English Forum
Journal of the Department of English, Gauhati University ISSN 2279-0446
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Margins
a journal of literature and culture ISSN: 2250-0731
UPCOMING ISSUE -
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This journal was originally published as the Journal of the Department of English, Gauhati University, is peer-reviewed and published annually. It is devoted to a scholarly dialogue on a broad range of issues pertaining to English Literature from Middle English to Postmodern times as well as other literatures in English, with topics significant to our time and cultures like representation, identity, subjectivity, ethnicity, nationhood, gender and narration. |
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This journal is an international peer-reviewed journal, published annually by the Department of English, Gauhati University. It offers a space for the exploration of the marginal in its theoretical implications.
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The Department of English, Gauhati University publishes two peer-reviewed, UCG/INFLIBNET APPROVED journals, annually.
HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT
1955-1959: Origins
The Department of English, Gauhati University, came into being in 1955. It started with Sri Manikanta Ganguli joining the Department as a Lecturer on 2 August 1955. Dr Sukumar Ganguli, a distinguished medievalist and Chaucer scholar, joined the department as its first Professor on 12 September 1955. Sri Jyotibhusan Bhattacharyya, a distinguished alumnus of Calcutta University joined the department on 1.10.1955 and the first Master's Degree programme in English was organized with the requisite strength of staff. This was the three-member group that took it upon itself the responsibility of building a sound academic base for the department, with the legendary scholar K.K. Handiqui (1898-1982) at the helm of affairs as Vice-Chancellor of the university. Some of the finest educationists of India - Professor S.C. Sengupta, eminent Shakespeare scholar and author of Shakespeare's History Plays were contributors to the development of an appropriate curriculum et al. Dr Hilton Francis and Dr Sudhangsu Charan Bhattacharyya served as part-time teachers of the department at the initial stage - the latter eventually joining the department as a whole-time lecturer on 28.2.59, followed by Sri G.V.L.N. Sarma and Sri Jambunathan Rao joining the department as lecturers.
1960 - 80
The sixties saw several bright young teachers joining the department, some of the most distinguished being Dr Amaresh Dutta who joined as a Reader on 17.3.60, Sri Motnahalli Surappa Prabhakar (Lecturer, 6.2.62), Sri Brajdeo Singh (Lecturer, 23.11.62.), Sri G. Rajaram Rao (1963), Sri Hirendranath Dutta (1964), Sri Bhola Banerjee (1965), Sri Dilip Kumar Barua (Reader, 1966), Sri Bhaben Barua (Lecturer, 1968) and Dr Hiren Gohain (1970). Dr Amaresh Dutta, a celebrated Shakespeare scholar and poet, is well-known for his two books, Shakespeare's Tragic Vision and Art, and The Captive Moments - the former a study of Shakespeare's tragedies and romances and the latter a collection of poems that won him international acclaim. Motnahalli Surappa Prabhakar went on a Fulbright Scholarship to the U.S.A. in 1964-65 and later earned his doctorate on "George Orwell and the Crisis in Civilization" from Mysore University, Karnataka. Dr Dilip Kumar Barua, Dr Hiren Gohain, Sri Hirendranath Dutta, and Sri Bhaben Barua have also distinguished themselves with their contribution to Assamese letters - poetry and criticism in particular. A brilliant alumnus of Calcutta, Delhi and Cambridge Universities, Dr Hiren Gohain is well-known for his two works on Shakespeare and Milton, namely, Nature and Art in Shakespeare and Tradition and Paradise Lost: A Heretical View. The thesis on which Dilip Kumar Barua earned his Ph.D. from Sheffield University, United Kingdom - Edward Carpenter 1844-1929: An Apostle of Freedom, was eventually published by the University of Burdwan in 1991.
