My research and teaching span from the late 19th century to the present, from British colonial rule in the Indian Ocean to the rise of American global power. I’m particularly interested in questions of race, gender and sexuality, and spirituality.
Currently, I am at work on a project that examines the long, abiding fascination America has had with alternative forms of spirituality. This is, at its heart, a project about cults. In all their glorious infamy— the scandals, the secret rituals, the charismatic leaders. But this is also a investigation into a question of collective and individual desire. To hear more on this project, check out this episode of Berkeley Talks or my TedX talk.
My first book, An Empire of Touch: Women's Political Labor & The Fabrication of East Bengal (Columbia University Press, 2019) was awarded the Harry Levin Prize for outstanding first book by the American Comparative Literature Association in 2020 and the Helen Tartar First Book Subvention Prize (2017). A South Asia imprint by Penguin Random House (2019) is available here.
Contact:
I am represented by Jim Rutman at Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc.