This fall the Geography Department at George Washington University welcomed two new faculty members during the University’s first virtual semester: Dr. Moses Kansanga and Dr. Aman Luthra. Jonathan Kvilhaug, a master’s student in geography interviewed Dr. Luthra. This interview was conducted virtually and has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: Hello Professor Aman Luthra! Where is this interview finding you?
A: Thank you very much! Presently, I am in Kalamazoo, Michigan; though I will be arriving in DC next year.
Q: I know the entire Geography Department is looking forward for our return to Sampson Hall – what are you most excited to do?
A: I have lived in DC before and I am looking forward to returning! This time I will be returning to the city with a dog that I am looking forward to walking throughout Rock Creek Park. I am also looking forward to the weather and returning to the restaurant scene – the Ethiopian restaurant scene in DC is phenomenal!
Q: Before I go any further, I must tell you I really enjoyed meeting you at the Geography Department’s Cultural Cuisines event. You shared with us a Chana Masala recipe from your family and it was wonderful to watch graduate students and faculty cooking along with you!
A: That’s very kind of you! I am also looking forward to interactions like that with the students – water cooler talks so to speak – where I can have my office door open or meet outside Sampson Hall in University Yard.
Q: This semester I know that you taught a course in Political Ecology; what other courses will you be offering in the Spring? Are there any dream courses you would like to teach?
A: Yes, I have enjoyed my class on Political Ecology this Fall; and in the Spring I will be offering Geography of South Asia, as well as Theories of Development. For now, as I continue working on my research, I believe I will only be teaching these classes – but as for a dream class I have some ideas. I would love to design a course on Marxist Theory in Geography and Development, possibly a History of Black Radical Thought. These have been interests of mine and I would have fun designing a course with those frameworks.
Q: How else would you characterize your interests, research or otherwise?
A: Well, I have a handful of publications that look at urban infrastructure as well as informal labor in India, particularly in waste management. I am currently collaborating with a GW student in Data Science on a project looking at waste pickers in Delhi. Additionally, I have in development a project that would look at the use of pollinators in apple farms west of the Himalayas.
Q: You have been keeping busy at GW! In addition to your research and courses I know that you and Professor Ginger Allington have been collaborating on the Department’s Speaker Series.
A: Yes, thank you! The first event with Professor Mary Gilmartin was wonderful and it was the first ever international guest as she was calling in from Ireland.
Aman! Thank you so much and I am so looking forward to keeping in touch! Stay well!
– Jonathan Kvilhaug is an editor of the GW Geo-Bulletin
