UC student wins national award for study of India's religious violence

Yash Sharma, a doctoral candidate in political science at the University of Cincinnati College of Arts and Sciences, has been named a 2026 Henry Frank Guggenheim Emerging Scholar. The national recognition validates his dissertation, which examines how religious nationalism fuels vigilante violence against minority groups in India.

The award is not limited to a single geographic region or academic discipline. It is open to students from any field who focus on political violence. By selecting Sharma, the Guggenheim Foundation has identified his work as among the most promising research in the global study of how and why political violence occurs.

Sharma’s academic focus was shaped by his personal experience during his undergraduate years in India. He noted that a religious nationalist party came to power during his first year of college, a shift that coincided with a rise in campus conflict. He recalled instances where student groups clashed over political topics, describing scenes where classmates threw chairs at professors.

Those observations led Sharma to reject what he described as the broad, abstract views held by many academics. He sought to analyze political violence on a micro level, investigating the specific motivations of young men. His research centers on the networks of anxiety that drive these individuals, identifying socioeconomic relations, religious tension, and gendered insecurity as primary factors.

In his interviews, Sharma posed direct questions to the men he studied to understand their worldview. He asked them how they imagined their place in India and whether they wanted to salvage a previous idea of the country or use current conditions to imagine a different future. This approach allowed him to connect daily life choices, such as food and social circles, to broader patterns of violence.

Sharma is currently in the final year of his doctoral studies. He is working to secure an academic position and plans to expand his research into hate speech on social media and the online aesthetics of violence. He attributes his progress to the mentorship and training he received from faculty in his program.

"I wouldn't be here without them, without their support and guidance I don't think this would have been possible for me," Sharma said. He noted that he felt at home in the department from the start and told friends that he considers himself lucky for the feedback he has received.

Associate Dean Rina Williams emphasized the competitive nature of the prize. She stated that Sharma faced an international pool of emerging scholars, describing the Guggenheim as the premier foundation for funding the best work in the field. Williams noted that the award supports research with the greatest potential to enhance understanding of political violence and its prevention.

The selection of Sharma adds to a series of recent institutional updates for the College of Arts and Sciences. The college welcomed five new faculty members for the 2025-26 school year, spanning departments from chemistry to journalism. Dean James Mack said these hires reflect the college's commitment to discovery and research excellence.

Sharma’s award comes as the college continues to expand its physical and intellectual footprint. The recently opened Clifton Court Hall houses additional departments and classrooms, providing new space for the kind of interdisciplinary work that Sharma’s research exemplifies.