pranay somayajula (he/they) is a washington, d.c.-based writer, researcher, and organizer whose work focuses on politics, culture, identity, and a little bit of everything else. he runs the blog culture shock.

pranay has a BA in political science and international affairs from the george washington university elliott school of international affairs, and a MSc in human rights from the london school of economics. he currently serves as organizing and advocacy director for hindus for human rights. as a writer and researcher, their interests include diaspora, (inter)nationalism, anticolonial politics, and the many lives and afterlives of empire.