Jennifer Goodlander

Dr. Jennifer Goodlander is an Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and an Adjunct in Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance at Indiana University Bloomington, College of Arts & Sciences. She holds affiliations with Gender Studies, Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Cultural Studies, Southeast Asian and ASEAN Studies, and Anthropology. Her research focuses on puppetry, transnational performance, and the intersection of tradition/modernity in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. She has authored influential books like Women in the Shadows (2016) and Puppets and Cities (2018). She is president of the Association of Asian Performance and has received grants from the Mellon Foundation and a Fulbright Fellowship.

Education: Ph.D. (Interdisciplinary Arts, Ohio University, 2010), M.F.A. (Asian Performance-Directing, University of Hawai‘i, 2004), B.A. (Theatre and Women’s Studies, Kalamazoo College, 1997).

Research emphasizes intercultural performance theory, challenging Western hegemony via global Asia frameworks. Current projects explore Southeast Asian puppetry’s role in identity articulation and transnational cultural dynamics. She teaches courses on drama, intercultural encounters, and performance studies at both undergraduate and graduate levels.