Outstanding Individual Achievements of Faculty Members
Sri Bhaben Barua received the Sahitya Akademi award in 1979 for his collection of poems Sonali Jahaj and Dr Hiren Gohain in 1989 for his monograph Asamiya Jatiya Jibanat Mahapurusia Parampara. Dr Gohain was a visiting Professor at Delhi University in 1988 and Sri Bhaben Barua a Fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, during 1998-2001. Sri Hirendranath Dutta represented Assam a number of times at the national level poetry-meets held in Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Calcutta and was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award for his poetry in 2004. Dr Prafulla Kotoky's thesis on Indo-English poetry was brought out by the Publication Department of the University. This batch of the sixties thus put the department on a firm footing and the significant strides it made in teaching and research during the period 1960-80 may be attributed to the leadership of Professor Amaresh Dutta who headed the department for a record period of two decades, first as a Reader till May 1963 and then as a Professor (2.1.64 - February 1980).
1980s and After
The teachers who joined the department in the next few decades include Dr G.P.Sarma, Ms. Gayatri Bhattacharyya, Ranjit Kumar Dev Goswami, Dr Anita Baruah Sarmah, Dr Aparna Bhattacharyya, Dr Nandana Dutta, Dr Pradipta Borgohain, Dr Asha Kuthari Chaudhuri, Dr Manashi Bora, Dr Bibhash Choudhury, Dr Anjali Daimari, Dr Dolikajyoti Sharma, Dr Sanjeev Kr Nath, Dr Lalan Kishore Singh and Dr Farddina Hussain.
PHD-MPHIL COURSEWORK 2019 COMMEMCES ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2019
The English Department, set up in 1955, offers an MA in English Literature and MPhil and PhD courses in all literatures written in English as well as in broader cultural representations where the tools learnt in literary study may be applied. From its strong foundation in a traditional approach to the subject, the Department is now keenly exploring newer areas, especially those that articulate its location. A strong thrust of the Department is in interdisciplinary studies of the literature and culture of the region, especially of the literature and culture that have emerged in a unique colonial experience and against the backdrop of recent political and social events. This response is the Department's way of realizing and implementing the original mandate of the University which was that it should acknowledge the aspiration of the people and make a difference in the life of the region.
It provides students who join its various programmes with an environment that is intellectually stimulating and challenging and seeks to teach them not only the discipline in all its dimensions but also valuable life lessons. It fosters diversity, openness and a spirit of courageous inquiry and maintains an easy camaraderie among its faculty and students that is especially useful in the implementation of its programmes. While it maintains an atmosphere that is friendly and helpful the Department prides itself in adherence to schedules, it insists on serious and sustained study. Its faculty and non teaching administrative staff have a reputation for working as a team and many of its activities, like seminars, workshops, curricular revisions and the declaration of examination results in record time are successful primarily because of this capacity to work together.
Students join this Department from all the states of the region, giving it a cultural and ethnic diversity that has always contributed to its cosmopolitan outlook in all University matters as well as in the pursuit of the discipline.
1. POST GRADUATE PROGRAMME:
a) Name of Programme: Master of Arts in English
Program Specific Outcomes:
· Thorough chronological and genre-specific grounding in core English Literature
· Familiarity with Literatures in English from Africa, South Asia / India, America.
· Knowledge of literary criticism and theory and practical applications.
· Enhanced descriptive, analytical and conceptual abilities.
2. RESEARCH PROGRAMMES:
a) M.Phil in English:
Duration: 1-Year
Intake Capacity: 10 (Ten)
b) PhD in English:
Duration: Maximum of 5 years
Intake Capacity: Variable – As per availability of seats
ANITA BARUAH SARMAH MEMORIAL LECTURE
This prestigious Annual Lecture has been organized continuously since 2006 after the untimely demise of Dr Anita Baruah Sarmah who taught in the Department of English, Gauhati University. In keeping with Anita Baruah Sarmah’s area of research, the lecture has been held on themes relating to nationalism.
Speakers who have delivered this lecture so far:
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Professor K N Phukan: “W. B. Yeats on the Mysteries of Words and Poetic Speech”. Oct 31, 2006.
