About The Event

We are pleased to share the details of the upcoming webinar titled “Understanding American Literature: Historical Contexts, Major Themes, and Diverse Literary Voices,” organised by the Department of English, Tetso College.

Google Meet Link:  WEBINAR 

Resource Person:
Dr Geeta Janet Dkhar
Associate Professor
Department of English
Shillong College, Shillong

Dr Geeta Janet Dkhar is an Associate Professor in the Department of English, Shillong College, where she teaches M.A. English. She holds a Ph.D. and has qualified UGC-NET. She has served as a Resource Person, Convenor, and Chairperson at various seminars and conferences and has several publications, including research articles and book reviews, to her credit.

She has been associated with All India Radio, Shillong, for over two decades, where she has anchored programmes and moderated panel discussions, interviews, talks, and live programmes. She is also experienced in hosting and compering academic, cultural, and official events and has been associated with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

With her extensive experience in academics, research, media, and public communication, Dr. Dkhar has made valuable contributions to academic and cultural engagements.

Concept Note:

American literature can be understood through its development from the Puritan period to Postmodernism, shaped by major historical events such as slavery, industrialisation, the Great Depression, the World Wars, Modernism, the Civil Rights Movement, and globalisation. These contexts influenced major themes including the American Dream, individualism, freedom, race, identity, nature, alienation, rebellion, and loss of innocence.

American literature has evolved from a predominantly white male voice to a diverse range of voices, including African American, Native American, Latino, Asian American, women, immigrant, and queer writers. Writers such as Hawthorne, Melville, Twain, Hemingway, Douglass, Hughes, Ellison, and Morrison reflect varied experiences of identity, migration, displacement, cultural conflict, and belonging. Thus, American literature is best understood through its historical contexts, major themes, and diverse literary voices.