Dr. Esther Anne Victoria Moraes

Esther Anne Victoria Moraes is a sociologist of development, gender, and health. She received her PhD from the Department of Sociology—alongside a graduate certification in Feminist Studies from the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies—at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA. She holds two MAs in Sociology and an undergraduate degree in History. Esther’s doctoral research studies the role of development actors in abortion politics in India using historical and sociological lenses and qualitative research methods.

Her work describes how feminist political goals are shaped by transnational governance systems that development actors are located within. Her research has been published in Studies in Comparative and International Development and Gender and Development. Prior to her PhD, Esther worked in feminist and human rights NGOs in Delhi in the areas of education, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and youth leadership.