National Institute of Technology Rourkela

राष्ट्रीय प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान राउरकेला

ଜାତୀୟ ପ୍ରଯୁକ୍ତି ପ୍ରତିଷ୍ଠାନ ରାଉରକେଲା

An Institute of National Importance

Faculty Profile

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

PUBLICATIONS

3

DOCTORAL STUDENTS

2

CONTINUING EDUCATION

PERSONAL 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 Studies
Bharathiar University (ICSSR Doctoral Fellow)

2018

M.Phil
Jewish Literature/English
Bharathiar University

2016

M.A
English Literature
Bharathiar 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)

  • 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 Rai
Enrolled: Aug 2024
Continuing
Co-Supervisor
TRAUMA STUDIES
Sushmita Bhattacharjee
Enrolled: Jul 2024
Continuing
Supervisor
Memory Studies
Prama Ghosh
Enrolled: Jul 2024
Continuing
Supervisor

Awards And Honours
  • UGC NET,   2018
Memberships / Fellowships
  • American Comparative Literature Association,   2023
  • ELTAI,   2022
  • ICSSR Centrally Administered Full-Term Doctoral Fellowship,   2019