Ramsey McGlazer is an Associate Professor specializing in twentieth-century European and Latin American literature, film, and critical theory. His research engages with poetry, politics-aesthetics intersections, critical carceral studies, and feminist/queer/psychoanalytic frameworks. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Critical Theory from UC Berkeley (2015) and previously taught at the University of St Andrews and Brown University’s Pembroke Center. McGlazer’s work interrogates modernist critiques of progress, radical psychiatry movements, and the interplay between aesthetic practices and institutional critique. His acclaimed monograph Old Schools: Modernism, Education, and the Critique of Progress (2020) won the American Association for Italian Studies First Book Prize. Current projects include The Clinic and its Double , exploring mid-century radical psychiatry and avant-garde art. He serves as Senior Editor of Critical Times and Coeditor of Italian Culture , and has translated key works like Rita Segato’s The War Against Women . McGlazer’s writing appears in venues such as Los Angeles Review of Books and n+1 . Research interests span Surrealist provocations, Brazilian artist Lygia Clark’s propositions, and transnational feminist solidarities. His scholarship bridges literary analysis with critical engagements in carceral studies, postcolonial theory, and decolonial thought.
Lindsay Turner is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Case Western Reserve University. A poet, critic, and translator, her work bridges creative writing, translation theory, and interdisciplinary research. Her prior role as Assistant Professor at the University of Denver’s Department of English and Literary Arts underscores her commitment to literary education. AB in English, Harvard College Masters in cinema studies, Université Paris III Sorbonne-Nouvelle MFA in poetry, New York University PhD in English, University of Virginia Turner’s research spans creative writing , transnational poetry , and gender studies , with a focus on the intersections of literature and labor. Her recent work examines gendered domestic and reproductive labor through poetic forms. Key trends in her publications include experimental translation , queer theory , and postcolonial philosophy . National Translation Awards Best Translated Book Awards French American Foundation recognition She has received grants such as the WPR Creative Grant from Harvard’s Woodberry Poetry Room and multiple French Voices Grants . Her translations have been praised by The New Yorker and The New York Times for their intellectual rigor and stylistic innovation.
Alaina Lemon is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan, affiliated with the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). She serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies in Anthropology and holds affiliations with the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREES), the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia, and the Interdepartmental Program in Anthropology and History. Her research focuses on socio-cultural anthropology, performance studies, and visual culture, with expertise in Russia, the Romani diaspora, and post-Socialist states. Education: BA in Anthropology (University of Wisconsin, 1987), MA (University of Chicago, 1988), and PhD (University of Chicago, 1996). Notable awards include the Wayne S. Vucinich Book Prize (2001), Heldt Book Prize (2001), and a 2023 visiting scholar position at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (Paris). Her work bridges historical and contemporary issues, exploring themes like phatic labor, media infrastructures, and affective politics. Recent projects include editing the documentary Tremors (2023) and researching Soviet-era moral projects through studies of Moscow’s Metro and canine-human interactions. Lemon’s interdisciplinary approach integrates performance studies, linguistic anthropology, and critical race theory to analyze cultural dynamics in transitional societies. Grants include a 2019-2024 University of Michigan Office of Research grant for film collaboration and a 2002-2003 International Research and Exchanges Board fellowship. She has authored influential books such as Between Two Fires (2000) and Technologies for Intuition (2017), and her films document Romani experiences and urban cultural phenomena.
Chi-Ming Yang is a Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences, where she has established herself as a leading scholar in literary and visual culture studies with a focus on race, empire, and East-West cultural exchanges. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges British, American, Asian, and Latin American studies while examining historical periods from the early modern era through the 18th century to contemporary contexts. Educational Background: Ph.D. in English from Cornell University B.A. in Comparative Literature from Stanford University with emphases in Spanish, Chinese, and English Professor Yang's research interrogates the intersections of race, visual culture, and imperial histories through multiple disciplinary lenses. Her work explores how objects, images, and texts function within global networks of power and representation, with particular attention to transpacific and transatlantic connections. She has developed significant expertise in chinoiserie, material culture, and the visual dimensions of racial formation across historical periods. Her recent publications demonstrate a growing interest in ecological perspectives on race and empire, particularly evident in her 2021 article 'The Song of the Rice Bird,' which innovatively examines plantation slavery through avian migration patterns. Her scholarship consistently bridges historical analysis with contemporary concerns about representation, power, and cultural exchange. Professional Recognition: 2022 Best Advisor Award in English, Sponsored by the English Undergraduate Advisory Board Professor Yang maintains an active advising role, having chaired doctoral dissertations including Jacob Myers' 'Noxious Life: Figuring Vermin in the Natural Histories of the Anglophone Caribbean' (2025) and Cassidy Holahan's 'Dramatizing the Novel: Transmedial Exchange in the Long Eighteenth Century' (2023). She regularly participates in departmental workshops and events, including the 2024 conversation with Sharon Holland exploring Black feminist perspectives on animal life in relation to Octavia E. Butler's work. Her teaching portfolio reflects her interdisciplinary approach, with recent courses including 'Science Fictions of Octavia E. Butler,' 'Orientalisms,' '18th-Century British Poetry,' and 'Arts of Abolition and Liberation,' demonstrating her commitment to connecting historical scholarship with contemporary social justice concerns.
