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Philippa Williams

Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, Queen Mary University of London
My research and teaching intersects political, economic and development geography, with a focus on everyday political life in India and its transnational community. More specifically, I am interested in questions concerning how the state is experienced, how citizenship is articulated and how marginality, particularly in the context of violence/nonviolence is lived. My current projects in India explore the impact of digital transformations on everyday life especially digital payments systems and digitally mediated work, and in the UK, the lived implications of the UK government’s hostile immigration policy for recent South Asian migrants.

I completed an ESRC-funded PhD in Geography at the University of Cambridge before taking up a Research Fellowship at the Centre of South Asian Studies, University of Cambridge. I have been at QMUL since January 2013 and am currently the Senior Tutor in the School of Geography, supporting students with their wellbeing and studies.

My book on Everyday Peace?: Politics, Citizenship and Muslim Lives in India is published by the RGS-IBG Book Series and was awarded the 2016 Julian Minghi Distinguished Book Award by the Political Geography Speciality Group at the American Association of Geographers. I also have an edited book on Geographies of Peace with Nick Megoran and Fiona McConnell.

I recently received funding from WhatsApp to examine the role of the messaging service in everyday political conversations in India in the context of India’s social media ecosystem.

WhatsApp's controversial privacy update may be banned in the EU – but the app's sights are fixed on India

May 16, 2021 12:14 pm UTC| Technology

The roll out of WhatsApps new privacy policy, which critics warn will lead to more data sharing with its parent company Facebook, received a blow on May 13 after German regulators temporarily banned the update. The...

India's WhatsApp election: political parties risk undermining democracy with technology

Mar 01, 2019 13:48 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology Politics

Indias 2019 national elections are widely anticipated to be the WhatsApp elections. Against a backdrop of rapidly improving internet connectivity and rising smartphone use, the number of people using private messaging...

Economy

FTSE 100 Falls as US-Iran Conflict Drives Oil Prices Higher

British stocks declined on Wednesday as escalating military tensions between the United States and Iran pushed oil prices higher and weakened investor appetite for risk across European markets. The FTSE 100 fell 0.30% by...

Asian Currencies Weaken as Dollar Rises, Kiwi Slides After RBNZ Hike

Asian currencies mostly weakened on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar traded near a two-week high, while the New Zealand dollar fell sharply despite the Reserve Bank of New Zealand raising interest rates. The kiwi dropped to...

Bank of England Sees Surge in Higher-Risk Collateral

British banks are increasingly using higher-risk loans and securities as collateral to access Bank of England funding, highlighting how the central banks exposure to potentially illiquid assets is growing. Banks pledged...

South Korea Inflation Rises to 3.1% in August

South Koreas consumer inflation accelerated in August, coming in slightly below market expectations but remaining near a two-year high as elevated energy and telecommunications costs continued to pressure household prices....

US Strikes Iran IRGC Targets as Conflict Escalates

The U.S. military completed a new wave of strikes against Iran late Tuesday, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facilities as fighting between Washington and Tehran intensified following a weekend exchange...

Politics

Greenland Says US Talks Remain Ongoing

Greenlands Foreign Minister Mute Egede said Wednesday that negotiations with the United States over the Arctic islands future remain underway, although he declined to disclose details of the discussions. Speaking during a...

US, Australia Pledge $580 Million for Pacific Islands

The United States and Australia announced a combined $580 million funding package for Pacific Island nations on Wednesday, stepping up regional support as competition with China for influence across the Pacific...

Ed Markey Wins Massachusetts Democratic Senate Primary

U.S. Senator Ed Markey secured the Democratic nomination for another term in Massachusetts on Tuesday, defeating Representative Seth Moulton in a closely watched primary that highlighted debates over age, experience and...

USS Abraham Lincoln Arrives in Thailand After Record 200 Days at Sea

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived at Thailands Laem Chabang port on Wednesday morning after spending more than 200 consecutive days at sea, including an extended deployment in the Middle East....

US-Iran Conflict Escalates With New Strikes Near Hormuz

The U.S.-Iran conflict intensified on Wednesday after the two sides carried out their most significant exchange of attacks in weeks, raising fears of a wider Middle East war as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

MongoDB Stock Sinks 14% as Atlas Growth Misses Expectations

MongoDB (NASDAQ: MDB) shares plunged more than 14% in premarket trading Wednesday despite stronger-than-expected fiscal second-quarter 2027 results, as investors focused on the lack of growth acceleration in the companys...

Lenovo Shares Fall After Dropbox Security Breach Exposes ID Vulnerability

Lenovo Group shares came under pressure on Wednesday after a security breach at Dropbox revealed a vulnerability connected to the Chinese technology companys Lenovo ID authentication service. Dropbox said approximately...

OpenAI Nears Astra AI Model Launch With Safety Focus

OpenAI is preparing to launch its next-generation artificial intelligence model, Astra, with CEO Sam Altman signaling that the release could arrive soon as the company increases its focus on AI safety and cybersecurity....

OpenAI Rejects Apple Trade Secret Theft Claims

OpenAI has denied Apples allegations that it obtained confidential trade secrets through former Apple employees, arguing that the iPhone maker has failed to provide evidence showing proprietary information was stolen. In a...

MediaTek Shares Jump 10% on Nvidia’s $3.5 Billion Investment

MediaTek shares surged nearly 10% on Tuesday after Nvidia announced a $3.5 billion investment in the Taiwanese semiconductor designer, strengthening a strategic partnership focused on artificial intelligence...