FACULTY PROFILE
Name: N.P. Ashley
09953339041
ashley@ststephens.edu
Research Areas
Performance theory, Cultural Studies, New Historicism and Critical Theory.
Creative Interests
Dramaturgy and Translation.
General Interests
Social work, education and politics
Current Position
Assistant Professor, Department of English, St. Stephen’s College- Since 2010.
Courses Taught: Literary Theory, Shakespeare, Eighteenth Century, Cultural Diversity of India and Contemporary Literature.
Educational Qualifications
1. Doctor of Philosophy (Department of English, University of Hyderabad- Senior Research Fellow): 2015
Title: Bells of the Blue Hour: Models and Expressions of the Kerala Campus Youth Culture of Kerala, 1967-1975.
2. Master of Philosophy (Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad with Distinction)
Dissertation: A Study of Texts, Authors and Politics of the Introductory Materials to Literary Theory.
3. Visiting Researcher, Department of Theatre and Film Studies, Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom-2008 March.
4. Mater of Arts in English from the University of Hyderabad, 2003- 66% marks with third rank.
Professional Experience
1. Tutor, Integrated Masters Programme, University of Hyderabad ( July 2008-April 2009) –Two semesters.
2. Director(Socio-Academic Development), Dayapuram Group (July 2006-March 2007)
3. Language Consultant (Grading), Google India Online Private Limited, Hyderabad (February 2005 to March 2006).
4. Academic Co-ordinator, Dayapuram Group of Educational Institutions( from April 2004 to June 2005)
5. Lecturer, Dayapuram Arts and Science College for Women( Affiliated to the University of Calicut- for a full academic year from June 2003- March 2004)- Taught Drama, Prose and Phonetics to B.Sc./B.com students of the college.
Select Paper Presentations
1. “Women and Indian Shakespeares: Exploring Cinema, Translation, Performance” Conference, Queen’s University, Belfast. “Locating Archetypes in Borderlands: Shakespearean Women and Contemporary Malayalam Cinema”. 30 October-1 November 2019.
2. Shakespeare Association of America Annual conference (online): “Romeo and Juliet,Reinvention of Romantic Love and the Blind Spots of Kerala Model”. April 2, 2021.
3. University of Stellenbosch, South Africa: “Arabian Days: Ethnicity, Region and Religion in Indian Theatre”. July 14-16, 2007.
4. University of Helsinki, Finland: “Global Thought and Local Performance: The Communist Theatre of Kerala”. August 7-12, 2006.
5. University of Maryland College Park, U.S.A: “I am the Seller and the Commodity: Orlan’s Art and the Social after the Death of the Subject”. June 26-July 2, 2005.
6. Queen’s University, Belfast, United Kingdom: “Reading Third World Youth Cultures in the Universities: Questions in Historiography”. March 28, 2008.
7. Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow, Qatar: “Whither the Muslim Leaders of Today?”. January 18-20, 2009.
8. University of Jaipur, Rajasthan: “Love in the Time of Democracy: P.M.Taj and the Confused Seventies”. January 4-6, 2007.
9. Zamorin’s Guruvayurappan College, Calicut, India: “The Court and the Theatre: Silence! The Court is in Session”. September 9-10, 2004.
10. University of Hyderabad, India: “The Chairs Peopled: A Political Contextualisation of the Text”. January 17-18, 2004.
11. University of Hyderabad: “Feminisms and Others: Illusions of a Dead End”. January 8-9, 2008.
12. Ibsen Festival 2009, New Delhi: “Performing the Social Zero and Ibsen’s Sea-Lady”. December 13- 14, 2009.
13. University of Hyderabad, Visual Cultures Seminar: “Of Frames, Processes and Symbols: The Making of The Museum of Lost Pieces”. February 25-26, 2010.
14. Inaugurated and delivered key note address at the national theatre workshop organized by Mar Ivanious College, Trivandrum on December 14, 2014.
15. Plenary talk, “Prints, Types, Impressions: Problems of “Life-Experience” in Cultural Studies”. National Conference on “New Cultural Studies: A Critical Evaluation” held at St. Joseph’s College, Calicut on January 13-14.
16. Plenary talk: “One Fear at a Time: Globality, Media and the Life of Terrorisms”. National Seminar on “Reading Media Texts: Representation and Media” at St. Paul’s College, Cochin on 26-27 June 2014.