James Wilson is the Executive Officer of the Theatre and Performance program at The Graduate Center, CUNY, and holds a Professorship in both Theatre and Africana Studies. He also teaches English at LaGuardia Community College, CUNY, and is an affiliate faculty member in the Africana Studies Certificate Program. His research focuses on African American theatre, gender/sexuality studies, musical theatre history, and applied theatre pedagogy. Wilson earned his Ph.D. in Theatre from The Graduate Center, CUNY. His notable works include Failure, Fascism, and Teachers in American Theatre (2023) and Bulldaggers, Pansies, and Chocolate Babies (2010), which explore teacher representations and Harlem Renaissance performances respectively. His recent essays analyze queer performance in musical theatre, historical teacher portrayals in drama, and the intersections of race/gender in early 20th-century performance. He co-edits the Journal of American Drama and Theatre and is a Drama Desk voting member. Current projects include studying representations of teachers in performance and examining queer pedagogical frameworks in theatre history.
Rebecca Dyer is a **Professor of English** at **Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology**, where she has been affiliated since 2002. Her academic career includes teaching Technical and Professional Communications, film, and literature courses, with a focus on transnational, postcolonial, and British studies. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Texas at Austin (2002), an MA from the University of Tulsa (1995), and a BS in Journalism from Oklahoma State University (1989). Her research explores class, power, and anticolonial dynamics in literature and film. Notable projects include analyses of works by Graham Greene, Harold Pinter, Mahmoud Darwish, and filmmakers like Jean-Luc Godard. She conducted Fulbright-funded research in Lebanon (2007–08), producing scholarship on servant narratives and Lebanese cultural studies. Her work frequently intersects with migration, displacement, and transnational identities. Dr. Dyer’s awards include the **Fulbright Traditional Scholars Award** (Lebanon) and **Rose-Hulman’s Scholar of the Year Award** (2007). Her teaching and research span global literatures, with a particular emphasis on British and Arabic texts. She has also taught at France’s Université d’Orléans (2015–16) and contributed to cultural studies courses abroad. Her publications address themes like servant-worker depictions, postcolonial cinema, and memorialization of conflicts. Current research includes forthcoming analyses of Bong Joon Ho’s *Parasite* and Steven Zaillian’s *Ripley* series, exploring parasitic power dynamics.
Dr. Tani Barlow is the George & Nancy Rupp Professor of Humanities and Professor of History at Rice University, affiliated with the Chao Center for Asian Studies and the Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality. A leading scholar in Modern Chinese intellectual history, her work bridges gender studies, media culture, and transnational feminism. She co-founded the Chinese Commercial Advertising Archive and edits the acclaimed journal positions: asia critique . Her research examines late 19th to early 20th century China through lenses of consumer culture, feminist theory, and cultural ephemera. Notable books include In the Event of Women (2018) and The Question of Women in Chinese Feminism (2004). Barlow holds visiting professorships at Tsinghua University, Hitotsubashi University, and the University of Bologna. She has directed major projects like the Rockefeller Foundation's Critical Asian Studies initiative and the Luce Foundation’s Ephemera Project. Her articles span journals like Boundary 2 and differences , analyzing topics from advertising art to Marxist sociology. Her recent work explores digital humanities applications in historical research and the intersections of capitalism with gendered identities in China. Barlow mentors advanced graduate students specializing in modern Chinese history with technical skills in data analysis and cultural theory. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates visual studies, political economy, and feminist critique to reframe understandings of China’s modernization processes.
Tom McDonough is a Professor of Art History at Binghamton University, specializing in modern and contemporary art with a focus on avant-garde movements, particularly the Situationist International. His research explores intersections between art, politics, and social movements in postwar Europe. He holds degrees from Rutgers University (BA), New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts (MA, PhD), and has taught at Harvard University and UC Berkeley. Education: Bachelor’s Degree: Rutgers University MA and PhD: Institute of Fine Arts, New York University His research interests include postwar European avant-gardes, postwar French architectural history, and contemporary Black American art. Key publications include "The Beautiful Language of My Century" and edited volumes on the Situationist International and urban theory. McDonough received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship (2024) and has held fellowships at institutions such as the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and the Académie de France à Rome/Villa Medici. Teaching focuses include 19th-century Parisian art, Black Monument sculptors, and film theory. His work bridges art criticism with broader socio-political analysis, emphasizing radical artistic movements’ societal impacts.
