Shailaja Paik is an Indian historian specializing in modern Indian history, with a focus on the intersections of caste, class, and sexuality, particularly through Dalit perspectives. She is the Charles Phelps Taft Distinguished Research Professor of History at the University of Cincinnati and is affiliated with the university's programs in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Asian Studies. A 2024 MacArthur Fellow, her notable works include Dalit Women’s Education in Modern India: Double Discrimination (2014) and The Vulgarity of Caste: Dalits, Sexuality, and Humanity in Modern India (2022).