Sayan Chattopadhyay

Dr. Sayan Chattopadhyay is an Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. His research examines postcolonial identity formation through literature, with specific focus on Indian writing in English and colonial Bengal literature. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and has received prestigious fellowships including the DAAD Guest Professorship at Heidelberg University.

Education:

• PhD, University of Cambridge, 2014
• M.Phil, University of Calcutta, 2008
• M.A., University of Calcutta, 2006
• B.A., Asutosh College, University of Calcutta, 2004

His research explores themes of cultural identity, self-fashioning, and colonial legacy in South Asian literature. Primary interests include the construction of 'Indianness' versus 'Englishness' in literary narratives, diasporic experiences in autobiography, and representations of social class in postcolonial literature.

His publications demonstrate consistent focus on postcolonial identity negotiation through literary analysis, with recent work examining Dalit literature and travel narratives. Research spans colonial Bengal literature, diaspora studies, and critical analysis of Indian middle-class Anglicization.

Awards and Honors:

• 2022 DAAD Guest Professor at Heidelberg University
• 2017 Baden-Wuerttemberg Visiting Fellow
• 2010-2013 Smuts Cambridge International Scholarship
• 2010 Overseas Endowment Travel Fellowship
• 2004 Nripesh Chandra Guha Memorial Prize

Contact: Faculty Building Room 673, IIT Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, India. Phone: 0512-259-6105. Email: sayanc@iitk.ac.in