I obtained my MA in Sociology from Jadavpur University in 2008, followed by an M.Phil in Sociology in 2010 from the same institution. I completed my PhD in Sociology at Jadavpur University in 2017, the doctoral thesis was based on Representational politics of death in popular culture in general, and Hindi films in particular. I started teaching sociology in an undergraduate college under Calcutta University right after finishing my M.Phil in 2010, and, since 2012, I have served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Presidency University. My research interests lie in the areas of Sociology of Death and Dying, Medical Sociology, Visual Culture, and Film Studies.
- PhD in Sociology (Jadavpur University, 2017)
- M.Phil in Sociology (Jadavpur University, 2010)
- MA in Sociology (Jadavpur University, 2008)
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- UGC NET-JRF Qualified (2012)
- SET (West Bengal) Qualified (2009)
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- Certificate course (online) on 'Introduction to Biology of Cancer' (Johns Hopkins University, 2016)
- Online Certificate course on 'Palliative Care Always' (Stanford University Online, 2017)
My M.Phil research was based on the construction and representation of gender in television reality shows. Continuing with my interest in the field of visual and popular culture I completed my doctoral thesis was based on the representational politics of death in popular culture in general, and Hindi films in particular. Later my interest in the sociology of death and dying has increased manyfold, resulting in the current trajectory of research that I am conducting both in the field of popular culture and medical sociology.
After some personal encounter with the process of dying and death, I have decided to pursue my doctoral thesis on sociology of death. My PhD thesis was on Politics of Cinematic Death. Just before this foray I was doing research on the discourse of Happiness. Prior to that I have worked on films, television reality shows, gender, sexuality and family. My M.Phil. thesis was on M-TV reality shows. Now I am planning to conduct some more research in the field of Sociology of death and dying witn special reference to Hospice and Palliative care which is relatively an unexplored arena in India.
Before joining Presidency University I was teaching Sociology in Sarojini Naidu College for Women and have also delivered lectures as a guest faculty in Jadavpur University. In Sarojini Naidu College for Women, I used to take regular classes on Introductory Sociology, different strands of Sociological theories and perspectives of Indian society and social problems. In Jadavpur University, I delivered lectures on Industrial Sociology, Organization, and Sociology of Science and Technology. Now I am taking classes on Sociological Theory, Sociology of Death and Dying, Visual Culture, and Indian Society.
Ongoing PhD research under my supervision:
Biswajit Ghosh, Parental Care in Families with Disabled Members: A Study in Kolkata
Nazrul Islam, Women’s Land Rights: A Study In Birbhum District Of West Bengal
Life Member of Indian Sociological Society
Member of Common Ground Research Networks
Publications
2013. Book Review of ‘Seeing Like a Feminist’ by Nivedita Menon. Culture and Social Categories: Journal of Sociology: Jadavpur University. IISN 0976-5212
2015. Representing Bharat Mata in Mother India and Deewar: Study of Nationalist Politics of Cinematic Death. Journal of Sociology. Jadavpur University. Vol. 8 No. 8. IISN 0976-5212.
2018. Has Bollywood Become 'Death-Denying'?: Cinematic Deaths of Terminally-ill Protagonists in Hindi Films before and after Liberalisation in India. The International Journal of Literary Humanities, 16(1): 13-21. ISSN: 2327-7912 (Print). ISSN: 2327-8676 (Online)
2021. Truth-Telling to Terminal Stage Cancer Patients in India: A Study of the General Denial to Disclosure. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying (SAGE Journal). doi:10.1177/00302228211032732
2022. Living in a Limbo: A Sociological Study of Missing Funerals, Death Rituals, and Complicated Grief in COVID-19. Illness, Crisis & Loss (SAGE Journal). doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/10541373221131760
2023. Dying with Shame: A Qualitative Study of Stigma Experienced by Terminal Stage Male Breast Cancer Patients and Family Members in India. Mortality (Taylor and Francis). doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2023.2215704
Paper Presentation
2012. Presented Paper "Titled Feminism of the Popular: Studying visuals of the Bollywood using feminist lens". Conference on Reading the Culture, organized by Sorojini Naidu College for Women, Kolkata.
2015. Presented Paper Titled "Representing Bharat Mata in Popular Hindi Films: A Socio-historical Study of Nationalist Politics of Death". International Conference on Social Science and Economics organized by ICSSE at Barcelona, Spain.
2017. Presented Paper Titled "Has Bollywood Become 'Death Denying'? Cinematic Deaths of Terminally-ill Protagonists in Hindi Films before and after Liberalization in India". Fifteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, Organised by Common Ground Research Networks at Imperial College London, UK.
2018. Presented paper titled "Politics of Karma: Representation of‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Deaths in Bollywood Films". Eight International Conference on Religion and Spirituality in Society, Organized by Common Ground Research Networksat University of California at Berkeley, USA.
Presidency University Students Corner