17. Lecture for teachers: “Teaching Environments”. Habitat School, Ajman, United Arab Emirates on 19 December 2014.
Edited Works
1. One of the two editors of the Pearson text book series for the ICSE board, Light House for classes 1 to 8. Pearson, Delhi: 2017.
Select Research Publications
1. “Women Punctuating Shakespeare: Campus Theatrical Experiment, the Shakespeare Society and the Insider/Outsider Dialectic”. Book chapter.Women and Indian Shakespeares. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett et al. Arden Shakespeare, UK: 2022.
2. “In Search of the Master Copy: Reading Introductions to Theory in the Post Theory Period”. Book Chapter. Post Theory and the Discourses of the New. Ed. Shivshankar Rajmohan AK and Rafseena. Saradhi Publications, Kottayam: 2019.
3. “Dealing with Majoritarianism: Thoughts from a Post-Identity Scenario”. Malayalam Literary Survey (Refereed journal featuring in the UGC-CARE List). Vol. 39. No. 3.
4. “Derridayude Purangal”, A Malayalam article on Derrida in Bhashaposhini, Kottayam. September 2004.
5. “Effacing Hayavadana: On the Masks of the Text” in Girish Karnad’s Plays: Performance and Critical Perspectives. Publishers: Pencraft International, New Delhi. Editor: Prof. Tutun Mukherjee.
6. “The Kerala of the Space: P.Bhaskaran’s Love Songs”. Thapasam, Journal for Comparative Literature. Kottayam. October, 2006.
7. “Scholar/Conceptualizer/Dramaturg: Towards the Textual Office in Indian Theatre”. Fourth International Theatre Festival of Kerala Catalogue. Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Academi, Thrissur, 2012.
Select Interviews
1. Javed Akhtar. “Keralathinu Kaalidarunnuvo?” Samakaalika Malayalam Varika. 22 January 2010.
2. Dr. M.G.S. Narayanan. “Charitra Padanathinte Varthamanam”. Ekalokam Dayapuram Patrika. November 2003.
3. Dr. T.K. Ramachandran. “Charitrathil Fascism Idapedumbol”. Ekalokam Dayapuram Patrika. December 2003.
Select Translations
1. Brought out a volume of O. Henry stories in Malayalam, Theranjedutha Kathakal. Selected and translated the stories in this book with an introduction. Publishers: Pappiyon, Calicut, 2004.
2. Headed a team that translated the dialogues of the Malayalam film Kannaki for the noted Shakespeare scholar Prof. Mark Thornton Burnette and wrote a critical commentary on the movie, 2008 for Prof. Burnette’s new book on Shakespeare adaptations, Shakespeare and World Cinema.
3. Translated two pieces by Saadat Hasan Manto to Malayalam from English and two stories by N.S. Madhavan to English from Malayalam (the latter was used as texts in a course “Identity in Indian literatures in Translation” at the Department of English, University of Hyderabad).
4. Translated M.N. Karassery’s article, “Puzhayude Maranam” for Biodiversity and Ecology: Concepts and Facts. Prof. Unnikrishnan Commemoration Volume, Department of Botany, University of Calicut. 2000.
5. “Anumaanangallum Sanguchithathwavum: Aam Aadmi Partiyude Varthamaanam” (Translation of Mukul Kesavan’s Article “No Place for Peers”). Kerala Kaumudi Daily. 3rd April 2015.
6. “Thettaya Pratheekshakal Aruthu” (Translation of Mukul Kesavan’s Article “Why the BJP Stole Christmas”). Mangalam Daily. 7th of January 2015.
7. “1989: Oru Gunapaadakadha” (Translastion of Mukul Kesavan’s article “1989: A Cautionary Tale”). Mathrubhumi Web Edition, 30th October 2014.
Theatre
1. One of the three faculty in-charges and dramaturge for Blind Spots, the Delhi University entry for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2018.
2. Adapted Garcia Lorca’s When Five Years Pass as dramaturge for the India premier of the play under the auspices of the Embassy of Spain at Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre on 3rd and 4th of December 2012.
3. Dramaturge for The Lady from the Sea performed at the Ibsen Festival 2009, Delhi (conducted by the Royal Embassy of Norway and Dramatic Art and Design Academy, New Delhi). This play was later selected to Bharat Rang Mahotsav 2011 and Brisbane World Theatre Festival, Australia from February 24-26, 2012.
