Manasvin Rajagopalan

Manasvin Rajagopalan is a Lecturer in Comparative Literature and PhD Candidate at the University of California, Davis. Affiliated with the College of Letters and Science, they teach courses on ancient and early modern literature, South Asian studies, and comparative theory. Their research bridges literary criticism, religion, and interdisciplinary humanities, focusing on early modern genres in Tamil South India and France.

Education:

• PhD in Comparative Literature (Expected June 2025)
• Designated Emphasis in the Study of Religion
• MA in Comparative Literature, UC Davis (2017-2020)
• B.A. in Liberal Arts, Symbiosis International University, Pune, India (2012-2016)

Research Interests: Exploring analogical thinking across literary genres, with emphasis on South Asia and Early Modern France. Engages visual culture, performance studies, queer studies, environmental humanities, and the social sciences. Recent work focuses on the Tiruvāymoli and Mughal court texts.

Awards and Grants:

• Newberry Library Renaissance Studies Fellowship (2021-2023)
• Multi-year Summer Research Fellowships (UC Davis)
• Templeton Summer Graduate Fellowship (2019)

Teaching & Service: Designed courses including COM 53B: Literature of South Asia and assisted in mythology seminars. Served as Graduate Student Representative for the Study of Religion (2022-2023) and contributed to grant proposals for the Kampan Project and Beyond Boundaries conference.