Urmee Priya Das
PhD Student
Criminology, Law, and Justice
Contact
Building & Room:
BSB 4051
Email:
About
Urmee Priya Das is a first-year PhD student in Criminology, Law, and Justice at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her current research interests include custodial deaths in Bangladesh and the USA, and she focuses on analyzing the incidence of custodial deaths in Bangladesh, a phenomenon that has been normalized over time. Urmee examines the role of law enforcement agencies in these deaths and explores how the state legitimizes custodial deaths through the use of state apparatuses, including the judicial system and media. Drawing on Michel Foucault's ideas, she is particularly interested in how power is exercised through the prison system, where the jail becomes the most visible manifestation of governmental power over individuals. Her previous research focused on caste, untouchability, and the healthcare behavior of marginalized communities, such as the Robidas and Harijan populations. Urmee has conducted significant fieldwork on road traffic accidents, emergency medical care, accident victim trauma, and gender-based violence. Her publications reflect her deep engagement with social and medical anthropology, with recent work exploring caste and untouchability in Bangladesh and public health issues related to road traffic accidents.
Research Interests: Custodial deaths in Bangladesh and the USA, Victimization, Gender discrimination, Harassment, Punishment, the Prison system, Women in jail, Criminal psychology
Selected Publications
Das, U. P. (2023). On “caste” and “untouchability” in the Robidas community, Lalpur village, Bangladesh. Cambridge Journal of Human Behaviour, 1(3), 148–154.
Talukdar. Mahbub Alam, Ahmmad. Farid, Das. U.P (2021). Road Traffic Accident-related Injuries and First Aid Negligence in Bangladesh. Daffodil International University Journal of Allied Health Sciences. Volume 8, Issue 1 & 2, January-July 2021.
Talukdar. Mahbub Alam, Ahmmad. Farid, Das. U.P, Howlader. Abdur Rouf (2020). Road Traffic Accidents and its Associated Risk Factors: A Study on National Highways in Bangladesh. Daffodil International University Journal of Allied Health Sciences. Volume 7, Issue 1 & 2, January-July 2020.
Education
B.S.S. in Anthropology, Jagannath University, Bangladesh
M.S.S. in Anthropology, Jagannath University, Bangladesh