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Professor Harish Trivedi: “India a Nation?-Freedom, Identity and Globalization”. Nov 13, 2007.
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Professor Supriya Chaudhuri: “The Nation and Its Fictions”. Oct 25, 2008.
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Professor P C Kar: “Nationalism, Religion, and the Critique of Modernity: Gandhi’s Hind Swaraj”. Nov 11, 2009.
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Professor Udaya Kumar: “Literature and Identity”. Nov 24, 2010.
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Professor Krishna Sen: “The Nation and the ‘nation’: Reinventing “National Allegory”. Nov 25, 2011.
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Professor David R Syiemlieh: “Mutiny: Nationalism: Freedom Struggle: Weaving Threads in the Neglected Histories of North East India”. Nov 16, 2012.
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Professor Sanjukta Dasgupta: “Nation and Imagination: the Politics of Representation”. Nov 12, 2013.
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Professor Maitrayee Chaudhuri: “Nationalism and Globalisation: Imperatives of Capital and Passions of Identiy”. Nov 1, 2014.
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Professor Virginius Xaxa: “Nationalism and People without History and Literate Tradition”. Nov 3, 2015.
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Professor K Narayana Chandran: “India in Black and White: Our Literatures and the Nation”. Nov 3, 2016.
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Githa Hariharan: "Narrating the Nation: Living the Nation". October 28, 2017
Department of English
Gauhati University, Guwahati 781014, Assam
Phone : +91-7578969324
Email : english@gauhati.ac.in
Web : gauhati.ac.in/english.php
CALL FOR PAPERS
for
English Forum: Journal of the Department of English, Gauhati University
The Department of English, Gauhati University invites research papers for publication for the forthcoming issue of its peer-reviewed journal English Forum: Journal of the Department of English, Gauhati University. The journal is devoted to a scholarly dialogue on a broad range of issues pertaining to English Literature from Middle English to Postmodern times as well as other literatures in English. Articles should deal with topics significant to our time and cultures like representation, identity, subjectivity, ethnicity, nationhood, gender, and narration. Articles for publication should be between 5000 and 8000 words; prepared according to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (Latest Edition). Book reviews should be limited to 1500-2000 words.
Articles sent to English Forum should not have been submitted for consideration elsewhere. After a preliminary review by the editorial board the papers will be sent for external review and the papers will be sent back for revisions, if necessary, to their authors. All papers should be accompanied by a written undertaking from the author that the articles do not contain any plagiarized material and that they have not been published elsewhere. All submissions may be sent to the Editor at anjalidaimari@gauhati.ac.in by 30 December 2019.
Click below
Mridul Deka, the Office Assistant of DoE
Md. Jinna - the DoE Peon; & Sanjeep
Manju & Durgawati, who keep us clean.
List of Candidates to be provisionally admitted to the PhD & MPhil Programmes (English), 2018
S.No
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Roll No
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Name
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Category
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Course Admitted to
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Supervisor
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1
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1004330
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Ayushman Dutta
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GEN
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Ph.D
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Dr Asha Kuthari Chaudhuri
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2
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1001327
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Jaydweep Rabha
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ST(Plains)
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Ph.D
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Dr Anjali Daimari
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3
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1002059
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Siddharth Sharma
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GEN
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Ph.D
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Dr Pradipta Borgohain
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4
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1001693
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Juriti Goswami
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GEN
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M.Phil
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Dr Nandana Dutta
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5
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1004279
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Ashmita Chakraborty
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GEN
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M.Phil
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Dr Sanjeev Kumar Nath
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6
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1001691
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Rimjhim Boruah
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GEN
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M.Phil
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Dr Manashi Bora
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7
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1003179
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Priyanka Roy
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OBC/MOBC
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M.Phil
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Dr Lalan Kishore Singh
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8
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1000617
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Ankitaa Baruah
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OBC/MOBC
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M.Phil
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Dr Dolikajyoti Sarma
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9
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1001237
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Tania Tarannam
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OBC/MOBC
(Reserved)
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M.Phil
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Dr Farddina Hussain
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10
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1004661
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Jennifer Rabha
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ST(Plains)
(Reserved)
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M.Phil
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Dr Bibhash Choudhury
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The Department has always taken pride in maintaining a clean and wholesome environment - we engage both theoretically as well as in real, pro-active terms.
