CURRICULUM VITAE
SUMITRA MUKERJI
175 RIVINGTON STREET,
Apt. 1B
NEW YORK, NY 10002
Tel: (212) 253-6294
Mobile: (917) 495-7897
Email: SumitraMukerji@aol.com
smukerji211@gmail.com
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:
ABD status in Performance Studies, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University.Dissertation area: Modernism in Indian Theatre
M.Phil. in English, Delhi University (1987)
M.A. in English, Delhi University (1984)
B.A. (Honors) in English, Indraprastha College, Delhi University, India (1982)
PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE:
Editorial; Publishing industry
2001–present: Chief Copyeditor and reference editor for the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences at Cambridge University Press; copyeditor and proofreader for Kensington Publishing Corp. [Ongoing freelance positions.] Author of the 2007 BBS Style Guidelines Manual for online editing at CUP.1997–2000: Copyeditor and reference editor for Behavioral and Brain Sciences at Cambridge University Press, and miscellaneous other freelance editing and writing.
1991–1992: Editorial Assistant for The Drama Review (TDR), MIT Press and NYU.
Teaching
1996–1998: Instructor in English, Higher Educational Opportunities Program (HEOP) at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY. (Summer courses, adjunct faculty).[Courses based on assigned literature reader from which essays, short fiction, poetry, and drama were selected for critical analysis, composition, and student group projects. Strong emphasis on improving writing skills and analytical thinking.]
Fall 1993: Adjunct Instructor in Asian Theater, Dept. of Theater, Fordham University at Lincoln Center, New York.
[Designed course introducing undergraduate students to Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and South East Asian theatre history, representative important dramatic works from each country, related aesthetics and performance theory, and stage productions.]
1991–1993: Adjunct Instructor in English and Comparative Literature, Liberal Arts Program, School of Continuing Education, New York University.
[Courses on Reason and Faith in Literature; Modernism and Literature; Literature of Colonization. See sample course descriptions attached.]
1990–1991: Teaching assistant, Dept. of English, State University of New York at Buffalo.
[Taught literature courses with strong focus on literary interpretation, modern poetry and drama, comparative cultural studies.]
1988–1990: Tenure-track Lecturer in English and Comparative Literature at the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (CIEFL), a think-tank for linguistics and higher-education teacher training in Hyderabad, India.
[Designed and taught own curriculum for M.A., M.Phil, and D.Lit. graduate seminars and individual thesis guidance, focusing on literary and critical theory, hermeneutics and approaches to interpretation, semiotics, post-structuralist and post-colonial theory, psycholinguistics and post-Freudian psychoanalytic criticism – with practical exercises and applications for teacher training.]
1984–1988: Tenure-track Lecturer in English at Delhi University colleges (Kirori Mal, Miranda House, and Lady Sri Ram) and Instructor in Theater and Dramatic Arts at Kirori Mal and Miranda House colleges; Delhi, India.
[Courses/areas taught included: Renaissance drama, Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, Modern Western drama; 17th century English poetry; the Romantics; Modern British and American poetry; History of Literature; Introduction to literary theory.]
Administrative, Organizational, and Office
1994–1997: Administrator-in-charge, International Broadcasting Program, New York University, and Seminar Coordinator for the Annual Executive Seminar in International Broadcasting held exclusively for high-ranking international Film and Television executives at NYU in association with the annual Big Picture Conference sponsored by Variety.1991–1994: Graduate Assistant, Dept. of Performance Studies, New York University.
Miscellaneous office/administrative work at NYC law firms and at Deans’ offices, NYU.
Theater
Active involvement in theatre production from the early 1980s to the mid-90s, in various capacities: performer, director, producer, trainer, dramaturg, and consultant.Highlights include:
In India:
Artistic Director and Producer for THE PLAYERS Theatre Company, New Delhi (1985-86) Director and Producer for the Miranda House Dramatics Society (1987-88)
Performer with the Hyderabad Dramatics Club (1989-90)
Educational and Community Theatre Workshop Director, CIEFL, Hyderabad (1990)
In the U.S.:
Visiting Artistic Consultant on Indian theater at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis (1991-93)
Project Director for the Guthrie’s research, training, and production of Girish Karnad’s Nagamandala (1993)
Dramaturg for musical “The Window Man,” One Dream Theater, New York (1994)
Participant and performer, Kabuki Theater Workshop, La Mama, New York City (1997)
Several awards received for acting and directing in the 1980s in India.
Conferences, Public Lectures, and Readings
Papers presented at several national and international literature conferences from1980s through 1990s on Shakespeare, Milton, Conrad, D.H. Lawrence, Renaissance and Jacobean Drama, Modern Indian Poetry, Modern Indian Drama, and on specific issues within Cultural Studies and Performance Studies.Lectured on Folk Theater in India, Indian modern theater, and Women Writing in India at the New York Public Library, NYC high schools, and Pratt Institute.
Publications
2007. Style Guidelines Manual for Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Cambridge University Press. (Online publication)1995. Poem "Colored Christ: for Todd Ayoung's painting" in Syncopated City, Vol. 1, no. 1. Providence, RI: Sunspot Small Press.
1994 (Winter Issue). "Contemporary Indian Theatre Movements and Interculturalism" in Seagull Theatre Quarterly. Calcutta: Seagull Books.
1993. "Towards the creation of a vital aesthetics: Contemporary Indian English Poetry and the work of Meena Alexander" in Structures of Signification: JSL (Journal of the School of Languages), Vol. III. New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University Press.
1993. "Female Body Parts: From Geography to Fetish" in Longwood Arts Journal. New York: Bronx Council on the Arts.
1993. "Nagamandala: An Intercultural Experience" in The Guthrie Study Guide, Summer Issue. Minneapolis: The Guthrie Theater Press.
1989. "A Storm in a Teacup" in Sunday Chronicle, weekly journal of The Deccan Herald, Hyderabad, India. Review article on Nayantara Sahgal's Storm in Chandigarh.
1988–90. Articles for The Deccan Herald daily newspaper. Hyderabad, India.
1981–83. Feature articles for The Indian Express daily newspaper. New Delhi.
Other abilities/interests
Computer: Excellent overall computer skills plus proficiency in online editingLanguages: English, German, Hindi, and Bengali
Music: Vocal training in Indian Rabindra Sangeet, Western opera; Performance and composition in jazz and rock: guitar, songwriting, singing
Radio broadcasts: Readings of poetry composed by self on All India Radio, Delhi Performances in radio plays for WNYC’s Radio-Stage programs and for WBAI, New York City
Artwork: Painting, design, handicrafts
References can be provided upon request