Jisha Menon

Jisha Menon is the Robert G. Freeman Professor of International Studies at Stanford University and Professor of Theater and Performance Studies, with a courtesy appointment in Comparative Literature. She serves as the Sakurako and William Fisher Family Director of the Stanford Global Studies Division and has held numerous administrative roles including Faculty Director of the Centre for South Asia and Denning Faculty Director of the Stanford Arts Institute.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Drama from Stanford University (2004), an M.A. in English from Jawaharlal Nehru University (1996), and a B.A. in English from Bangalore University (1993).

Menon's research explores the intersection of performance studies, critical theory, law, and humanities, with particular focus on how aesthetics relate to neoliberal capitalism, postcolonial nationalism, secularism, and geopolitical conflict. Her work examines how discourses of beauty are mobilized toward anti-democratic ends, how legal practices construct personhood, and how urban spaces become aesthetic projects in postcolonial contexts. She approaches these topics through interdisciplinary frameworks that connect performance theory with affect studies, urban geography, and political philosophy.

Her publications reveal consistent engagement with South Asian contexts, particularly India, while addressing global theoretical questions about nationalism, secularism, and neoliberal urbanism. Menon's work demonstrates how performance functions as both a critical lens and political intervention in understanding contemporary social formations, with particular attention to how marginalized communities navigate state power and economic transformation.

Menon's scientific recognition includes the Marta Sutton Weeks Faculty Scholar designation, multiple fellowships at the Stanford Humanities Center, the Inaugural Award for Outstanding Leader from the Faculty Women's Forum, and research grants from the Mellon Foundation and U.S. Department of Education.

• Violet Andrews Whittier Faculty Fellow, Stanford Humanities Center (2023-24)
• Marta Sutton Weeks Faculty Scholar (2022-2025)
• Inaugural Award for Outstanding Leader, Faculty Women's Forum (2020)
• Fellow, Stanford Fellows Program (2018-2020)
• Project Director, Title VI International Education Grant (2022-2026)

As an academic advisor, Menon mentors doctoral students including Ankita Deb and Antonio Lopez as Dissertation Advisors, and Maansi Dommeti as Dissertation Reader. She has secured significant grant funding including the Mellon Grant for Imagining Justice with Professor David Sklansky and the Oceanic Imaginaries project with Professor Grant Parker. Her leadership extends to directing the Stanford Global Studies Division and previously serving as Faculty Director of the Centre for South Asia.

Menon is deeply engaged with interdisciplinary research centers at Stanford, particularly through her involvement with Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Modern Thought and Literature, and the Centre for South Asia. Her work bridges humanities and social sciences approaches to performance, law, and urban studies, creating connections between seemingly disparate fields to address pressing questions about personhood, justice, and political belonging in contemporary global contexts.