Vivek Kumar (PhD) is Professor of Sociology at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. His research focuses on the methodology of social sciences, South Asian sociology, and marginalized communities. His publications include Decoding Ambedkar: Ideas of Nation and Nation Building (2024), Caste and Democracy in India: Perspective from Below (2014), Dalit Leadership in India (2002), and the seminal article 'How Egalitarian is Indian Sociology?' (2016).