معرفی
Prof. Dr. Pamila Gupta is a Professor at WiSER (Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research), University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, since 2008. Beginning January 2023, she will transition to a Research Professorship at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, affiliated with the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (CGAS). She earned her PhD in Anthropology from Columbia University.
- Education: PhD in Anthropology, Columbia University
Her research spans Portuguese colonial history in India, Indian Ocean heritage, and affective dimensions of South African architecture. She examines visual cultures through Zanzibari photography archives and explores intersections of cosmopolitanism and creolization. Recent work focuses on historical ruptures in Zanzibar, including British protectionism, Omani sultanate, and post-1964 integration into Tanzania.
The collected articles demonstrate her interdisciplinary approach, combining anthropology, visual theory, and historical ethnography to analyze topics such as water symbolism, urban mobility, and decolonization across Indian Ocean and African contexts. Methodologies include archival analysis, sensory studies, and material culture critique.
Projects include a critical examination of Capital Art Studio's photographic archive in Zanzibar, tracing its role as visual curator of the island's transformation through British/Omani periods to contemporary tourism.
