My name is Ornov Ganguly. I did my undergraduate degree in History at Hofstra University on Long Island, New York, finishing it in 2024. My studies there were very worthwhile, as my professors encouraged my interests in the Spanish Civil War and psychology---starting points in my longer career. Ultimately, these tracks of research led me to urban studies and Long Island history, which I am still pursuing in my free time.
My Columbia/LSE research will focus on the nature of suburbanization globally. In the United States, the term refers to the specific process of building prosperous, single-family, Levittown-like neighborhoods in the post-war years. But not only is this not entirely true, it also paints the process of suburbanization as necessarily classed in a rich-suburban-poor-urban dichotomy, even though the majority of Americans live in suburban housing. Part of the issue stems from unexamined stereotypes of who lives in the suburbs from media. Part of it stems from the lack of a coherent definition of "suburb" in planning. In saying all this, I do not intend to save the good name of the suburbs. Rather, I hope to offer alternate views to better contextualize policy decisions. I hope to look into how suburban communities relate to major urban centers abroad in Mexico, Brazil, India, and the United Kingdom to better contribute to this discourse.
Adorno criticized hobbies for being an extension of work-life. In that vein, I am fond of database management and archival work. That besides, I am a lifelong fan of Weezer and visual novels.
