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Sonali Gupta

Dr. Sonali Gupta, LL.B., Ph.D. (UCLA), is an anthropologist, legal expert, and educator specializing in migration, asylum, cultural resilience, and narcotics law. As President and Co-Founder of the Himalayan Conservation & Preservation Society (USA) and Founder-Director of the Himalayan Institute of Cultural & Heritage Studies (India), she has devoted over two decades to research, migration policy, and community engagement across the Himalayas and South Asia. Her experience includes six years of legal practice in India, handling asylum, migration, and narcotics cases, which provided in-depth insight into both legal and prison systems. She has also worked as legal staff in the United States, conducted extensive ethnographic research on caste, gender, resilience, and climate-driven migration, and served as adjunct professor at UCLA in anthropology and regional studies.

Dr. Gupta’s work creates bridges between ground-level realities and global advocacy frameworks, advancing social justice and sustainable development for marginalized communities. She leads initiatives on cultural preservation, legal empowerment, and grassroots healing—from founding a migrant memory hub in Delhi and innovative field programs in Himachal Pradesh, to advising governments and NGOs on heritage, narcotics policy, and social equity. As an invited speaker, project leader, and published author, her research has been featured in academic journals, media, and policy platforms. Fluent in multiple languages, Dr. Gupta champions interdisciplinary solutions that center local voices in tackling migration, caste, gender, narcotics, prison systems, and climate challenges.

Name
Sonali Gupta
Occupation
Anthropological Archaeologist and Lawyer
Webpage
hichshimachal@gmail.com
Expertise

Addiction/Drugs/Drug Policy

Climate-Related Issues  

Document Authentication  

Gender-Based Violence/Domestic Violence /GBV

Healthcare Access/Health Systems Capacity  

Religious Discrimination Or Persecution  

Ethnic Discrimination Or Persecution  

Disability 

Caste Discrimination Or Persecution 

Forced Marriage 

Honor-Based Violence

Prison Conditions 

Experience

I have prior experience working on refugee and asylum matters from my time practicing law in Delhi. During this period, I represented and assisted asylum seekers, most of whom were young individuals from Afghanistan who had fled situations of conflict and persecution. I handled approximately 12–15 such cases, which involved preparing legal documentation, presenting individual narratives effectively, and engaging with the relevant asylum procedures. My work required sensitively addressing issues of trauma, displacement, and cultural adjustment while ensuring that the applicants’ claims were grounded in both legal frameworks and their lived realities. This experience gave me critical insight into the challenges faced by vulnerable refugee populations and strengthened my ability to advocate on their behalf in complex legal and humanitarian contexts. 

Publications
  • “Gods, Rivers & Villages: When Faith Shapes Future of Kullu” (The Tribune India): explores intersections of faith, migration, climate resilience, and community adaptation.
  • In press: “Continuity and Change in the Western Himalayas – Kullu and Shimla Regions” (edited volume): documents historical and social transitions in high-migration Himalayan regions.
  • In press: “Approaches and Constraints in Indian Heritage Law” (book chapter): examines legal frameworks shaping cultural preservation, relevant to advocacy and policy work in migration and heritage.
  • Writing: New study on shamanism’s role in Himalayan belief systems, gender violence, and climate adaptation.
  • BBC Travel—architecture and climate-resistant design: highlights indigenous knowledge and community adaptation in the face of environmental change.
  • Published field research and documentation on caste discrimination, resilience in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala.
  • Village Square—climate and resilience in rural Himachal: commentary and case studies on rural climate adaptation and social equity.
  • British Museum Documentary—pottery traditions and oral histories: preservation of migrant and displaced community heritage (Kerala)
  • Dissertation: Gupta-Agarwal, Sonali. Understanding transmission of skill as influencing continuity or change through locally manufactured utilitarian ware at Greco Roman Karanis, University of California, Los Angeles, 2015—addresses themes of migration, cultural transmission, and adaptation.
  • Several co-authored journal articles on antiquities, and social change in the Indian Ocean and South Asian context (Journal of Indian Ocean Archaeology, Coptica).
Languages
English, Hindi, Arabic, Indonesian
Ethnic groups expertise
Himachali, Gaddi, Kinnauri, Bhotia, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Ladakhi, Buddhist communities of Ladakh and Tibet, Kashmiri, potter communities of Rajasthan, marginalized and artisan castes in Rajasthan, and Kerala, Dalit and OBC groups, Muslim communities, urban migrant groups in Delhi and Haryana, as well as minority and displaced populations affected by caste, religion, migration, and socio-economic change across northern India and the broader Himalayan region. While specializing in North India, I am also equipped to handle cases and provide expertise on ethnic and marginalized communities across other regions of India.

Political groups expertise
Mainstream and regional political parties in North India and the Himalayas, local panchayats and grassroots governance bodies, community-based political organizations, activist and advocacy networks, youth and student political groups, as well as identity-based and minority political movements in states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi. My expertise includes the dynamics of political representation, power relations, and the intersection of political identity with caste, religion, migration, and indigenous rights. While specializing in northern India, I am equipped to analyze and engage with political groups and structures across other regions of the country as required.

Religious groups expertise
Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Sikh, and Christian communities across northern India and the Himalayas, including minority religious groups such as Ladakhi Buddhists, Tibetan Buddhists, Kashmiri Muslims, and interfaith populations in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Haryana, Delhi and Kerala. My expertise also extends to syncretic and tribal religious practices, localized belief systems, and the intersection of religion with issues of migration, caste, gender, and cultural heritage. While my specialization is North India and the Himalayan region, I am equipped to address religious group dynamics and challenges in other parts of India as well.

Other social groups expertise
Dalits, OBCs, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, artisan and craft communities, women’s self-help groups, LGBTQI+ populations, migrants and refugees, urban poor, nomadic and pastoralist groups, youth and student collectives, survivors of gender-based violence, internally displaced persons, returnees, and individuals affected by trafficking, substance abuse, or incarceration. My expertise covers the experiences, challenges, and rights of these social groups, with particular emphasis on North India and the Himalayan region, but I am also adept at addressing such groups across other parts of India such as Kerala.

Contact email
sgupta@communitology.co
Address
LJ2 LLC (DBA Communitology)
35 Muddy Dog Run
Essex Junction, VT 05452 USA
Countries of expertise: