South Asian Prison Literature
swarnimk@umich.edu
Education/Degree:
M.Phil., Department of English, University of Delhi, 2013
M.A., Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, 2011
B.A., Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, 2009
About
Languages (other than English):
Why did you choose Asian Studies?
I am interested in narratives of trauma, especially with respect to how experiences of torture within Indian prisons are articulated in literary forms. I also study the figure of the political prisoner in India, tracing the transformations that the development of a radical consciousness undergoes upon being subjected to torture. My decision to apply to Department of Asian Languages and Cultures was motivated by the conviction that a nuanced engagement with translation studies will deeply impact the potential of my research. The faculty and the student community at the ALC - I am convinced - will be an invaluable means of pushing epistemological boundaries and providing new direction to my project. I wish to bring under my radar the literary accounts of imprisonment written in the various regional languages in India. Therefore, a sustained engagement with translation as well as the multidisciplinary options at UM make ALC the ideal space for taking my research questions forward.
