"Spotlight on..." New Doctoral Researcher Mahima Duggal

What made you choose to do a PhD?

Over the last few years, my work has been primarily focused on security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region. I have determinedly and deliberately explored the different dimensions of Indo-Pacific politics, including India-China relations, India’s partnership with Japan, ASEAN’s role in the region, India’s trilateral partnerships, Quad, AUKUS, Europe’s outlook towards the region, and trends like the rise in minilaterals and growing challenges to multilateralism. During my work at the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS), the Indian Air Force think tank in New Delhi, I briefly worked on Europe’s Indo-Pacific outlook. However, with so many questions surrounding it, I wanted to delve into the matter at a deeper level, and a PhD afforded that opportunity.

What are you looking most forward to during your PhD studies?

Field work! My project will involve extensive interviews with political elites, and I look forward to getting started with it. I am also very much looking forward to meeting more people working in the domain through conferences and workshops and finding new opportunities to work with them.

What would you like the impact of your project to be?

Through my project, I hope to strengthen impactful scholarship on EU-India relations, and more broadly, the field of Indo-Pacific studies within Europe. European scholarship on Asia has been one-dimensional and focused on China engagement rather than looking at the region comprehensively. Only recently has Europe begun expanding its exploration of dimensions of economic, diplomatic, and cultural relations with key Asian powers like India and Japan. There is hence an urgent need for quality scholarship on EU’s Indo-Pacific engagement, to push beyond its presently unilateral and embryonic approach to the domain. With my research, I aim to make a consequential and policy relevant contribution to literature.

Qualitative or quantitative

Qualitative. While both have their own applications of course, qualitative research can enable you to really dig into the details of the topic, unpack their complexities and understand their full implications.

Paperback book or eBook?

Paperback. Although eBooks are becoming increasingly easier to access and work with in the digital era.