The Government of Kerala has chosen Dr Anu Kuriakose from the Department of English for the prestigious Chief Minister’s Nava Kerala Research Fellowship in the stream of Political Science, Historical Studies, Humanities & Liberal Arts. The award has been designed by Kerala Government to further the state’s development plans by promoting research across various disciplines. Dr Anu obtained the grant for her intriguing study in the domain of gender studies. She intends to look at the digital turn in the genderqueer movements in Kerala with a cross-cultural perspective from any specific locale in Europe.

There have been many research studies involving the examination of queer and trans representation in media. With the turn of the century, we witnessed a remarkable shift in the digital representation of the queer community.

Through her research “Dissenting Heteronormativity and Mainstreaming Identity: A Critical Assessment of the Digital Turn in GenderQueer Movements in Kerala”, Dr Anu is fixated on uncovering the digital collectives in which Malayali genderqueer people are also a part of and the digital turn in the genderqueer movement in Kerala, of late.

She expressed her delight over receiving this opportunity that could help her make substantial contributions to the state’s progress. “I feel proud and humbled for getting this title; my project aims to map the genderqueer movements, the digitally networked associations of which Malayali gender non-conforming people are part, and the nuances of their digital turn at present”, she said.

The Department of English, University of Calicut, has agreed to be a hosting centre for the research project. The GEXcel International Collegium for Advanced Transdisciplinary Gender Studies, Karlstad University Sweden, has also agreed to collaborate. She also wishes to make SRM University-AP a stakeholder in the same.

“I am hugely motivated by the weight SRM University-AP gives to research. From making collaborations to publishing papers in reputed journals and receiving grants from external bodies, the university has anchored as an encouraging platform to stimulate the research pursuits of its faculty and students”, she maintained. “I am truly indebted to my peers and everyone here for providing a conducive environment to fructify my research interests”, remarked Dr Anu.

The art of writing can be branched out into different types depending upon the purpose of each piece of writing. You might have come across varied styles of writing such as creative writing, academic writing, technical writing and many more. Have you ever tried to deduce the difference between all these writing styles? Well, we offer you an informative session that will help you gather a better understanding of different styles of writing.

The Department of English has scheduled a webinar on the topic “Academic Writing & Creative Writing” under the theme “Language and Society” with Prof Vanessa Sasson as the keynote speaker.

Date: May 05, 2022

Time: 6.30 PM IST

Academic writing and creative writing seem to be pulling the act of writing and the writers in two different directions. A lot of writers, especially aspiring writers, tend to think of both genres as catering to very different audiences and fulfilling very different needs in very different contexts. Does that mean you can be only one and not the other? Do you have to choose? And how do you decide what to commit to? In this talk, Prof Vanessa Sasson will share her experience of writing in both capacities and discuss the joys and challenges of both.

About the Speaker

Vanessa R Sasson is a professor of Religious Studies in the Liberal Arts Department of Marianopolis College where she has been teaching since 1999. She is also a Research Fellow at the University of the Free State and a Research Member for CERIAS at UQAM. She has published widely as a scholar, with a number of academic books to her credit. Her most recent book was published by the University of Hawaii Press (2021) and is entitled, Jewels, Jewelry, and Other Shiny Things in the Buddhist Imaginary. Yasodhara and the Buddha (Bloomsbury, 2021) is her first novel. She is currently completing the sequel.

Join the Webinar to master the art of writing!