Durba Mitra
American historian
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Durba Mitra is an American historian, academic, and professor at Harvard University.[1] Her work is focused on the intersection of feminist theory and queer studies.
Durba Mitra | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Professor |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Emory University (PhD) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Gender studies |
| Institutions | Harvard University |
Early life and education
Mitra was raised by a single mother in Fargo, North Dakota. Her mother was from India and immigrated to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. in statistics. Mitra has spoken of the significant influence of her mother on her own life, stating in interviews that the role her mother played helped spark her interest in gender studies.[2][3]
Mitra originally intended on becoming a doctor and attending medical school before attending Emory University for her Ph.D. in history. Mitra received her Ph.D. in 2013, along with a certificate in women's, gender, and sexuality studies.[4] Her doctoral thesis focused on perceptions of women's sexuality, particularly notions of deviance, influenced discussions on law, science, and societal reform during British colonial rule.[5]
Career
After receiving her PhD, Mitra became an assistant professor of history at Fordham University in New York City.[6] In 2015, Mitra became a Mellon Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.[7] In 2017, Mitra joined Harvard University, where she became the first full-time faculty member in women's, gender, and sexuality studies.[8] She serves as a consulting editor of the Journal of the History of Ideas and an associate at the Weatherhead Center.[9]
Mitra's work focuses on sex and sexuality, particularly in South Asia.[10][11] She has written and spoken extensively about feminism and postcolonialism.[12][10]