Khory's Work Focuses on South Asia, Nationalism

Kavita Khory '84 remembers when she first returned to Mount Holyoke in 1990 to join the politics faculty. She was "simply delighted" to be offered a position at her alma mater. However, fresh out of graduate school, Khory was a little intimidated by senior colleagues who had been her undergraduate professors. Fortunately, she recalls, "Everyone was congenial and welcoming." Six years later, the assistant professor of politics is happy to have been awarded tenure in March. Khory values what she calls "a great privilege"--the freedom to teach basically what she wants at MHC. She believes the College has allowed her to find the perfect balance between teaching and research.

Khory's research interests include international relations and comparative politics. She focuses regionally on South Asia and specializes in nationalism. Khory has completed a book manuscript and several articles on nationalism and security issues in South Asia. She is currently developing a comprehensive approach to the meaning of security in South Asia and elsewhere. Traditional state-centric approaches focus strictly on military and strategic threats. Khory's approach seeks to broaden this conception of security and to incorporate factors such as ethnic conflict, environmental issues, and the global economy. Khory argues that these can become significant threats to people and governments. She is especially interested in exploring the links between security, resource allocation, and political identity.

This semester, Khory introduced a new seminar in international security that examines emerging security issues since the end of the Cold War. In addition, Khory teaches courses on world politics, South Asia, and ethnic conflict and nationalism. Khory values having international students in her classes. She believes they enrich both the curriculum and campus life. Khory herself was an international student from Karachi, Pakistan.

An active member of the MHC community, Khory serves on the International Relations Program and the Five College Peace and World Security Studies Program (PAWSS). She is a member of the Academic Policy Committee (APC), which reviews new course proposals, and the new Educational Priorities Committee (EPC), formed by President Creighton to define the College's mission and goals.

Khory also participates in alumnae outreach and fundraising. Two weeks ago, she and politics professor Vinnie Ferraro traveled to San Francisco to speak at a combined meeting of the Northern California and Peninsula alumnae clubs about international relations and the new world order. Prospective students were among the attendees. Khory and Ferraro also met with donors. The visit was part of the Alumnae Association's "Mount Holyoke on the Move" program. Khory says she loves "going out on the road and meeting the alums."