At Mumbai University

The CoHaB project at Mumbai University entails an exploration of Literary Theories related to Diaspora and its cultural practices in the area of Indian Diasporic Literatures and Cinemas. In the context of Literature the focus should be on the manner in which diasporics negotiate multiple, hybrid identities in their hostland and homeland and how this in turn impacts upon their concept of Home and Belonging. Indian Diasporics also imaged not just their hybrid identities and notions of home and belonging in cinematic texts but also imaged India itself to the world. Such films have in the last couple of decades made for considerable global visibility for film makers such as Gurinder Chadha, Meera Nair and Deepa Mehta. However, such imaging is now no longer one-sided because Indian cinema too has begun to image its diaspora both to itself and to the world in cross-over films such as Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and My Name is Khan. 

The three wide areas of study at Mumbai University are:

1. Hybrid Selves – Hyphenated Identities: Diasporic Indian English Fiction

2. Representations of Diaspora in Popular Indian Cinema

3. Representations of Women in Diasporic Indian Literature and Cinema

Three Fellowships are available for Ph.D. studies in these areas to international applicants. However, Indian applicants who have not resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in India for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment are eligible for application to these fellowships at Mumbai University. 

Other Indian aspirants to these fellowships can apply to the partner universities. Similar fellowships are available at CoHaB partner universities, for which Indian students are encouraged to apply.  For details look at the fellowship section and at www.itn-cohab.eu