Our Current Environment Watchdog is Dr Dolikajyoti Sharma.
The Environment Cell of the Department of English, Gauhati University came into being through a DAC resolution (DAC Resol. No. 10) taken on 12 September 2017. It comprises a three-member committee reorganized every three years.
Mode of Functioning
Ø The Environment Cell will monitor and shape any green practices adopted by the Department.
Ø The Cell will strive to create an environmental consciousness and instil a sense of responsibility, in each individual connected with the Department, towards keeping one’s surroundings clean and green.
Ø The Cell will carry out awareness and cleanliness drives periodically so as to put these principles to practice.
The department was among the first universities in the country to introduce a mandatory paper on women's writing. We were also among the first to extend the purview of gender studies to include masculinities, queer & LGBTQ studies apart from women's studies.
We are what we study: our Gender Equity Cell has been formed to keep parity in all manner of things.
Dr Manashi Bora is currently in charge of the cell.
The Gender Equity Cell of the Department of English, Gauhati University was opened vide a DAC Resolution dated 12th September, 2017. It is a three member body formed with the following objectives:
· Fostering the concept of gender equity amongst the faculty, the students, as well as the non-teaching staff of the Department.
· Promoting gender sensitivity in our everyday transactions both in terms of general conduct as well as verbal behavior.
· Keeping the nuances of gender equity/inequity in mind while studying the texts prescribed in the syllabus.
· Preparing gender sensitive syllabi so as to help students promote an equitable social order in their future careers.
· Addressing specific grievances /complaints related to gender issues and providing counseling so that grievances are sorted out and a healthy environment is created for interpersonal relationships in the Department.
· Ensuring that infrastructural facilities address gender specific needs.
· Holding lectures to promote better understanding of the various dimensions of gender equity in educational institutions in terms of the faculty, the students and the non-teaching staff.
Interested persons wishing to discuss specific issues may get in touch with the co-ordinator of the cell who, in consultation with the other members of the body, shall endeavour to address the issues raised. The members of the Gender Equity Cell are Dr.Manashi Bora (Co-ordinator), Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Nath, and Dr. Lalan Kishore Singh.
The Department is a space where faculty and students meet and interact everyday - and while we are all open to listening to each other, it is sometimes good to have sensible (and confidential) advice.
The Grievance Redressal Cell is headed by our seniormost faculty, Professor Nandana Dutta.
Introduction
The Grievance Redressal Cell (set up vide DAC Resolution No. ..dated 2017) is part of the English Department’s vision of providing a favorable ambience for the pursuit of study, teaching and research for its students and faculty and ensuring that all stakeholders feel secure, at ease and happy within its precincts.
Grievance pertaining to personal / interpersonal issues, student-teacher relations, academic matters etc. may be brought before the Cell.
The Grievance Redressal Cell is a 3-member body (appointed every 3 years by the DAC) and is headed by the senior most faculty member who will serve as the preliminary Point of contact for any student or faculty member, or non-teaching staff who feels that s/he has a grievance that needs an objective external intervention.
Mode of Functioning
1. The Convener of the Cell will receive complaints/grievances either in writing or verbally.
2. The complainant will be asked meet the Convener in his/her office.
3. After a preliminary hearing the Convener will either resolve the matter or decide to call a meeting of the full body if the matter warrants such action.
4. The complainant may be asked to place his/her grievance before this body and the matter will be thrashed out through discussion.
5. If such a resolution is not possible, the matter may be brought for discussion to the DAC (unless there are valid reasons to keep the matter fully confidential)
6. If the matter is not possible to resolve at the Departmental level then it may be referred to the central Grievance Redressal Body of the University.