Preetha Mani

Preetha Mani is an Associate Professor of South Asian Literatures at Rutgers University, affiliated with the School of Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on comparative literary studies, with specializations in Hindi, Tamil, and Indian literatures, postcolonial theory, gender studies, and translation. She holds a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, an M.A. in South and Southeast Asian Studies, and a B.A. in English and Philosophy from Tufts University.

• Education:
• Ph.D. South and Southeast Asian Studies, UC Berkeley (with emphasis in Women, Gender, and Sexuality)
• M.A. South and Southeast Asian Studies, UC Berkeley
• B.A. English and Philosophy, Tufts University

Her research explores the intersections of gender, genre, and multilingualism in South Asian literatures. Notable works include The Idea of Indian Literature, which won the MLA Scaglione Prize and ACLA Wellek Prize, and projects on Tamil new poetry and feminist modernism. She has held prestigious fellowships such as the Fulbright Nehru (2023-24), ACLS (2015-16), and AIIS Board roles.

Her current research includes studies on Tamil new poetry’s democratization of form and re-examining gendered divisions in Hindi/Urdu modernism. She leads initiatives like the Year of Languages program at Rutgers and serves on editorial and board committees for organizations like the MLA and AIIS.

• Awards: MLA Scaglione Prize, ACLA Wellek Prize, Fulbright Fellowship, multiple Rutgers research grants.

Teaching encompasses courses on South Asian literatures, postcolonial theory, and translation studies. She actively engages in academic leadership roles, including chairing the MLA LLC Forum on Literatures in Languages Other Than English.