Suchismita Dattagupta
- School: School of English Drama and Film
- Supervisor: Dr. Katherine Fama and Dr. Maria Stuart
Reading Hair as a Symbol of Resistance among African American Women Authors from 1920s-1970s
Description: Suchismita's doctoral thesis involves studying African American women's literature from selected periods in the 20th century to understand what changes in the representation of Black hair reveal about constructions of race and gender - in particular, the ways in which African American women's hair can be read both as a site of enforced conformity and one of complex resistance. Her project draws from and extends the unique position of hair in terms of the interplay between the private and the public, to provide a historical perspective of African American women's hair as mapped through key literary works in the 20th century. For her MPhil thesis, Suchismita studied the popular fairytale 'Rapunzel' and it's two 21st-century adaptations through the lens of hair studies and feminist discourse. She explored the tension between individual identity and social conformity, mapped through the changing landscape of children's literature. She has previously worked as an Adjunct Faculty at Christ University and continues to tutor at the School of English Drama and Film.
MPhil in English Studies - Christ University, India.
M.A. in English Literature - Jadavpur University, India
B.A. in English - St. Xavier's College, India
Contact email: (opens in a new window)suchismita.dattagupta@ucdconnect.ie