Professor Judith Heyer, Emeritus Fellow, Somerville College, University of Oxford, visited the Foundation’s office on November 27, 2025.

A long-time collaborator of FAS, Professor Heyer, held an informal discussion on the long trajectory of her research. She spoke about her journey as a researcher — beginning in East Africa, studying rural livelihoods in Kenya, and later moving to Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu to conduct village studies in India. 

She reflected on the rather slow pace of change in rural India that she has observed over the years. Caste- and gender-based discrimination persists, but has become more disguised. The growth of the rural economy in west Tamil Nadu, she observed, had not broken social barriers, particularly for the Dalit community and women.

This was followed by an engaging discussion on the different facets of her long and rich field experience that reflects her journey from an “economist” to a “social scientist.”

Our researchers also took this opportunity to discuss some of their research ideas with Judith. It was an excellent learning experience for our team, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with Professor Heyer in the future.

Here are a few glimpses from the visit…