Over the past few months, I have been knee-deep in interview data that I am using for two dissertation chapters. My data primarily takes the form of transcripts from interviews conducted in 2018 and 2019 which I analyze using the ATLAS.ti software. Each of these long transcripts was read multiple times during the initial process […]

I am a PhD Candidate in Sociology and Demography in the School of Arts and Sciences at Penn. I was excited to receive a 2021 Summer Research Grant from CASI to support my dissertation project. This is my final year at Penn as I plan to graduate in May 2022. Last summer I received support […]

One of the most exciting dimensions of data analysis is when you start to find patterns in your data. This summer, with the support of CASI Summer Research Funds, I have been analyzing data from 45 interviews I conducted in 2018 and 2019 with unmarried and recently married young Indians in New Delhi. As I […]

If you are like millions of people around the world, you have been binge watching Indian Matchmaking on Netflix. The reality TV show, which has generated buzz both in India and the US, follows the Mumbai-based matchmaker Sima Taparia as she scours her biodata profiles to find the best match for clients spread in cities […]

I am a doctoral candidate in sociology and demography at the University of Pennsylvania whose research is supported by a 2020 CASI Summer Research Grant. I grew up in Mesa, Arizona and completed my bachelor’s degree at the University of Arizona in 2012 in international studies. As an undergraduate, I spent a year in India […]

In my interviews with families in Delhi regarding marriage, one of the most interesting finding has been related to the persistence of the system of arranged marriage. National data shows that arranged marriage is far from retreating in Indian society. While there has been a decline in parent-only arranged marriages, there has been little increase […]

Returning to India after two years, I have noticed many changes. One of the most striking changes I have noticed is the expansion in access to mobile data. When I used to live in India before, smart phones had already expanded to middle and even lower-middle class households but, for most people, data was just […]

I have now been in Delhi for a month and my interview project is fully underway. A significant portion of my time has been spent with my Research Assistant making “cold-calls” to people to ask them to participate in the study. As I’m sure you can imagine, cold-calls are not the most fun part of […]

It has been two years since I was last in India and almost five years since I ran my own research project in India. I am excited, although a bit nervous, to return to “the field.” For the past three years, most of my attention has been focused on coursework, teaching, learning methods and theories, […]