4. Dramaturge for The Museum of Lost Pieces, Performance Studies Department, University of Hyderabad- April 2009 (staged at Bharat Rang Mahotsav, New Delhi- 2010).
5. Conceptualizer for The Dead Channel staged in the University of Hyderabad and The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, March 2009.
6. Production Manager and Research Associate for The Chairs, University of Hyderabad, September, 2003.
7. Directorial ventures: Saadat Hasan Manto’s Toba Tek Singh, Edward Bond’s Passion and Dario Fo’s Accident Death of an Anarchist.
Positions
1. Member, Dayapuram Residential School Managing Committee, Kerala since 2006.
2. Volunteer in Charge, Dayapuram Arts and Science College for Women, Kerala since 2016 (voluntary social work for social justice, communal harmony and constitutional nationalism).
3. Hononary Advisor, Habitat School Group, UAE since 2016.
Membership in Professional Bodies and Journal Editorial Teams
1. Member, Editorial Board, Indian Theatre Journal, ISSN 20590660, ONLINE ISSN 20590679 (published from the United Kingdom).
2. Member, Shakespeare Association of America, 2021-22.
3. Member, International Federation of Theatre Research: 2005-2009.
4. Member, Indian Society for Theatre Research since 2004 (Coordinating committee member of the 2nd International Conference of ISTR, Cochin-2005)
5. Member, Kerala Society for Theatre Research since 2004.
Conferences/ Academic Events Organized
1. As co-ordinator of Centre for Translation Studies, co-ordinated the national seminar “Translation and the Idea of India”, in collaboration with the National Book Trust of India at the World Book Fair Venue Pragati Maidan on February 17, 2015.
2. As co-ordinator of Centre for Translation Studies, co-organized “Alphabet Series”, a series for interaction with global writers, in collaboration with the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi- hosted American poet and editor Philip Nikoleyev ( January 12, 2015) and South African poet Ari Sitas (February 17, 2015).
3. Organised a series of lectures and workshops by the noted faculty of Queen’s University Belfast English department and Sheamus Heaney Poetry Centre in St. Stephen’s College-January 24-26, 2015.
Research Collaborations
Anchor person for the Research and Teaching Collaboration between Queen’s University Belfast and St. Stephen’s College- Since 2012.
Positions and Duties
President, Shakespeare Society, St. Stephen’s College- 2012-2014, 2015 Onwards.
Staff Advisor, Debating Society, St. Stephen’s College- 2014
Co-ordinator, Centre for Translation Studies, St. Stephen’s College- Since 2014.
In charge, St. Stephen’s College Prospectus Content and Design- Since 2012.
Chair, Academic Council, Habitat Group of Schools, UAE- since 2013
Chair, Dayapuram College Development Councial, Dayapuram Arts and Science
College for Women, Calicut- since 2015.
Core Team Member of Dayapuram Educational and Cultural Centre, Kerala since 2009.
Select Popular Articles
1. “Keralathinte Navarashtreeyam” (New Politics of Kerala). Mathrubhumi Daily Edit Page, 7th December 2014.
2. “Mukkam, Yatheem, Maattangal: Aavashyam Enna Nilaykkulla Orma” (Mukkam, Orphan and Changes: Memory as a Necessity).Mathrubhumi Web Edition, 15th June 2014.
4. “Vendathu Prayogikatha” (The Need of Practical Sense). Malayala Manorama Daily, 1st January 2015.
5. “Keralathile Rosa Parkumar” (Rosa Parks of Kerala). Kerala Kaumudi Daily. 7th January 2015.
8. “Malalaykku Nere Viral Choondunnavarodu” (To those who point fingers at Malala). Azhimukham Online Portal. 13th November 2014.
10. “Malayalacinemayile Muslim: Vaikarikathakkappuram”, Samakaalika Malayalam Varika. 01 January 2010.
Prizes and Certificates
1. Runner Up Prize twice in the New Research Scholar’s Prize Contest of International Federation of Theatre Research in 2006 and 2008 for the papers, “I am the Seller and the Commodity: Orlan’s Art and Citizenship” and “Arabian Days: Indian Theatre of the South and the North”.
2. Second place in two all Kerala Malayalam Literary Quiz competitions-1999& 2000.