Clinton B. Seely
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Professor (Associate Chair) Ph.D., South Asian Languages and Civilizations The University of Chicago, 1976 Field Specialties: Bangla literature and the language; literary and cultural history of Bengal; literature in English from South Asia and the Bengali diaspora Course syllabi	The University of Chicago 1130 East 59th Street Chicago, IL 60637 Office: (773) 702-8645 Fax: (773) 834-3254 Email: c-seely@uchicago.edu
Research Interests: Clinton Seely's current research has focused on the emergence of modern (adhunik) Bangla literature in the 19th century, particularly the works of Michael Madhusudan Datta (1824-73). Datta's writings raise issues of what constitutes authentic "South Asian" at a time when the very presence of the colonial powers tended to impinge upon all aspects of Bengali life. Other topics of interest and research: Muslim writers and their contributions to Bangla literature; modern poetry and prose, specifically Jibanananda Das's writings; pre-modern literature, the mangal kavya genre as well as the Islamic narratives and sakta lyrical-cum-devotional poetry; and the Bangla language itself, in all its myriad forms. Noticeably missing from this statement is mention of the "-isms," which perforce inform to a greater or lesser degree all current academic research. Curriculum vitae Publications Include: The Slaying of Meghanada: A Ramayana from Colonial Bengal  (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004) Intermediate Bangla (München: LINCOM, 2002) "A Muslim Voice in Modern Bengali Literature: Mir Mosharraf Hosain." In Understanding Bengal Muslims: Interpretative Essays. Edited by Rafiuddin Ahmed. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2001; pp. 113-38. "Secular and Sacred Legitimation in Bharatacandra Ray's Annada-mangal, " Archiv Orientalni, Quarterly Journal of African and Asian Studies, Praha, 68 (2000): 327-58. A Poet Apart: A literary biography of the Bengali poet Jibanananda Das (1899-1954) (Newark, Delaware: University of Delaware Press; London and Toronto: Associated University Presses, 1990.) Related Links: Bangla instructional materials Bangla websites of interest: BangladeshiNovels.com Kaurab Parabaas Conferences: 37th Bengal Studies Conference, January 4-6, 2005, Stamford University, Bangladesh 24th North American Bengali Conference, Baltimore,  July 2-4, 2004 Celebrating Tagore:Fayetteville State University, North Carolina, April 9-11, 2004 Papers from the 1995 Bengal Studies Conference, The University of Chicago Return to Main Faculty Page .