Education

Komal Raja

Anthropologist, Researcher and Writer

Independent Researcher

Bonn, Germany · English, Urdu

Biography

Komal Raja is a social and cultural anthropologist, published author, poet, and speaker based in Bonn, Germany. She holds a doctorate in Social and Cultural Anthropology from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich). Her doctoral research, Negotiating Autonomy in Azad Jammu and Kashmir: Belonging, Politicisation, and Everyday Life, examines how political structures are experienced, negotiated, and embodied in everyday life.

She was born and grew up in Hajira, Poonch, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, which remains an important part of her background and work.

Drawing on long-term ethnographic research and interdisciplinary training in anthropology and psychology, her work explores political autonomy, identity, governance, memory, belonging, and the lived realities of borderland communities. Her academic publications include research on violence and transgender bodies in urban Pakistan, as well as forthcoming work on everyday life and political struggle in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Alongside academic research, Komal writes ethnographic essays, publishes poetry, and engages wider audiences through public talks, lectures, workshops, and literary events. She has contributed to publications including The Rekhta, The Kashmir Walla, Humsub, The Peshawar Review and other literary-academic platforms. Her work brings anthropology into conversation with literature and artistic practice, making space for nuanced perspectives on political life, identifications, and lived experience.

Areas of expertise

• Social and Cultural Anthropology
• Kashmir Studies and Political Autonomy
• Ethnography
• Identity and Belonging
• Anthropology of Violence, Conflict and Everyday Governance

Key achievements

• Scholarships and Research Funding: DAAD–HEC doctoral scholarship (2017–2021), LMU Munich Graduation Completion Grant (2021), and three grants for ethnographic fieldwork in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the UK Kashmiri diaspora (2018–2019).
• Literary and Academic Publishing: Published English, Urdu and Pahāṛī poetry in South Asian literary journals and magazines; contributed literary essays, reviews and academic writing to publications across South Asia;
• Founder, Anthropoetics: Established an independent initiative connecting anthropology, literature, and artistic practice.
• Urdu Radio Deutschland e.V.: Founding Member and Art and Literature Coordinator.
• Erasmus+ International Programmes: Participated in international youth exchanges and training programmes as Group Leader, representing Germany and bringing the perspective of a woman from Kashmir to intercultural exchange.
• Workshop Leadership (2025): Led a funded three-part workshop series on migration, memory, and belonging in Bonn, Germany supported by House of Resources Bonn and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
• Arts Council England Grant (2026): Awarded funding for an art residency in Birmingham exploring Kashmiri diaspora, memory, language, and belonging.
• Daughter of Poonch Award (2026): Presented on International Women’s Day by Ms Maria Iqbal Tarana, former Chairperson of the Commission on the Status of Women AJK, in recognition of leadership and contributions to society.

International experience

Academic and research experience in Germany, including doctoral research at LMU Munich and ethnographic fieldwork in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the UK Kashmiri diaspora. Recipient of research grants supporting fieldwork in AJK and the UK. Participated in Erasmus+ youth exchanges and international programmes in France, the Netherlands, and Türkiye. Undertook a writing residency in Switzerland and an Arts Council England-funded art residency in Birmingham exploring Kashmiri diaspora, memory, language, and belonging. Participated in literary and cultural events in the UK, including the JAAG Panjabi and Pahari Language and Literature Festival in Birmingham and the Bradford Literature Festival. Have also delivered guest lectures and public talks across Pakistan, UK and Europe.

Engagement interests

Speaker · Panelist · TV / Radio · Podcast · Mentor · Training

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