulnerability and Livelihood Strategies of Natural Resource Dependent Communities, an initiative funded by UGC (University Grants Commission, New Delhi) DRS 1. 2012 – 14.

Preparation of thematic papers for the State Perspective and Implementation Plan for Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission, Government of Maharashtra, India. 2012 – 14.

Assessment study on, ‘Towards Inclusive and Equitable Development’ of the work done by Caritas, India (development organization). 2010 – 2011.

Evaluation and Assessment of organisation working on gender and livelihood rights with women rag pickers in Mumbai funded by Edelgive India (CSR). 2012.

Evaluation and Assessment of organisation working on gender and empowerment of tribal girls in Gujarat funded by Edelgive India. 2012.

Research study on Poverty, Marginalisation and Forced Migration sponsored by University Grants Commission, New Delhi under DRS. 2009-2015.

Study of organizations working on Gender and Socio-cultural rights in Delhi and Jammu funded by Edelgive, India. 2010.

Study on Livelihoods, Gender and Empowerment of Self-Help Groups in Maharashtra as part of the Task Force on Self Help Groups in Maharashtra, Government of Maharashtra, India. 2009.

Study of organizations working on Girls’ education in Jaipur, India funded by Edelgive, India. 2008.

Study on, Change, Transformation and Collective Action Towards Empowerment of Women (a Study on the Participation of SHG Women in Political Development in Ashtul Village in Akola District, Maharashtra) at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, funded by the Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM)/ Women’s Development Corporation, Women and Child Welfare Department, Government of Maharashtra, India. 2006.

Participated in the research study on Micro-credit Schemes: Its socio-economic impact on women in Western India at the Research Centre for Women’s Studies (RCWS), SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai, funded by the Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK), Women and Child Welfare Department, Government of India. 2000 – 2001.

Participated in the research study on Responses to Domestic Violence Against Women at the Research Centre for Women’s Studies, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai, funded by the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW), Washington D.C. 1997 – 1998.

Participated in the research study, Baseline Socio – Economic Study of Bombay Urban Transport Project (BUTP) – II at SIDDHI – enda (NGO) funded by the World Bank. 1995.

Participated in the Field action project, Earthquake Rehabilitation and Resettlement Project, Latur, Maharashtra at the Department of Urban and Rural Community Development (URCD), Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. 1995 - 1997.

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