▁Ja ip ur ▁and ▁graduated ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 4 . ▁Gu pta ▁did ▁his ▁under grad uate ▁studies ▁in ▁Mechan ical ▁Engineering ▁from ▁Western ▁Michigan ▁University , ▁following ▁that ▁with ▁a ▁Mechan ical ▁Engineering ▁Masters ▁from ▁the ▁Massachusetts ▁Institute ▁of ▁Technology . ▁Gu pta ▁then ▁spent ▁the ▁next ▁eight ▁years ▁getting ▁a ▁Ph . D . ▁in ▁Engineering - E conom ic ▁Systems ▁from ▁Stan ford ▁University . ▁ ▁Career ▁ ▁Research ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 2 , ▁while ▁still ▁at ▁Stan ford , ▁Gu pta ▁along ▁with ▁fellow ▁Stan ford ▁anth rop ologist ▁James ▁Fer g us on ▁wrote ▁the ▁well - known ▁and ▁oft - c ited ▁ess ay , ▁" B ey ond ▁' Culture ': ▁Space , ▁Identity , ▁and ▁the ▁Polit ics ▁of ▁D ifference ." ▁which ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁analyt ic ▁concept ▁of ▁culture ▁had ▁remained ▁largely ▁un problem at ized ▁by ▁anth rop ological ▁disc ourse , ▁and ▁that ▁anth rop olog ists ▁of ▁the ▁day ▁had ▁failed ▁to ▁recognize ▁and ▁analyze ▁the ▁politics ▁of ▁cultural ▁difference , ▁how ▁such ▁differences ▁were ▁produced , ▁and ▁how ▁such ▁differences ▁were ▁used ▁and ▁ab used ▁by ▁the ▁state ▁and ▁by ▁capital . ▁The ▁article ▁arg ues ▁for ▁the ▁exam ination ▁of ▁cultural ▁anth rop ology ▁as ▁an ▁un cons cious ▁mechanism ▁of ▁ne o - imper ial ism . ▁ ▁Gu pta ▁has ▁done ▁extensive ▁work ▁in ▁rural ▁North ▁India . ▁In ▁his ▁book , ▁Post colon ial ▁Develop ments : ▁Agricult ure ▁in ▁the