Yingjin Zhang is a Distinguished Professor of Modern Chinese Literature at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), affiliated with the School of Arts and Humanities. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Stanford University (1992). His research focuses on Chinese literature, comparative literature, cinema studies, visual culture, cultural history, and urban studies. Previously, he taught at Indiana University and served as President of the American Association of Chinese Comparative Literature. He has held prestigious fellowships including the Fulbright China Research Fellowship (2003-04) and has been a visiting professor at institutions like the University of Chicago and Nanjing University. Education: Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, Stanford University (1992) M.A., University of Iowa (1987) Research Interests: Zhang’s work interrogates intersections between literature, cinema, and urbanization in modern China. He analyzes how cultural forms like documentary film and urban narratives reflect societal transformations, translocal identities, and global cultural flows. Notable themes include post-disaster epistemologies in Chinese reportage, the politics of space in Jia Zhangke’s films, and the reconfiguration of Shanghai’s cinematic legacy. His scholarship bridges comparative literature methodologies with empirical film and literary analysis. Awards & Fellowships: Fulbright China Research Fellowship (2003-04) National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Fellowship (1999) Outstanding Junior Faculty Award (Indiana University, 1996) Advising & Editorial Roles: Doctoral advisor for scholars now at institutions like Peking University and Texas A&M Editorial board member for journals including Journal of Chinese Cinemas and Prism: Theory and Modern Chinese Literature His transnational research collaborations and editorial work position him as a key figure in global Sinophone studies and Chinese cinema scholarship.
California State University, NorthridgeUnited States
Sheena Malhotra is a Professor of Gender & Women’s Studies at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where she serves as Director of Queer Studies and Academic Director of the MA in Humanities Program. She holds concurrent appointments within the College of Humanities and Gender and Women's Studies Department, with extensive administrative experience including former roles as Associate Dean of the College of Humanities (2017-2019) and Chair of Gender and Women's Studies (2009-2013). Her academic trajectory bridges Indian film/television production and critical academia. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Communication Studies (1999) from the University of New Mexico, an M.A. (1993) from Pepperdine University, and a B.A. (1991) from DePauw University. Research interests span Media and Gender , Postcolonial Analysis of Indian Media , Queer Diasporic Audiences , and Racialized Implications of Silence , with methodological roots in intercultural communication and feminist theory. Her publication portfolio reveals consistent thematic evolution toward intersectional analyses of globalization, media, and identity. Early work focused on Indian television commercialization and Bollywood's cultural politics, while recent scholarship examines neoliberal impacts on youth imaginaries and queer coalition-building. Key methodological threads include postcolonial critique, discourse analysis, and embodied feminist approaches across 15+ peer-reviewed articles and two major books. Silence, Feminism, Power: Reflections at the Edges of Sound (2013, Palgrave MacMillan) - Co-edited anthology exploring silence as political strategy Answer the Call: Virtual Migration in Indian Call Centers (2013, University of Minnesota Press) - Co-authored ethnographic study of call center labor National Television Award nominations (India, 1995) during executive television production career Her advisory work includes five years on SATRANG's board (serving South Asian LGBTQIA+ communities in SoCal) and founding directorship of CSUN's Queer Studies Program. Current teaching includes GWS 351 (Gen Race Clas Sex) with hybrid/online course design expertise. Documentary film production remains integral to her scholarly practice through projects like The Shape of Water (2006) examining global feminist organizations.
Aswin Punathambekar is a Professor of Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, and Director of the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC). His work focuses on media and cultural change in postcolonial and diasporic contexts, particularly in South Asia and its global diasporas. He has held previous academic positions at the University of Michigan, University of Virginia, and a British Academy Global Professorship at Loughborough University (U.K.). Education includes a B.Tech from University of Allahabad (1995), M.A. from University of Georgia (2001), M.S. from MIT (2003), and Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin-Madison (2007). His research integrates media industries, cultural politics, and technological histories, with emphasis on how digital platforms reshape identity, citizenship, and cultural expression. Major publications include From Bombay to Bollywood (2013), Global Digital Cultures (2019), and Media Industry Studies (2020). Current projects explore digital media in India, South Asian diasporic media histories, and global media industries. He serves on editorial boards for journals like Media, Culture & Society and is a Peabody Awards juror. Awards include the Katherine Singer Kovacs Award (2013) and ICA's Outstanding Young Scholar Award (2015). His teaching covers global digital cultures, media theory, and methods in cultural studies, with courses like 'India on Screen' and 'Global Media Industries.' His work bridges academic rigor with public engagement, addressing intersections between media, technology, and societal transformation in transnational contexts.
