Dr. Suraiya Tabassum is a distinguished Indian educator, writer, and trainer with a comprehensive profile rooted in gender studies, human rights, and the socio-economic empowerment of women and minority communities. Her career is marked by a blend of rigorous academic research, dedicated teaching, and extensive fieldwork with non-governmental organisations.
Her academic foundation was laid with a Bachelor of Arts from Kanpur University in 1991, followed by a Master of Arts in Political Science from Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) in 1993. Demonstrating early academic promise, she qualified for the University Grants Commission’s NET for Lecturership in 1994. She pursued higher research at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), earning an MPhil in 1995 and a PhD in 2001 from the Centre for West Asian & African Studies. Her doctoral dissertation, titled “Socio-Economic Position of East African Rural Women,” established her expertise in international women’s studies. To complement her academic credentials, Dr. Tabassum obtained a Diploma in Human Rights Law from the Indian Law Institute and received specialised training in Research Methodology.
Dr. Tabassum’s professional journey is multifaceted. Since December 2016, she has served as an Assistant Professor at the Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies at JMI. Before this, she cultivated over a decade of experience (2003–2016) as a consultant and researcher for various prominent NGOs, including Oxfam India, IFES, and Vision Foundation, where she focused on gender justice, project design, and advocacy. Her earlier roles include serving as a Researcher at the Indian Social Institute, a Lecturer at H.N.B. College in Uttarakhand, and a Guest Faculty member at Delhi University.
As a prolific writer and researcher, Dr. Tabassum has authored several influential books, including Socio-Economic Position of East African Rural Women (2004) and Waiting for the New Dawn (2003), which explores Muslim women’s perceptions of personal law. She has co-edited Challenges and Strategies of Gender Inclusion in India (2020) and co-authored training manuals. Her scholarly articles have been published in respected journals, covering topics such as the impact of the Jasmine Revolution on women, community policing, and the inclusion of Muslims in Indian governance.
Her contributions have been recognised through prestigious appointments, including a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence position at Mesa Community College in the USA in 2006 and an Appreciation Award from the Institute of Objective Studies in 2012 for her work on minority issues. Dr. Tabassum’s expertise spans gender justice, women’s rights, socio-legal research, minority empowerment, project management, and capacity-building, making her a leading voice in her field.