Rohit K. Dasgupta is an academic in the School of Culture and Creative Arts at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and a

British Labour Party The Labour Party is a List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of Social democracy, social democrats, Democratic socialism, democratic socialists and trade u ...

politician. Prior to this he was based at the Institute for Media and Creative Industries at Loughborough University. In 2018 he was elected Councillor in the

London Borough of Newham The London Borough of Newham is a London boroughs, London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of County Borough of West Ham, West Ham and County Bor ...

for the Canning Town South Ward. He was re-elected for the same ward again in 2022 He contested the Parliamentary seat of

East Hampshire East Hampshire is a local government district in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Petersfield. Other towns are Alton and Bordon. The district was originally to be known as the District Council of Petersfield. It comprised 42 seat ...

for the Labour Party in 2017, coming second with an increase of 7% vote share. He is also Secretary of the Newham Branch of the

Fabian Society The Fabian Society is a British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow. The F ...

. In 2019 he was selected as an MEP candidate for the South East region (5th on the list) but failed to get elected. Dasgupta is also a member of Labour's

National Policy Forum The National Policy Forum (NPF) of the British Labour Party is part of the policy-making system of the Party, set up by Leader Tony Blair as part of the Partnership in Power process. A Provisional National Policy Forum had been established by Bl ...

and sits on the Work, Pensions and Equality Policy Commission.

Background

Dasgupta gained a BA degree in Comparative Literature from

Jadavpur University Jadavpur University is a public state university located in Jadavpur, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was established in 1905 as ''Bengal Technical Institute'' and was converted into Jadavpur University in 1955. In 2022, it was ranked four ...

, India, then graduated MA in English from the

University of Westminster The University of Westminster is a public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first polytechnic to open in London. The Polytechnic formally received a Royal charter in Augu ...

, PGCE from the

University of West London The University of West London (UWL) is a public research university in the United Kingdom with campuses in Ealing, Brentford, and in Reading, Berkshire. The university has roots in 1860, when the Lady Byron School was founded, later Ealing Col ...

, and

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper ''Piled Higher and Deeper'' (also known as ''PhD Comics''), is a newsp ...

from the University of the Arts.

Political career

He was elected as a

Labour and Co-operative Labour and Co-operative Party (often abbreviated Labour Co-op; cy, Llafur a'r Blaid Gydweithredol) is a description used by candidates in United Kingdom elections who stand on behalf of both the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party and the Co-operativ ...

party Councillor in the

for the Canning Town South Ward in the

2018 United Kingdom Local elections Council elections in England were held on Thursday 3 May 2018. Elections were held in all 32 London boroughs, 34 metropolitan boroughs, 67 district and borough councils and 17 unitary authorities. There were also direct elections for the may ...

. Following his election he was appointed Commissioner for Social Integration and Equalities in Newham since 2019 by the Mayor. He had previously contested the East Hampshire parliamentary seat in the General election, coming second with 17% of the vote share. Dasgupta is also the Chair of his local Labour party branch and Secretary of the Newham

. He was one of the first Bengalis from West Bengal, India to contest the British Parliamentary elections. Dasgupta is also a member of

BAME Labour BAME Labour (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Labour), formerly the Black Socialist Society until 2007, is a socialist society affiliated to the Labour Party made up of black, Asian and ethnic minority Labour Party supporters. History After bl ...

Labour Movement for Europe The Labour Movement for Europe (LME) is the only pro-EU society affiliated to the Labour Party in the United Kingdom. It is one of 20 "socialist societies" affiliated to the UK Labour Party, just like the Fabians and The Jewish Labour Movement. ...

, GMB and UCU. In 2018 he was elected on to the national committee of

LGBT Labour ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

. In 2019 he was selected as an MEP candidate for the South East region but failed to get elected. He has previously expressed his opposition to Brexit and support for a second referendum.

Academic career

Dasgupta is Senior Lecturer in Cultural Industries and Programme Convenor for Creative Industries and Cultural Policy at the University of Glasgow. He has previously worked at Loughborough University,

Winchester School of Art Winchester School of Art is the art school of the University of Southampton, situated 10 miles (14 km) north of Southampton in the city of Winchester near the south coast of England. History The Winchester School of Art was founded in 18 ...

, University of Southampton; University of the Arts London and

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

. Dasgupta has authored and edited several books on media and digital culture, cinema, sexuality, gender, sexual health, anthropology and activism. He has also written for outlets such

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

The Conversation ''The Conversation'' is a 1974 American mystery thriller film written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Harrison Ford, Teri Garr, and R ...

Tribune Magazine ''Tribune'' is a democratic socialist political magazine founded in 1937 and published in London, initially as a newspaper, then converting to a magazine in 2001. While it is independent, it has usually supported the Labour Party from the left. ...

Left Foot Forward ''Left Foot Forward'' (''LFF'') is a left-wing political news and comment site in the UK, established in 2009. Its creator, Will Straw, the son of Alice Perkins and Jack Straw, edited the newspaper until December 2010. Straw was succeeded by ...

Labour List LabourList is a British news website supportive of, but independent of, the Labour Party, launched in 2009. Describing itself as Labour's "biggest independent grassroots e-network", the site's content includes news, commentary, interviews, campa ...

and the Huffington Post. He has been involved in strike action against pension cuts, organising against homophobia and supporting inclusive relationship and sex education.

Electoral history

2017 General Election

2018 Local Election

2019 European Parliament election

2022 Local Election

Writing

Books

* (with Gokulsing, K.M., eds) (2014
Masculinity and its Challenges in India: Essays on Changing Perceptions
, Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland and Co * (with Datta, S. and Bakshi, K., eds) (2016
Rituparno Ghosh: Cinema, Gender and Art
New Delhi, New York & London: Taylor & Francis: Routledge *(2017
Digital Queer Cultures in India: Politics, Intimacies and Belonging
New Delhi, New York & London: Taylor & Francis: Routledge *(with Dhall, P. ) (2017
Social Media, Sexuality and Sexual Health Advocacy in Kolkata, India
New Delhi & London: Bloomsbury *(with Banerjie, N., Dasgupta, D., and Grant, J., eds) (2017

Kolkata/London: Seagull Books and Chicago: University of Chicago Press *(with Dasgupta, D., eds) (2017

Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press * (with Begum, and L. Lewis., eds) (2018)
Styling South Asian Youth Cultures: Fashion, Media and Society
London: Bloomsbury * (with Datta, S) (2019
100 Essential Indian Films
Lanham,MD and London: Rowman and Littlefield * (with Bakshi, K) (2019
Queer Studies: Texts, Contexts, Praxis
Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan * (with Banerjie, N and Boyce, P) (2022
COVID-19 Assemblages: Queer and Feminist Ethnographies from South Asia
London: Routledge

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dasgupta, Rohit Academics of Loughborough University Scholars from Kolkata Labour Party (UK) people Indian emigrants to England Councillors in the London Borough of Newham 1987 births Living people Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom British politicians of Indian descent LGBT politicians from England Fellows of the Royal Asiatic Society Fellows of the Higher Education Academy