Social capital – a recent conceptual import into the discipline of gerontology raises questions on the crucial role of culture in India.
Tannistha Samanta

Tannistha Samanta
Tannistha Samanta is an Assistant Professor in the discipline of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar (IITGN). Having received her PhD from the department of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, Samanta locates her research that lies at the interdisciplinary crossroads of sociology and gerontology by blending quantitative and interpretive approaches. She examines gerontological questions relating to intergenerational relationships, health, social capital and the role of culture. She has published in top gerontology journals including The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Social Sciences, Aging & Social Policy and has recently published an edited volume entitled “Cross-cultural and Cross-disciplinary Perspectives in Social Gerontology” (Springer, 2017). Samanta adopts interdisciplinary approaches both in research and pedagogy and teaches a range of courses at IITGN including Demography: theories and social processes, Introduction to Sociology, Global Poverty and Developmental Aid and a graduate level course on Disease, Health and Inequality.