Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Shirin M. Rai


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was   withdrawn. (non-admin closure) RadioFan (talk) 00:31, 5 July 2011 (UTC)

Shirin M. Rai

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does not meet WP:PROF, lacks evidence of significant impact on field, no indication of significant title or awards only membership in professional societies. Serves as a professor, not in a named chair or similar role. Lacks significant coverage in 3rd party sources. Not finding her work cited by others frequently either. RadioFan (talk) 15:41, 4 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Hi I wanted to contribute my thoughts on this. The title of Academician of the Social Sciences in the United Kingdom is awarded to only those academics whose contributions in their respective fields have sufficient impact. The Academy's website has the following things to say: The Academy is composed of over 700 Individual Academicians and 40 Learned Societies. Academicians are distinguished scholars and practitioners from academia and the public and private sectors. . The fact that Shirin Rai has been awarded these titles negates the idea that she is only a member of professional societies. Moreover, being the member on editorial boards of journals such as Democratization, etc. is also evidence of her standing within her disciplinary specialization in academia.


 * Moreover. Shirin Rai currently is a Professor at the University of Warwick, but she was the Former Director of the Center for Studies in Globalisation and Regional Development, she is currently Director of a 875,000 pound (fully financed) project called Gendered Ceremony and Ritual in parliament. As Director of the project, she provides access for other researchers to interact with, interview and use the resources available at the British, Indian and South African parliaments  and is the Programe Director of the MA in Globalisation and Development at Warwick. Considering that the Guardian (one of the major newspapers in Britain) has ranked Warwick in 6th place for its Politics module out of all UK  universities, surely these positions convey a sense of her contributions.


 * To the critique that her work is not often cited, I can only reply that Shirin Rai's work (along with a few other scholars) was instrumental in opening up an entire field of study on the special relationship between the Global South,, the developmental agenda pursued by newly-industrializing states and the feminization of poverty. The power and significance of her work is evidenced by the fact that she's delivered keynote speeches and written publications for the United Nations and the World Bank (not to mention other feminist-related, gender-related events). Her work with these two (very presitiguous) instutions alone feeds back into my larger point that her work has been regarded by others as meriting recognition. User:Athena86


 * Comment Membership in a professional society with over 700 members doesn't measure up to the recognition that WP:NPROF requires. Looking at Google Scholar, I see a number of hits on publications from Rai herself and very limited mentions of her publications in other works and no citations. If her work were widely cited, she'd easily meet WP:PROF but that doesn't seem to be the case. Tools commonly used to generate an H index are coming up empty.   The only mentions I'm finding of her involvement with the United Nations is in her biography on her employeer's webpage and reprints of that biography.  If this was impactful, I would think there would be more references in reliable sources that were available, perhaps you can help here.--RadioFan (talk) 16:20, 4 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Politics-related deletion discussions.  — • Gene93k (talk) 16:54, 4 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Academics and educators-related deletion discussions.  — • Gene93k (talk) 16:55, 4 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Keep: Google scholar seems to me to indicate a very clear pass of W:Prof via citations, as does a quick read of the article and her pages at Warwick. A notable ipe scholar with a feminist perspective and full Prof at leading UK uni.. Her membership of the Academy of Social Sciences seems helpful to me for establishing notability. She is also a co-editor of MUPs series - Perspectives on Democratic Practice: - The first entry in google scholar is to Shirin M. Rai. (2002) Gender and the Political Economy of Development: From Nationalism to Globalization. Polity Press this is indicated as having been cited by 148 others. Is this the book itself, which I would guess, or the review? The review itself might indicate the possibility of passing WP:author (The person has created..a significant .. work..  that has been the subject of .. multiple independent periodical) as well WP:prof. It is also reviewed in other peer reviewed journals eg Contemporary Sociology, Sep., 2003, vol. 32, no. 5, p. 609-611 and FEMINIST THEORY, 4, Part 2 (2003): 233-234). On her work for the UN I think the publication Mainstreaming gender, democratizing the state? Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women SHIRIN M. RAI editor has the line Published for and on behalf of the United Nations on the front piece. Best wishes (Msrasnw (talk) 18:58, 4 July 2011 (UTC))
 * Keep. GS h index of 13 in a weakly cited area passes WP:Prof. Xxanthippe (talk) 22:36, 4 July 2011 (UTC).
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.