Tia Mittle '26, an undergraduate student majoring in global affairs and political science, and William Pater '26, a senior majoring in biological sciences with minors in theology and poverty studies, will present papers for this session of the South Asia Group.
Tia Mittle is from Mumbai, India and is working with Professor Susan Ostermann on a variety of projects relating to democracy and development. One of their projects involves investigating the colonial legacies of Hale’s doctrine in India and the US. Hale inspired a series of laws consistent with the principle that women were chattel and had no agency of their own, many of which remain on the books today.
William Pater is a biological sciences major with minors in theology and poverty studies, originally from Tolland, Connecticut. He has pursued his interests in healthcare, global development, and policy through a 2024 Center for Social Concerns Summer Fellowship, serving as a volunteer and conducting research in Kolkata, India this past summer.