Janani Umamaheswar

Can you tell me a little bit about your current research?

I use qualitative methods to explore how the penal system reflects and reproduces race, gender, and class inequalities. My current research is an ethnographic study of formerly incarcerated people’s sense of civic identity. Amidst the turmoil of our current socio-political climate, I ask: where do people who have experienced incarceration feel they belong?

How would you describe your mentoring style to a prospective graduate student?

Rather than folding students into my own existing projects, I encourage them to develop independent research questions and ideas that we can work on together. My goal is to help students learn each step of the qualitative research process, from gaining access to field sites and compiling IRB materials (on the front end) to honing writing and analytic skills that bring participants’ stories to life (on the back end).

What do you like most about working with graduate students?

Working with graduate students on projects they have spearheaded is very rewarding. There’s a special joy in helping students do fieldwork (especially with vulnerable populations) with compassion, sensitivity, and empathy.

What do you hope students learn while working with you?

I want students to recognize that qualitative research is equal parts challenging, exciting, and important. I hope they learn that there is power in listening and observing, and that we (as researchers) have a deep responsibility to do our participants’ stories justice when we share them with others.   

What graduate classes do you teach?

I have taught Qualitative Research Methods and Gender and Crime at the MA/PhD level.