Rachael Goodman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Global Development Studies
Chair of Women’s and Gender Studies Department
Rachael Goodman, Ph.D., joined the Mercer faculty in 2020. She teaches courses in global development, anthropology, women’s and gender studies, and Asian studies. She earned her Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying how different ideas of well-being shape economic development projects in northern India. She has worked with the staff and beneficiaries of a nongovernmental organization in the foothills of the Himalayas since 2012, including bringing students to the organization as part of Mercer On Mission. Her current research focuses on how social and economic change in India impact development. She has written articles on microfinance and local borrowing norms, data in development, reporting mechanisms and accountability, and how class differences impact development work in India. She is currently writing a book about how tourism, social hierarchy and funding structures limit development workers’ ability to tailor projects to local circumstances.
Education
- Ph.D., Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- M.A., Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- B.A., Anthropology and International Studies, University of Chicago
Specialty
NGO-led economic development in Northern India
Professional interests
- Global development in history and practice
- Nongovernmental organizations and emerging donors
- International volunteering and service-learning
- Livelihood strategies and ideas of the good life
- Effects of globalization in South Asia
- Social life of development data
- Tourism and development
- Climate change and development
- Social hierarchy in development
Recent Publications
- Goodman, Rachael. 2026. “A Different Difference: Nationality, Class, and the Complexities of Localization at an Indian NGO.” Journal of Development Studies, 62(6): 877-890. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2025.2569389
- Goodman, Rachael. 2020. “Getting Creative with Data: Managing Relationships and Quantitative Proof in an Indian NGO.” American Anthropologist, 122(4): 799-813. DOI: 10.1111/aman.13477
Contact Dr. Rachael Goodman
478-301-2885
goodman_rg@mercer.edu
Office: Groover Hall, Room 209