Media Mentions

The latest media mentions, quotes, profiles, and writings from Division of the Humanities faculty, students, staff, and alumni. Visit us on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook for more updates.

Commitment to History
Anandabazar Patrika
Rochona Majumdar (South Asian Languages and Civilizations) pays tribute to Shyam Benegal, who began his career at the height of the Indian new wave. She highlights his work in film, television, and documentary highlighting his commitment to history, radical cinema, and social critique. From Ankur (1974) to Mammo (1994), his films expose systemic oppression while exploring India’s evolving identity.

Snehalata Mukhopadhyay: The teen whose dowry death shook 20th-century Bengal into action
The Indian Express
Rochona Majumdar (South Asian Languages and Civilizations) is featured in the article through her book Marriage and Modernity: Family Values in Colonial Bengal. In it, she examines Snehalata Mukhopadhyay's tragic suicide, which stemmed from her family's inability to afford the dowry required for her marriage, as one of the most debated cases in Bengali and Indian history. Prof. Majumdar provides critical historical context and analysis, linking this personal tragedy to broader themes of family values, societal expectations, and gender oppression in colonial Bengal.

The latest media mentions, quotes, profiles, and writings from Division of the Humanities faculty, students, staff, and alumni. Visit us on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook for more updates.

Organized Looting Is Dispersing Islamic Heritage
New Lines Magazine
Cecilia Palombo (Middle Eastern Studies) co-authored this article on the organized looting of Islamic artifacts, providing insights into their historical and cultural significance while highlighting the detrimental impact of the illicit antiquities trade on Islamic heritage.

More than any other artist working today, Theaster Gates — ceramist, urbanist, archivist, sculptor — has earned the title “multidisciplinary.”
The New York Times Style Magazine
Theaster Gates (Visual Arts) is featured in this article for his multidisciplinary practice that bridges art, community, and urban development. He restores buildings on Chicago's South Side, preserving Black cultural archives and creating spaces for art and community. His vision to revitalize disinvested areas exemplifies his model of an artist as an active shaper of the city's cultural and physical landscape.

These notorious Roman emperors became ghostly legends
National Geographic
Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer (Classics) was mentioned in this article about the haunting legacy of notorious Roman emperors. She noted that Nero’s interests in performing arts, seen as dishonorable by Romans, likely led historians to portray him as a “master of pretense.” This characterization has contributed to the enduring, dark legends surrounding Nero.