Sijia Yao is an Assistant Professor of Chinese Language and Culture at Soka University of America. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Purdue University. Her research focuses on comparative and Sinophone literature/media studies, love/affect studies, critical theory, and post-socialism. Yao teaches courses such as CHI 401 (Cultural History of China) and Learning Cluster 200 (Sinophone Cinema). Her scholarship includes the book *Cosmopolitan Love: Utopian Vision in D.H. Lawrence and Eileen Chang* (2023) and peer-reviewed articles analyzing Chinese literature, film, and cultural phenomena. Yao has received grants for Chinese language education research and teaching excellence awards at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has reviewed works in Sinophone studies, including Lily Wong’s *Transpacific Attachments*.
Darshana Sreedhar Mini is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she teaches and conducts research at the intersection of feminist media, gender & sexuality studies, transnational media, migrant media, and South Asian screen cultures. She is also the Director for Media and Gender Justice at the 4W Initiative and holds affiliations with the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, Center for Visual Cultures, Center for South Asia, and the Havens Wright Center for Social Justice. Ph.D., Division of Cinema and Media Studies, University of Southern California M.Phil., Center for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta (CSSSC), India Dr. Mini’s research centers on Global Media Cultures, Transnational Cinemas and Migration, South Asian Cinema, and Feminist Media. Her work critically examines soft-porn cinema in India, media publics, censorship, labor in the entertainment sector, and migrant media practices. Her first book, Rated A: Soft-Porn Cinema and Mediations of Desire in India (UC Press, 2024), is a groundbreaking study that combines archival and ethnographic methods to explore the social and cultural impact of Malayalam soft-porn from the 1970s to the 2000s. Her second book project, Telegeographies of Indian Migration , investigates media flows between South Asia and Southeast Asia, focusing on colonial-era labor migration and its lasting effects on identity and community formation. Her recent publications span a diverse range of topics including South Asian pornographies, digital intimacy, anti-caste activism, #MeToo and intersectional feminism, transnational empathy in cinema, and media infrastructures. These works reflect a strong trend toward interdisciplinary, feminist, and decolonial scholarship that challenges dominant canons in film and media studies. Edward Cameron Dimock, Jr. Prize in the Indian Humanities, AIIS, 2024 Early Career Award, NCA, 2024 Race, Ethnicity and Indigeneity Fellow, IRH, UW-Madison, 2024 Byerly Award for Feminist Political Economy, ICA, 2023 First Book Award, The Center for Humanities, UW-Madison, 2022 SCMS Student Writing Award, 2017 Dr. Mini has been actively involved in academic service and leadership, including directing the Media and Gender Justice initiative, co-organizing seminars on migrant media, and contributing to feminist and anti-caste scholarship. Her research has been supported by prestigious grants from the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She also leads a significant grant-funded project as Principal Investigator for the 'South Asian Film and Media Collection' at UW-Madison. She is a key member of several collaborative research environments, including the Center for Visual Cultures and Performance Studies (CVCPS), the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theatre Research (WCFTR), and the 4W Initiative, where she directs programming on media and gender justice. These affiliations reflect her commitment to interdisciplinary, socially engaged scholarship and the creation of inclusive academic communities.
Fakhreddin Azimi is a Professor at the University of Connecticut specializing in Modern Middle East and Iranian history. He holds a D.Phil. from Oxford University and has taught at various institutions globally. His research focuses on religion-state relations, socio-political dynamics, and historiography in Iran. Education: B.A. in Political Science, Tehran University M.Sc. in Politics (Middle East), SOAS, University of London D.Phil. in History, St. Antony's College, Oxford University Research Interests: Azimi examines how power structures shape Iranian socio-cultural and political landscapes. His work bridges historical analysis with contemporary issues, particularly focusing on: Religion and Secularity in Modern Iran Authoritarian Governance Mechanisms Cultural Narratives of National Identity Historiographical Methodologies Publications: His seminal work The Quest for Democracy in Iran won multiple awards, while his Persian publications explore Iranian nationalism and Mosaddeq's legacy. Over 60 articles and book chapters span academic journals like Iranian Studies and International Labor and Working-Class History . Awards: 2008 Mossadegh Prize (Best Book on Iran) Three-time recipient of the Mahtab Mirzaie Memorial Prize Featured in Negah-e Nou intellectual journal (2020) Teaching & Scholarship: Azimi teaches medieval/modern Middle East history and historiography. His graduate seminars explore theory-method intersections in historical research. He actively contributes to the Encyclopaedia Iranica and maintains international academic collaborations.
Brandon J. Manning, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Texas Christian University's AddRan College of Liberal Arts . His work critically examines intersections of African American literature, gender and sexuality studies, and popular culture through the lens of satire and humor analysis.
