Ajay Verghese
@ajayverghese.bsky.social
Political scientist at Middlebury College: India, religion (Hinduism), ethnic violence, history, and qualitative/mixed methods. Dad.
Reposted by Ajay Verghese
I have been thinking about writing this paper for over a decade: my definition and conceptualization of "religion." No idea if any of this makes sense. Feedback welcome. Enjoy!
t.co/ykdwhEAEsK
t.co/ykdwhEAEsK
November 21, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I have been thinking about writing this paper for over a decade: my definition and conceptualization of "religion." No idea if any of this makes sense. Feedback welcome. Enjoy!
t.co/ykdwhEAEsK
t.co/ykdwhEAEsK
Reposted by Ajay Verghese
this is a metaphor for waking up and logging on
the baby (17 months) raised both her hands and said “WEADY?” so I said “ready!” and then she slapped me in the face
November 22, 2025 at 6:27 PM
this is a metaphor for waking up and logging on
I think the main problem with existing definitions of religion is that they also work for other items like "magic" or "astrology" or "Alcoholics Anonymous." Read my paper that tries to differentiate religion from other "supernaturalisms."
papers.ssrn.com/abstract=577...
papers.ssrn.com/abstract=577...
November 22, 2025 at 7:05 PM
I think the main problem with existing definitions of religion is that they also work for other items like "magic" or "astrology" or "Alcoholics Anonymous." Read my paper that tries to differentiate religion from other "supernaturalisms."
papers.ssrn.com/abstract=577...
papers.ssrn.com/abstract=577...
Reposted by Ajay Verghese
Study after study shows that using LLMs is bad for cognition, bad for learning, bad for understanding, bad for mental health. So why are our schools and universities still relentlessly pushing them?
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Study after study shows that using LLMs is bad for cognition, bad for learning, bad for understanding, bad for mental health. So why are our schools and universities still relentlessly pushing them?
I have been thinking about writing this paper for over a decade: my definition and conceptualization of "religion." No idea if any of this makes sense. Feedback welcome. Enjoy!
t.co/ykdwhEAEsK
t.co/ykdwhEAEsK
November 21, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I have been thinking about writing this paper for over a decade: my definition and conceptualization of "religion." No idea if any of this makes sense. Feedback welcome. Enjoy!
t.co/ykdwhEAEsK
t.co/ykdwhEAEsK
Reposted by Ajay Verghese
Ouch! Feeling kind of old as one of that “earlier generation” that engaged in “shopworn” debates :)
Great review of important recent work on qualitative methods! I would add Fairfield and Charman on formal Bayesian process tracing as one of the key recent contributions.
Great review of important recent work on qualitative methods! I would add Fairfield and Charman on formal Bayesian process tracing as one of the key recent contributions.
Check out my review of some exciting new books in qualitative methods!
November 8, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Ouch! Feeling kind of old as one of that “earlier generation” that engaged in “shopworn” debates :)
Great review of important recent work on qualitative methods! I would add Fairfield and Charman on formal Bayesian process tracing as one of the key recent contributions.
Great review of important recent work on qualitative methods! I would add Fairfield and Charman on formal Bayesian process tracing as one of the key recent contributions.
Check out my review of some exciting new books in qualitative methods!
November 7, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Check out my review of some exciting new books in qualitative methods!
Today's conundrum: "The proper concepts are needed to formulate a good theory, but we need a good theory to arrive at the proper concepts." - Abraham Kaplan, Conduct of Inquiry.
June 19, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Today's conundrum: "The proper concepts are needed to formulate a good theory, but we need a good theory to arrive at the proper concepts." - Abraham Kaplan, Conduct of Inquiry.
Are you interested in the study of religion but tired of reading about Christianity? Boy do I have the article for you! Now under review.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
June 11, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Are you interested in the study of religion but tired of reading about Christianity? Boy do I have the article for you! Now under review.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
I hope one day the Wilson Center, where I worked last summer, will be back but I fear it will not.
thehill.com/opinion/inte...
thehill.com/opinion/inte...
thehill.com
May 23, 2025 at 5:46 PM
I hope one day the Wilson Center, where I worked last summer, will be back but I fear it will not.
thehill.com/opinion/inte...
thehill.com/opinion/inte...
Reposted by Ajay Verghese
🧵 Today's revocation of Harvard's ability to enroll international is awful for many reasons, chief among them the human cost as @jeremywallace.bsky.social notes. It's also an attack on the US economy. But maybe less obvious: it is terrible national security policy. It makes Americans less safe. 1/
6800 people who already probably have leases for next year, spent years of their lives working to get to where they were now upended because Trump and Noem and Stephen Miller want to crush a major export sector of this economy, oh, and also a source of cures for diseases and knowledge of all sorts.
