Durba Mitra

Durba Mitra is the Richard B. Wolf Associate Professor in the Department of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She is a leading scholar at the intersection of feminist and queer studies, global intellectual history, and the history of sexuality in the colonial and postcolonial world, particularly South Asia.

Education:

• PhD, Emory University

Research Interests:

Her work critically examines how sexuality, gender, and racial difference have shaped modern social thought. She is especially known for her intellectual history of deviant female sexuality in colonial India and its foundational role in social sciences. Her research spans feminist theory, queer studies, histories of science and epistemology, and transnational feminist networks in the Global South.

Recent Publications Trends:

Her recent articles reflect a deep engagement with Third World feminism, feminist rage, decolonial knowledge production, and the politics of sexuality. She frequently publishes in top journals such as Signs, GLQ, and South Atlantic Quarterly, often in collaborative or roundtable formats, highlighting her role in shaping feminist intellectual discourse.

Scientific Awards:

• Bernard S. Cohn Book Prize
• Walter Channing Cabot Fellow Award (Harvard)
• Roslyn Abramson Award for Teaching Excellence
• Star Family Prize for Faculty Advising
• Multiple 'Favorite Professor' honors from Harvard undergraduates
• Fulbright-Nehru and Mellon fellowships

Advising and Grants:

Mitra has received numerous research grants from Harvard, the Weatherhead Center, and external foundations. She has been recognized for excellence in faculty advising and undergraduate teaching. She has served as Acting Faculty Director of the Schlesinger Library and is active on editorial boards, indicating strong institutional and scholarly leadership.

Labs and Teams:

She is a faculty associate of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, a member of the Asia Center Council, and part of the Mittal South Asia Institute at Harvard. She curated the multimedia exhibit 'Solidarity! Transnational Feminisms Then and Now,' demonstrating her commitment to public scholarship and collaborative knowledge creation.