Debarati Biswas

Debarati Biswas serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of African American Studies and Coordinator of the Black Visual Cultures minor at New York City College of Technology, City University of New York (CUNY). She concurrently holds leadership roles as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors at CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies and Editorial Board Member for WSQ: Women’s Studies Quarterly.

Her research critically examines contemporary Black and U.S. ethnic literatures through frameworks of queer theory, radical Black feminism, and decolonial thought. Current work focuses on the affective dimensions of Blackness and queerness within carceral spaces—prisons, inner cities, and single-room-occupancy hotels—as depicted in African American men’s literature, revealing how spatial confinement shapes identity and resistance.

Professor Biswas contributes to scholarly discourse through publications in Social Text, WSQ, Public Books, and Teen Vogue, while her award-winning webseries 'Three Trembling Cities' demonstrates innovative community-engaged storytelling about NYC immigrants of color.

Her key achievement includes:

• Co-producing the award-winning docu-fictional webseries 'Three Trembling Cities'

As an educator, she mentors students through the Black Visual Cultures minor and departmental courses, fostering critical analysis of race, gender, and power. Her leadership at CLAGS and WSQ positions her at the forefront of LGBTQ scholarship and feminist publishing, offering students unique pathways into academic service and interdisciplinary research.