معرفی
Sitara Thobani is an Assistant Professor at the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) at Michigan State University (MSU), affiliated with the Asian Studies and Muslim Studies Programs. Her research focuses on artistic performances in colonial and postcolonial South Asia and its diasporas, particularly exploring how these practices construct gender, sexuality, religion, and national identities through postcolonial feminist and critical race frameworks. She holds a DPhil in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Oxford and has taught at institutions like the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.
Education:
- PhD, Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford, St Antony’s College
- MA, Sociology and Equity Studies, OISE, University of Toronto
- BA, Anthropology and Asian Studies, University of British Columbia
Research Interests: Her work examines Indian classical dance as a site for analyzing transnational identities, colonial legacies, and cultural politics. She combines ethnographic fieldwork in India, the UK, and elsewhere to interrogate how performance practices intersect with nationalism, diaspora, and multiculturalism. Her book Indian Classical Dance and the Making of Postcolonial National Identities: Dancing on Empire’s Stage (2017) demonstrates how dance performances mediate postcolonial national and diasporic identities.
Grants & Advising: No grants or advising details are explicitly mentioned in the texts.
Labs/Teams: No specific labs or collaborative teams are noted, though her interdisciplinary research engages with anthropology, South Asian studies, and performance studies.
