Manan Desai

Manan Desai is an Associate Professor in the Department of American Culture at the University of Michigan, where he also directs the Asian/Pacific Islander American (A/PIA) Studies Program and serves as Undergraduate Advisor for the Minor. His research focuses on transnational intellectual exchanges between India and the U.S., particularly how these shaped discourses on nationhood, race, caste, and class. Current projects include Imperial Vinyl, examining Cold War-era Exotica music's role in containing postcolonial anxieties.

Education: Ph.D. in English Language & Literature from the University of Michigan (2011). Formerly at Syracuse University, he has been affiliated with the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) since 2010, contributing archival research and editing Tides, SAADA's online publication.

Key affiliations include the International Institute and the Center for South Asian Studies. His work bridges postcolonial studies, music criticism, and Asian American literature, with publications in Comparative Literature, Journal of Popular Culture, and Asian American Literature in Transition.