CV

Contact Information

Name Nisarg Patel
Email nvpatel@usc.edu

Education

  • 2021 -

    California, USA

    PhD
    University of Southern California
    Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture
    • Comparative Media and Culture
  • 2019 - 2020

    Ontario, Canada

    Master of Arts
    University of Toronto
    Comparative Literature
    • GPA 3.97/4.00
  • 2016 - 2019

    Ontario, Canada

    Bachelor of Arts (Honors)
    University of Toronto
    English Literature (major), Cinema Studies (minor), Literary Theory and Criticism (minor)
    • GPA 3.74/4.00
  • 2013 - 2016

    India

    Bachelor of Arts
    Indira Gandhi Open University
    Philosophy
    • First Class
  • 2012 - 2016

    Gujarat, India

    Bachelor of Engineering
    Gujarat Technological University
    Production Engineering
    • GPA 8.14/10.00

Awards

  • 2019
    Silver Medal, Outstanding Academic Achievement
    St. Michael's College, University of Toronto
  • 2018
    Dr. Michael Lutsky Undergraduate Award in Humanities
    Jackman Humanities Institute, University of Toronto
  • 2016
    Dean's List of Scholars
    University of Toronto
  • 2016
    Research Award for Outstanding Engineering Project
    Birla Vishwakarma Mahavidyalaya

Conference Presentations

Writing After Amnesia: The Narratives of History between G.N. Devy and Qurratulain Hyder: ACLA Annual Conference, 2025-2026; Seminar Organizer: Uses and Abuses of History in Literary Narratives
To See a World in a Frame of an Image: Stereoscopes and Colonial Life-Worlds [Lebenswelt] of British India: Annual Conference on South Asia, U. Wisconsin-Madison, 2025-2026
Between Two Deaths: The Work of Silence in the Thought of Ranajit Guha and Gayatri Spivak: CSLC Annual Graduate Student Symposium, USC, 2025-2026
Visions of Pasts, Fictions of History: Winter Workshop on Photography, Universität Tübingen, 2024-2025
Witnessing Empire: Stereoscopes and the 1857 Mutiny in British India: Media Fields Journal Biennial IX Conference, 2024-2025
Ancient Myths, Modern Markets: Summer Workshop on South Asian Literature, Universität Tübingen, 2022-2023
Nationalist Ideologies in the Time of Transnational Cinema: CARGC Symposium, University of Pennsylvania, 2022-2023
हमारे अपनो को जगाना है: Bollywood’s Histories in the Time of Hindu Nationalism: SAGSC XX, University of Chicago, 2022-2023
After-Images of Pre-Colonial India: NYU Cinema Studies Conference, NYU, 2022-2023
मेरे पास माँ है: Material and Sentimental Excess in Visual Cultures of Post-Colonial India: First Forum, USC, 2021-2022
Hello, Hello, Ji: Networks of Sociality and Commodity in Post-Colonial India: Annual Conference on South Asia, U. Wisconsin-Madison, 2021-2022
Expert Yogis, Impotent Men, Depressed Wives: Social Life of Sexual Tonics in Late Colonial India: CSLC Graduate Symposium, USC, 2021-2022
Making Space, Indulging Fantasies: Studio Photo in Colonial and Post-Colonial India: Annual South Asian Studies Conference, University of Chicago, 2021-2022
Glimpse of an Old Home: On Hermeneutics of Colonial-gaze and the Gaze of Colonial-Hermeneutics: Research-Fellow Presentation, Jackman Humanities Institute, UofT

Fellowships

National Stereoscopic Association Research Fellowship: Library of Congress, 2026-2027
Graduate School Summer Research and Writing Grant: USC, 2026 Summer
Graduate Scholar, Society of Fellows in Humanities: Levan Institute of Humanities, USC, 2025-2026
Teresa Wilson Endowed Fellowship: USC, 2025-2026
VSGC Summer Research Fellowship: VSRI, USC, 2025 Summer
Salz Pollak Pollak Research Fellowship: USC, 2024-2025
VSGC Summer Research Fellowship: VSRI, USC, 2024 Summer
CSLC Summer Research Fellowship,: CSLC, USC, 2024 Summer
NEH/VSRI Images out of Time Graduate Fellow: VSRI, USC, 2023-2024
USC-LACMA Summer Research Fellowship,: VSRI and CSLC, USC, 2023 Summer
PhD Academy Scholarship and Research Fund,: Dornsife PhD Academy, USC, 2022-2026
GSG Professional Development Fund,: Graduate Student Government, USC, 2022-2026
Graduate Research Fellowship,: East Asian Studies, University of Toronto, 2020
Center for Comparative Literature Graduate Program Award,: University of Toronto, 2019-2020
Writers-in-Residence Fellowship for Creative Writing,: Massey College, University of Toronto, 2019-2020
Undergraduate Research Fellowship,: Jackman Humanities Institute, University of Toronto, 2018-2019

Publications

Teaching Experience

On Location: The Place of Literature in Global Culture: 2023-2024, Teaching Assistant
Introduction to Sociology: 2023-2024, Teaching Assistant
On Location: The Place of Literature in Global Culture: 2022-2023, Teaching Assistant
Cultures of Latin America: 2022-2023, Teaching Assistant

Research Experience

Graduate Research Assistant: Visual Studies Research Institute (USC), 2026-2027
Graduate Summer Research Assistant: Prof. Kimia Shahi (USC), 2024
History of Photography Summer Research: Britt Salvesen (LACMA), 2023
Graduate Summer Research Assistant: Prof. Atsuko Sakaki (University of Toronto), 2020
Editorial Assistant: Prof. Martin Revermann (University of Toronto), 2020
Graduate Research Assistant: Prof. Sara Saljoughi (University of Toronto), 2019-2020

Languages

Hindi : Native speaker
Gujarati : Native speaker
English : Full Proficiency
French : Intermediate Proficiency

Interests

Fields: 19th and 20th cent. India, Post-colonial Theory, Continental Philosophy, Visual Studies, Psychoanalysis, and Indian Literature.

Certificates

  • Certificate in Communication, Leadership, and Management - Ph.D. Academy, USC (2025)
  • Visual Studies Graduate Certificate - Visual Studies Research Institute, USC (2024)
  • Center for Excellence in Teaching Certificate - USC (2024)
  • Digital Media and Culture Graduate Certificate - USC (2023)

Professional Membership

American Comparative Literature Association.: Member since 2023
Society for Cinema and Media Studies: Member since 2023
Modern Language Association.: Member since 2024

Projects

  • Theory Today

    ‘Theory Today’ working group aims primarily to read and discuss the diverse range of trends within contemporary theory. From Psychoanalysis to contemporary interventions within Marxism, Postcolonial thought, Media Theory, and Gender and Sexuality studies, this group engages with recently published monographs and essays from various fields and backgrounds that are actively shaping contemporary theoretical discourse.

References

  • Professor Neetu Khanna, University of Southern California

    neetukha@usc.edu

  • Professor Priya Jaikumar, University of Southern California

    pjaikumar@cinema.usc.edu

  • Professor Panivong Norindr, University of Southern California

    norindr@college.usc.edu

  • Professor Vanessa Schwartz, University of Southern California

    vschwart@usc.edu

  • Professor Ronald Mendoza-de Jesús, Emory University

    rmendoz@emory.edu