Welcome!

I am a doctoral candidate in sociology at Brown University. My research interests span racial theory and racism, cultural and organizational sociology, and higher education. You can reach me at prabhdeep_kehal@brown.edu. My pronouns are they/them/theirs. 

My projects consider how merit has been historically constructed within higher education by exploring the cultural and ideological relationship between slavery, colonialism, and higher education in the United States. With a specific focus on faculty and how knowledge is produced within elite, academic spaces, my dissertation asks how those who produce expert knowledge for society obtain their own knowledge and expertise on race. My work has been recognized by the Eastern Sociological Society's Charles V. Willie Minority Graduate Student Award, and supported by The Institute for Transformative Practice at Brown University, the Beatrice and Joseph Feinberg Memorial Fund, the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity at Brown University, and the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship. For 2017-2019, I was a Graduate Fellow in Community Engaged Scholarship at Brown University's Swearer Center.

In 2020, I will be presenting my work at

• the Eastern Sociological Society annual meeting in the Race and Education session
• the American Educational Research Association annual conference in the Educational Policies and Politics section on Social Context and Structural Inequalities [cancelled due to public health concerns]
• the American Sociological Association annual conference in the sociology of culture's session on Resurrecting the Macro in the Sociology of Culture.

NB: ​​I do not capitalize my name in print.

​For health resources during the global COVID-19 pandemic, consult the North American Sikh Medical and Dental Association (NASMDA) and their English and Punjabi-based guides. Additional resources are available through the Sikh Coalition.