Christi Merrill

Christi Merrill is a Professor of South Asian Literature and Postcolonial Theory, and Chair of the Department of Comparative Literature at the University of Michigan. She holds a joint appointment in Asian Languages and Cultures. Her research focuses on translation studies, South Asian literature, and postcolonial theory, with notable work on Dalit narratives and human rights through literary translation. She earned a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Iowa, alongside M.F.A. degrees in Translation and Nonfiction Writing.

• Affiliations: Center for South Asian Studies, Program in International and Comparative Studies (PICS)
• Key Awards: A.K. Ramanujan Award for Translation (2012), NEH Senior Fellowship (2013-14)

Her research bridges theory and practice, emphasizing the role of translation in mediating cultural and political discourses. Recent projects include analyzing first-person narratives of injustice across languages and translating Kausalya Baisantry’s Dohara Abhishap, a Dalit woman’s life story.

Teaching specialties include world literature, South Asian cultural studies, and courses integrating digital tools for intercultural education. She developed the Translating Human Rights course, which uses student-created online journals to explore literary representations of rights issues.