Dr. Dhruba Das joined the Department of Sociology and Criminology in 2023 after earning her Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University the same year. Her research focuses on group processes and social movements, with a particular interest in nationalist movements. She also examines issues of race and caste, exploring their intersections in contemporary and historical contexts. Dr. Das’s work contributes to a deeper understanding of group behavior, mobilization, and social change.
Education Background
Ph.D., Sociology, Oklahoma State University, 2023
M.S., Sociology, Oklahoma State University, 2017
M.A., Sociology, University of Pune (Maharashtra, India) 2009
B.A., Sociology (Honors), Kalyani Mahavidyalaya (West Bengal, India), 2007
Courses Taught
Fall 2023 & 2024 –
SOC350- Sociological Theory
SOC232- Social Inequality in Society
SOC121- Principles of Sociology
Spring 2024 & 2025-
SOC 390- Sociological Research Methods (Spring 2025)
SOC218- Social Movements
SOC122- Social Problems (Spring 2024)
SOC121- Principles of Sociology
Awards and Accolades
Coley, Jonathan S., et al. 2025. “How Educational Opportunity Structures Shape the Presence, Forms, and Outcomes of Campus Activism.” Sociological Focus 58.1 (2025): 33-50.
Coley, Jonathan, Dhruba Das, and Gary Adler. 2022. “Creating Sacred Spaces: Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim Student Groups at U.S. Colleges and Universities.” Sociology of Education 95(3): 171-188.
Das, Dhruba, and Monica M. Whitham. 2021. “Framing the Collective “We” and the Antagonistic “Other” through Metacontrast: Intragroup Homogenization and Intergroup Polarization in the Hindu Nationalist Movement.” Sociological Forum 36(3): 1-23.
Coley, Jonathan S, and Dhruba Das. 2020. “Creating Safe Spaces: Opportunities, Resources, and LGBTQ Student Groups at U.S. Colleges and Universities.” Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World 6: 1–12.
Coley, Jonathan, Dakota Raynes, and Dhruba Das. 2020. “Are Social Movements Truly Social? The Prosocial and Antisocial Outcomes of Social Movements.” Sociology Compass 14(8), article e12820.
(Featured on the American Sociological Association—Altruism, Morality, and
Social Solidarity Section’s “Recommended Reading List”)