Aparna Rao

Aparna Rao
Born(1950-02-03)February 3, 1950[1]
New Delhi, India
DiedJune 28, 2005(2005-06-28) (aged 55)
CitizenshipGermany[2]
SpouseMichael Casimir
AwardsChoice
Academic background
EducationDoctor of Philosophy
Alma materUniversity of Strasbourg (M.A.)
Paris-Sorbonne University (Ph.D.)
ThesisLes Sinté du Pays Rhénan. Essai d'une Monographie d'un Sous–groupe Tsigane (M.A.)
Les Ghorbat d'Afghanistan. Aspects Économiques d'un Groupe Itinerant 'Jat'[note 1] (Ph.D.)[1]
Doctoral advisorXavier de Planhol[1]
Academic work
DisciplineAnthropology
Sub-disciplineEthnography
Ethnology
InstitutionsFormer co-chairperson, Commission on Nomadic Peoples of the International Union of Ethnological and Anthropological Sciences

Aparna Rao (February 3, 1950 – June 28, 2005) was a German anthropologist who performed studies on social groups in Afghanistan, France, and some regions of India. Her doctorate studies focused on anthropogeography, ethnology, and Islamic studies. Rao taught anthropology at the University of Cologne, serving for a brief time as chair of the Department of Ethnology at the South Asia Institute of Heidelberg University, Germany.

Rao's research focused on peripatetic, agrarian populations in Afghanistan, France, Jammu, Kashmir, and western Rajasthan. Rao researched the impact of the conflict in Kashmir on the environment and lives of people. Her 1982 work, Les Ġhorbat d'Afghanistan. Aspects Économiques d'un Groupe Itinérant 'Jat', researched the ethnic makeup and local economy of Afghanistan. Her book Autonomy: Life Cycle, Gender, and Status among Himalayan Pastoralists received the 1999 Choice award.


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  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference de1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Guenther, Mathias (2007). Gächter, Othmar; Piepke, Joachim; Quack, Anton (eds.). "Current Issues and Future Directions in Hunter-Gatherer Studies". Anthropos. 102 (2). Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH: 377. doi:10.5771/0257-9774-2007-2-371. JSTOR 40389730. They occupy what the German anthropologist Aparna Rao dubs the "peripatetic niche" (1993: 503-509) - and Alan Barnard (1993: 35) refers to as the san in any city.(registration required)