My education began with studies in philosophy, religion, and the fine arts at Haverford College. After college, I worked for some years with refugees and internally displaced people in South Asia. My graduate studies focused on Southern Asia, the region from Pakistan to Indonesia, united by common cultural and linguistic traditions.

My scholarship explains how voluntary associations can promote and how public policy can enhance broad-based achievements in education, employment, health, and dignity. My major current project is on Muslim charities and everyday human security in Pakistan. A new project studies sources of insecurity and resources for improved felt security in Southeast Asia.

Teaching is my professional priority. A positive influence on students’ learning is my main goal. I offer two related courses concerned with development: “Political Economy of Development and Underdevelopment” (an introduction to political economy and development studies) and “Politics of Community Development” (a seminar on the running of non-governmental development organizations). My course on “Comparative Politics” focuses on mechanisms to increase the proportion of women in elected bodies. I offer two regionally focused courses: “Politics of South Asia,” which examines domestic politics, and “International Relations of South Asia,” which examines inter-state relations. I have taught bi-campus video-conference courses for students in Pakistan and the United States on the "Politics of Human Development in Pakistan.” I have also taught "Literature and Politics of South Asia" and "Ethnicity, Nationalism, Religion, and Violence." I offer a course on “Logic and Rhetoric for Political Analysis.”

I have conducted research and methodology workshops for students and faculty in Indonesia and Pakistan; consulted on educational and labor rights issues with agencies, committees, and departments of the U.S. government; advised a U.S. federal advisory committee on international labor issues; and testified as an expert witness in forced labor, political asylum, and trafficking cases.

My syllabi and select publications can be found at www.candland.org