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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

China’s AI Manufacturing Boom Masks Weak Consumer Economy, Citi Says

Chinas economy continued to show a sharp divide in May, with a booming artificial intelligence (AI)-driven manufacturing sector helping sustain growth while domestic demand remained weak, according to a recent research...

Trump Says No Hormuz Strait Tolls During 60-Day Iran Ceasefire

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that no tolls will be charged for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz during the proposed 60-day interim ceasefire period with Iran. Trump also stated that no fees...

Russia Stocks End Flat as MOEX Index Hits New 52-Week Low; Gold Falls and Oil Mixed

Russian stocks closed flat on Saturday, with the MOEX Russia Index ending unchanged at 0.00% and touching a fresh 52-week low during trading. The lack of movement across the market reflected cautious investor sentiment,...

Oil Prices Steady as U.S.-Iran Truce Uncertainty and Middle East Tensions Keep Markets on Edge

Global oil prices stabilized on Friday, but Brent crude remained on track for a weekly decline of more than 8% as investors assessed the uncertain future of the U.S.-Iran peace agreement and ongoing geopolitical risks in...

Asian Stocks Surge as Oil Prices Fall and Strong US Dollar Weighs on Markets

Asian stock markets rallied on Friday, with Japan and South Korea reaching record highs as easing tensions in the Middle East and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices lower, reducing global inflation...

Politics

Andy Burnham Leadership Speculation May Boost FTSE 100 as Gilt Yields Rise

Andy Burnhams recent victory in the Makerfield by-election has sparked speculation about a potential future challenge to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, raising questions about the outlook for U.K. government bonds, gilt...

US Military Says Strait of Hormuz Remains Open Despite Iran Closure Claim

The U.S. military has rejected Irans claim that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed, emphasizing that one of the worlds most important oil shipping routes remains fully operational. Speaking to Reuters on Saturday, U.S....

Keir Starmer Faces Growing Pressure as Reports Suggest Possible Resignation

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting political pressure after reports emerged that he could announce plans to step down, although government officials insist he remains focused on leading the country....

Gaza Death Toll Rises as Israeli Strikes Kill Nine Amid Ceasefire Stalemate

At least nine Palestinians, including a child, were killed in separate Israeli strikes and shootings across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to local health officials, highlighting the continued violence despite an...

Zelenskiy Returns Polish Honor as WWII History Dispute Strains Ukraine-Poland Relations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has returned Polands highest state honor, the Order of the White Eagle, after Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked the award over a growing dispute surrounding World War II...

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

John Jumper Leaves Google DeepMind for Anthropic Amid Intensifying AI Talent Race

John Jumper, the Google DeepMind researcher who shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his groundbreaking work on the AlphaFold artificial intelligence system, has announced that he is leaving Google DeepMind to join...

Trump Says Anthropic No Longer Seen as National Security Threat

U.S. President Donald Trump said he no longer views artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a national security threat, marking a significant shift from his stance just a week earlier. The comments came during an...

Meta Seeks Legal Shield From Child-Harm Lawsuits Amid KOSA Talks

Meta Platforms is reportedly lobbying U.S. lawmakers to include legal protections for social media companies in the proposed Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a move that could significantly impact thousands of lawsuits...

SpaceX Stock Slides After IPO Rally as Valuation Concerns Grow

SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) shares extended their pullback on Thursday after a remarkable post-IPO rally, as investors locked in profits and questioned the companys lofty valuation. The stock, which dropped nearly 10% earlier in...

US Raises Concerns Over Possible ASML EUV Machine Transfer to China

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has reportedly raised concerns with Dutch semiconductor equipment giant ASML regarding the possible transfer of one of its advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines to...