Pranav Jani

Dr. Pranav Jani is an Associate Professor of English at The Ohio State University, specializing in postcolonial studies and critical ethnic studies. He has been affiliated with the university since 2004 and serves as Director of the Asian American Studies (AAS) program under the Center for Ethnic Studies. His research focuses on the literatures, cultures, and histories of colonized and formerly colonized peoples, with a particular emphasis on South Asia, Marxist theories of nationalism, and the legacies of colonialism.

Dr. Jani holds a PhD from Brown University (2001) and has authored influential works such as Decentering Rushdie (2010) and a forthcoming manuscript on Marxism and the 1857 Rebellion in British India. He is affiliated with multiple departments, including African American and African Studies, Near Eastern and South Asian Languages & Cultures, and Comparative Studies. His activism includes roles as president of the Ohio State AAUP chapter and faculty advisor for Students for Justice in Palestine.

His awards include the 2021–22 Diversity Enhancement Faculty Award and the 2016 Marlene B. Longenecker Teaching Award. Dr. Jani’s public-facing work includes writing on Medium and speaking engagements on racism, activism, and popular culture.

As an educator and scholar-activist, Dr. Jani emphasizes engaged scholarship inspired by figures like Edward Said. His interdisciplinary approach bridges academia and social justice, with notable contributions to South Asian diaspora studies and critiques of colonialism’s enduring impact.