Prof. Deepak Kumar Behera

Professor Deepak Kumar Behera, a distinguished anthropologist and academic leader, currently serves as General President of the United Indian Anthropology Forum (UIAF), a vibrant platform fostering anthropological discourse and events across India. Having recently retired as Vice-Chancellor of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, he previously held the same position at Sambalpur University, Berhampur University, and Rajendra University, Balangir, making him the only anthropologist in India to consecutively lead four universities. Under his leadership, Berhampur University became the first state-funded university in Odisha to earn an ‘A’ Grade from NAAC, and he played a pivotal role in securing the same for Sambalpur University and KISS-DU. As the Vice-Chancellor of KISS-DU, he hosted the 2023 World Anthropology Congress. Formerly a Professor and Head of the Department of Anthropology at Sambalpur University, Odisha, he supervised 26 scholars to their doctoral degrees and two to post-doctoral degrees. A globally recognized scholar, Professor Behera was a Fulbright Visiting Professor at California State University, Long Beach, during the 2007-08 fall semester, teaching Childhood in a Changing Context with a focus on South Asia. He also served as a Guest Professor at Carl Eberhard University, Tübingen, Germany (DAAD Fellowship, April-July 2013), and held Visiting Professorships at Aarhus University, Denmark (2011), University of Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa (2001, 2003), University of Durban-Westville, South Africa (2001), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2004), and CNRS-EHESS, Toulouse, France (2006). His international accolades include fellowships from the Carlos Saga Foundation (Brazil), National Research Foundation (South Africa), German Research Council (Germany), Indo-French Academic Exchange, and Indo-Israel Academic and Cultural Exchange. In 2017, Professor Behera received the prestigious Sarat Chandra Roy Memorial Gold Medal from the Asiatic Society, Kolkata, for his outstanding contributions to cultural anthropology in India. With over 120 research publications and 22 authored or edited volumes, his work focuses on ‘tribal studies’, ‘children and childhood’ and ‘development studies’. Notably, ten volumes of his series Contemporary Society: Tribal Studies were published by Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi, with eight co-edited with the late Professor Georg Pfeffer. Having visited over 30 countries across 43 academic engagements, Professor Behera’s global impact is profound.