May 22, 2025 at 7:40 PM
🧵 Today's revocation of Harvard's ability to enroll international is awful for many reasons, chief among them the human cost as @jeremywallace.bsky.social notes. It's also an attack on the US economy. But maybe less obvious: it is terrible national security policy. It makes Americans less safe. 1/
Reposted by Ajay Verghese
Just reposting this, for no reason at all
How to (Self-)Destroy a Hegemon in 6 Easy Steps:
1. Wreck academia + science infrastructure
2. Erect massive tariff barriers + supercharge econ inequality
3. Re-segregate your (very) diverse military
4. Destroy elements of soft power (e.g., USAID)
5. Dismantle your democracy
6. Nuke immigration
1. Wreck academia + science infrastructure
2. Erect massive tariff barriers + supercharge econ inequality
3. Re-segregate your (very) diverse military
4. Destroy elements of soft power (e.g., USAID)
5. Dismantle your democracy
6. Nuke immigration
May 22, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Just reposting this, for no reason at all
Some good news for secularism in America:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...
Divided Supreme Court Rejects Bid for Religious Charter School in Oklahoma
www.nytimes.com
May 22, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Some good news for secularism in America:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...
Reposted by Ajay Verghese
Truly an incredible post. Calling on economists, political scientists and sociologists working on corruption to please share your favourite corruption papers so we can help the NYT get up to speed on concepts and measurements in this field.
Corruption requires explict quid pro quo. It is not corrupt to take an action that aligns with the interest of a person who gives you a gift, unless the official action was in direct response to that gift--a bribe. Terms matter. Accuracy and fairness matters. Regardless of what social media wants.
May 12, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Truly an incredible post. Calling on economists, political scientists and sociologists working on corruption to please share your favourite corruption papers so we can help the NYT get up to speed on concepts and measurements in this field.
Was trying to do one of those revelatory "Failure CVs" but it basically just looked like my actual CV, I don't understand this exercise?
May 2, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Was trying to do one of those revelatory "Failure CVs" but it basically just looked like my actual CV, I don't understand this exercise?
Happy to announce that the Fulbright Program still exists, and that I won a Fulbright Flex to travel to India for fieldwork over the next several years. The program is open for next year too, so think about applying!
April 29, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Happy to announce that the Fulbright Program still exists, and that I won a Fulbright Flex to travel to India for fieldwork over the next several years. The program is open for next year too, so think about applying!
One piece of advice about my research pipeline that I've always been given is: have multiple irons in the fire. But I really work best doing one thing at a time, often for weeks or months at a time. So maybe this advice isn't for everyone.
April 28, 2025 at 3:06 PM
One piece of advice about my research pipeline that I've always been given is: have multiple irons in the fire. But I really work best doing one thing at a time, often for weeks or months at a time. So maybe this advice isn't for everyone.
Happy first birthday to my article submission to [will potentially reveal journal name in the future to shame them]! A whole year, my baby is growing up.
April 24, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Happy first birthday to my article submission to [will potentially reveal journal name in the future to shame them]! A whole year, my baby is growing up.
New seminar this fall:
April 22, 2025 at 2:40 PM
New seminar this fall:
I'm not using social media much these days but I'm breaking the hiatus to say RIP David Lynch, one of my favorite directors. A true visionary, there was no one else like him.
January 16, 2025 at 7:17 PM
I'm not using social media much these days but I'm breaking the hiatus to say RIP David Lynch, one of my favorite directors. A true visionary, there was no one else like him.
Reposted by Ajay Verghese
Our department at Scripps College in California is hiring a tenure-track position in global politics, review starting this fall. Open to those who are more cross-disciplinary in their work, and to PhDs in adjacent disciplines. Please circulate! #polisky
www.scrippscollege.edu/hr/faculty/t...
www.scrippscollege.edu/hr/faculty/t...
Tenure Track Position in Global Politics | Scripps College in Claremont, California
Founded in 1926 in Claremont, California, Scripps College offers a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum, a robust intellectual community, a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and a rich residenti...
www.scrippscollege.edu
April 29, 2024 at 4:34 PM
Our department at Scripps College in California is hiring a tenure-track position in global politics, review starting this fall. Open to those who are more cross-disciplinary in their work, and to PhDs in adjacent disciplines. Please circulate! #polisky
www.scrippscollege.edu/hr/faculty/t...
www.scrippscollege.edu/hr/faculty/t...
New paper on how to conceptualize and measure Hindu religiosity, been working on this one for several years. Feedback welcome!
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
April 29, 2024 at 3:37 PM
New paper on how to conceptualize and measure Hindu religiosity, been working on this one for several years. Feedback welcome!
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Revised and resubmitted -- an updated version of my paper on studying history like an experiment: "Randomized Controlled History?" papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
April 19, 2024 at 4:13 PM
Revised and resubmitted -- an updated version of my paper on studying history like an experiment: "Randomized Controlled History?" papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....