Overview
Kristina (Krissy) Rogahn is an interdisciplinary scholar of South Asian literature and religion, specializing in Tamil poetry and literary theory from the ancient to modern periods. In her research she seeks to understand the diverse roles poetry has played in South Asian societies—from entertainment to revelation, individual testimony to cultural memorialization, private thought to political action. She also studies how humans use literature to reimagine the world during historical shifts and cultural encounters. Her work combines methods from literary criticism, media history, and intellectual history. In her writing and teaching, she aims to highlight South Asia's contributions to the humanities.
Rogahn’s current research explores how literary and historical forms of knowledge transformed during the colonial period in Tamil-speaking regions. Her book project, Genres of Modern Literary History and Devotion to Literature in Tamil, considers how premodern Tamil genres like praise and hagiography inform modern literary-historical thought. Her second book project will be about the social history and legends of the Tamil sangam, or literary association.
She received her PhD from the University of Toronto Department for the Study of Religion and Collaborative Program in Book History and Print Culture. Prior to joining Cornell, she was Lecturer in Tamil at Stanford University. At Cornell, she teaches courses on Indian literature and Hindu religious traditions.
Research Focus
- Tamil literature and literary theory
- Hinduism and literature
- Poetry and poetics
- Translation theory and practice
- Colonialism and missionization in South Asia
- South Asian manuscript and print cultures
- Comparative and world literatures