Shikhar Goel is a PhD student in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University. His research is situated at the intersections of critical legal studies, anthropology, and media studies. His doctoral project ethnographically examines how the adoption of digital technologies is transforming the everyday work of law enforcement institutions in India.
Before joining NYU, Shikhar worked as an ICAS: MP researcher with the Sarai Programme at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), New Delhi. He has served as an Editorial Assistant for Communication, Culture and Critique and Catalyst: Feminism, Theory, Technoscience, and has designed and taught advanced undergraduate courses on law and media at NYU.
His academic writing has appeared in the Asian Journal of Law and Society (AJLS), Studies in History, and the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW). He has presented his research at leading institutions including Harvard University, Columbia University, New York University, Dublin City University, and Delhi University.
Alongside his academic work, Shikhar is an accomplished Hindi poet. His poetry has been featured in a range of anthologies, literary journals, and online platforms, and has been translated into Marathi, Kannada, English, and Urdu.
Selected Publications
- Goel, S. (2024) ‘Paper in the Age of the Digital: The Curious Case of 65-B Certificates in India’, Asian Journal of Law and Society, 11(4), pp. 435–452. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/als.2024.23
- Goel, S. (2022) Media Evidence and Law. In Sundaram, R. (ed.) Research Diaries: Law and Media | Media and the Constitution of the Political. Delhi: Sarai – Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, pp.4–50. Available at: https://sarai.net/wpd/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Law-and-Media-Diaries.pdf.
- Goel, S. (2020) Tales of Restoration: A Study of the Evacuee Property Laws. Studies in History, 36(2), pp.251–279. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0257643020953553.
- Goel, S. (2018) Internet Shutdowns: Strategy to Maintain Law and Order or Muzzle Dissent? Economic and Political Weekly, 53(42). Available at: https://www.epw.in/engage/article/internet-shutdowns-strategy-maintain-law.