
BIOGRAPHY
My research lies at the intersection of memory studies, literature, and cultural history, with a particular focus on Jewish writing and its negotiations of trauma, identity, and belonging. I explore how memory, race, space, and trauma converge to shape the cultural and political landscapes of war-torn nation-states, and how literary narratives bear witness to histories of displacement, resilience, and survival. My work emphasizes the ways in which memory is not only an individual faculty but also a collective practice deeply entangled with politics, cultural identities, and contested geographies. A central strand of my research examines Jewish literature, with specific interest in diasporic trajectories and the negotiations of cultural memory in contexts of migration and exile. Broadly, my academic trajectory is motivated by a commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry that brings together literary studies, memory studies, and cultural theory through which I seek to contribute to ongoing conversations about memory, identity, and cultural survival in an increasingly fractured world.
EXPERTISE INFORMATION
Research Group
- Language and Literature
Areas of Interest
- Modern Israeli Literature
- Holocaust Studies
- Contemporary Jewish Fiction
- Memory Studies
- Area Studies
Neha Soman
നേഹ സോമൻ
Assistant Professor Grade-II & Asst. Warden (Kiran Majumdar Shaw Hall of Residence)
Humanities and Social Sciences
somann@nitrkl.ac.in / nehasoman55@gmail.com
9994815821
9
PUBLICATIONS3
DOCTORAL STUDENTS2
CONTINUING EDUCATIONPERSONAL INFORMATION
Neha Soman
Assistant Professor Grade-II
Humanities and Social Sciences
Room Number: MN-415
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Sundargarh, Odisha, India - 769008
2022
Ph.D.
Modern Israeli Literature/Area StudiesBharathiar University (ICSSR Doctoral Fellow)
2018
M.Phil
Jewish Literature/EnglishBharathiar University
2016
M.A
English LiteratureBharathiar University
Teaching Experience
- English, NIT Rourkela, 26 Apr 2023 - Present
- English (Ad-hoc), NIT Warangal, 20 Oct 2022 - 21 Apr 2023
- English (Ad-hoc), NIT Calicut, 15 Dec 2021 - 28 Jul 2022
Total Publications: 9
N. Soman, S. V, and P. B,"The Duality of Arab Israeli Identity and the Politics of Survival in Sayed Kashua’s Let It Be Morning", Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities,, vol.13, pp.1-10 2021, https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v13n3.33 Article
N. Soman and P. B,"Space, Place, and Consciousness; Explorations on Jewish Identity in Amos Oz’s Life Narrative A Tale of Love and Darkness", British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, vol.49, no.4, pp.614-628, Routledge, October 2020, https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2020.1836610 Article
N. Soman and B. Padmanabhan,"Ethnic Democracy and the Case of Israel: A Parallel Reading of Sayed Kashua’s Let It Be Morning and Sammy Smooha’s "Ethnic Democracy"", IAFOR Journal of Arts and Humanities, vol.7, no.1, pp.27-35, International Academic Forum 2020, https://doi.org/10.22492/ijah.7.1.03 Article
N. Soman,"Hegemony, Exclusion and Equivocal Identities: Reflections on Israel’s Arab Minority in Sayed Kashua’s Dancing Arabs", Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities,, vol.12, no.5, pp.1-9 2020, https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v12n5.rioc1s33n2 Article
N. Soman and P. B,"Centrality of Holocaust Memories in the Formation of Jewish Israeli Identity; Revisiting Yoram Kaniuk's The Last Jew", Disaster, Holocaust and Dystopian Literature Concepts and Perspectives, ch.12, pp.74-79, Upanayan Publication 2020 Inbook
ICSSR SPONSORED INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS: THOUGHT, THEORY AND TRADITION FOR HUMAN RESOURCE EXCELLENCE 8-10th MARCH 2024 (HYBRID MODE) Humanities and Social Sciences (Conference)
- Co-Coordinator
- 08 Mar 2024 - 10 Mar 2024
- Brochure
Webinar on Sanskrit as an Interlingua for Tech Advancement of Bharatiya Bhashas Humanities and Social Sciences (Short-term Course)
- Coordinator
- 21 Nov 2023
- Brochure
- HS1300 : Communicative English {Theory}
- HS1315 : Language Learning through Science Fiction {Theory}
- HS1316 : Introduction to Film Studies {Theory}
- HS2315 : Language Learning through Science Fiction {Theory}
- HS2316 : Introduction to Film Studies {Theory}
- HS7100 : English for Research Writing {Theory}
- HS7107 : Critical Approaches {Theory}
- HS7108 : Reading Theses {Theory}
- HS7308 : Ethics and Values {Theory}
- EA2310 : Deutsch Sprache (German Language) {Practical}
- HS1270 : Language Laboratory {Practical}
- HS2270 : Language Laboratory {Practical}
Ph.D. Students [3]
Cultural Studies and Indian English Literature
Vidushi RaiEnrolled: Aug 2024ContinuingCo-Supervisor
TRAUMA STUDIES
Sushmita BhattacharjeeEnrolled: Jul 2024ContinuingSupervisor
Memory Studies
Prama GhoshEnrolled: Jul 2024ContinuingSupervisor
Awards And Honours
- UGC NET, 2018
Memberships / Fellowships
- American Comparative Literature Association, 2023
- ELTAI, 2022
- ICSSR Centrally Administered Full-Term Doctoral Fellowship, 2019