About
Our mission —
The Jarislowsky Democracy Chair pursues critical research and collaborative partnerships that advance public understanding and explore practical innovations to meet these imperatives.
"Around the world, democracies confront serious imperatives, old and new,” said Sanjay Ruparelia, who assumed the post in January 2019. “These range from enduring challenges, such as enhancing civic participation and political representation, to the ramifications of new digital technologies, rising social inequalities and climate change. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues at Toronto Metropolitan University and our partners to advance public discussion and explore practical innovations on these issues."
Why Jarislowsky?
This new research chair was created thanks to a generous donation from Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Stephen A. Jarislowsky, president of the Jarislowsky Foundation. Its $2-million gift, matched by the university to endow the chair, will help position TMU at the forefront of teaching, research and knowledge exchange on the challenges facing democracy.
Housed in the Faculty of Arts, the Chair addresses pressing issues facing democracy globally. It brings intellectual leadership and convenes public conversations with community leaders and civic organizations seeking to enhance citizen engagement, policy reform and democratic innovation. In addition, the Chair leads collaborative research partnerships to understand what makes successful democratic societies - locally, nationally and globally.
The Jarislowsky Democracy Chair complements the activities of the Harold and Dorrie Merilees Chair for the Study of Democracy at the University of British Columbia, the Jarislowsky Chair in Public Sector Management at the University of Ottawa, and the SFU Public Square.
“Now is the right time and Ryerson is the right place for a chair to lead the study of democracy and propose reforms to meet emerging social challenges. Dr. Ruparelia is an accomplished leader in this area, and I look forward to the impact he will have as the chair.”
About The Chair —
Dr. Sanjay Ruparelia
Sanjay Ruparelia is an Associate Professor of Politics, and the inaugural Jarislowsky Democracy Chair, at Toronto Metropolitan University.
His major publications include Divided We Govern: coalition politics in modern India (Hurst and Oxford University Press, 2015); The Indian Ideology: three responses to Perry Anderson (edited; Permanent Black, 2015); and Understanding India’s New Political Economy: a great transformation? (co-edited; Routledge, 2011). He has published a range of papers in edited volumes and academic journals (Comparative Politics, Economic & Political Weekly, International Journal for Politics, Culture and Society, Pacific Affairs, South Asia), as well as general essays and opinion pieces in international media (Dissent, Global Policy, Globe and Mail, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Open Canada, Policy Options, The Conversation, and Toronto Star).
Sanjay is a co-chair of the Participedia network, which examines democratic innovations around the world <participedia.net>; an associate editor of Pacific Affairs and the Oxford Encyclopedia of Asian Politics; and a country expert for V-Dem: the Varieties of Democracy Project. He co-hosts On the Frontlines of Democracy, a monthly public lecture series, with the Toronto Public Library.
Prior to TMU, Sanjay was an Associate Professor of Politics at the New School for Social Research, and Assistant Director of the South Asia Institute and Lecturer in International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, in New York.
His research has been supported by grants and fellowships from the Commonwealth Foundation, American Council of Learned Societies, Social Science Research Council and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council as well as Cambridge, the New School, Notre Dame, Princeton and Yale. He has served as a consultant to the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Research Institute on Social Development and the Asia Foundation. He periodically comments for and contributes to various media (Al-Jazeera, BBC World Service, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian Television Network, Channel News Asia (Singapore), Foreign Policy, La Razón (Spain), The Quint (Delhi), US World & News Report, Voice of America, and WNYU).
Sanjay earned a B.A. (First Class Honors) in Political Science from McGill University, and a M.Phil (Distinction) in Sociology and Politics of Development and Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Cambridge.
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Jorgenson Hall - Deans of Arts Office
Faculty of Arts
350 Victoria Street,
Toronto ON M5B 2K3
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Twitter @SVRuparelia
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