Biography:
I am a Ph.D. student specializing in the historical and cultural representations of Rana Pratap in Hindi literature. My research focuses on the intersection of literature and nationalism, particularly examining how regional histories gain popularity on a national scale. I am interested in exploring the role of colonial historiography in shaping public perception and memory, with a specific emphasis on Hindi literature. My languages of study include Hindi, Sanskrit, Rajasthani, and German.
Research Interests: Rajput history, the colonial and post-colonial history of South Asia, book history, history of Hindi literature, and Chāyāvād in Hindi literature.
Education:
M.A. Social Sciences (MAPSS), University of Chicago, 2020
M.A., University of Delhi, 2014
B.A., Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi, 2012
Publications and Projects:
Sisodia, Kanika Singh. “Sentiments of Trust and Betrayal in Literature.” Economic and Political Weekly 59, no. 22 (2024). https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/22/book-reviews/sentiments-trust-and-betrayal-literature.html.
Graduate Student Assistant for the Nirguna Bhakti Section of the Bhakti Virtual Archive (BHAVA) Project and the Regional Bhakti Scholars Network (RBSN), 2023.
Teaching Experience:
- Sense and Sensorium (Course Assistant, Spring 2021; Spring 2022)
- First-Year Hindi (Course Assistant, Fall and Winter 2023-2024)
- History, All Saints’ College, Nainital, India (High School Teacher, 2015-2017)
Academic Conference Presentations:
- “The historical after lives of Rana Pratap (1829-1934)” 52nd Annual Conference on South Asia, University of Wisconsin, Madison, November 2024.
- “The Nawab’s Wife: Gender and Power in Jaishankar Prasad’s Mahārāṇā Kā Mahattva (1914),” South Asia Conference, University of Chicago, March 2024.