Sayantani Jana

Summary Statement of Research Interests

I specialize in the field of comparative genocide studies, with a particular focus on the international discourses surrounding pogroms and riots. In my dissertation project, I examine two significant instances of mass violence: the November Pogrom of 1938, specifically the case of Berlin, and the Great Calcutta Riots of 1946.

Within these cases, I explore various facets of violence, including the structure of the violence itself and the actors, groups, and institutions involved. Additionally, I investigate the gendered dimensions to and experiences of violence, analyzing how gender influences both perpetrator logic and victim behavior. Furthermore, I examine the relationship between the urban landscape and violence, considering how the physical environment interacts with acts of violence and can influence or hinder its pace and direction.

Another crucial aspect of my research is the examination of memory and trauma. I investigate how these factors have influenced the collective remembrance, narratives, and scholarly analysis of each event. By studying the interplay between memory, trauma, and the events themselves, I aim to deepen our understanding of their long-lasting impact.

Moreover, my project situates these two cases within a broader framework that delves into hermeneutics—the interpretation and understanding of mass violence. By exploring the ways in which we categorize, comprehend, and study such events, my project seeks to contribute to a broader dialogue on the methodologies and frameworks utilized in the study of mass violence.

Research Keywords

Comparative genocide studies
20th c. Germany
20th c. South Asia
Pogroms and Riots
Gendered violence
Urban landscapes and violence
Memory and trauma
Hermeneutics in mass violence research

Research Specialties

Comparative Genocide Studies
German-Jewish History (19th and 20th century)
Holocaust Studies
Empire and Decolonization (South Asia)
Indian Partition History
Political Violence in South Asia
Colonial and Postcolonial Violence
Gendered Violence
Urban Violence
Memory and Trauma Studies

Conference Presentations

• “Resilient Women, Defiant Homes: Resistance and Survival in the Great Calcutta Killings of 1946” Ninth International Conference of the International Network of Genocide Scholars: “Genocide and Surv , 2023-2024
• “Gender in Crisis: Women’s Experiences during the November Pogrom of 1938 in Berlin and the 1946 Great Calcutta Killings” Heroines of the Holocaust: New Frameworks of Resistance , 2022-2023
• “Mass Violence and Silenced Memory: A Comparative Study of the Kristallnacht of 1938 in Berlin and the Great Calcutta Killings of 1946” Genealogies of Memory:The Holocaust between Global and Local Perspectives, ENRS , 2020-2021
• “Can the Indian Partition be Genocide? – Probing the Limits of Definition” XIV Biennial Conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars , 2019-2020

Journal Article

• Jana, S. (2022). Decolonization and Genocide: Re-Examining Indian Partition, 1946-1947. Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Oxford University Press. Vol. 36 (3), pp. 334-352. Journal Link

• Steve and Sandy Cozen Top-off Graduate Fellowship, USC Shoah Foundation, 2023 –
• USC Andrew W.Mellon Humanities in a Digital World Fellowship, 08/01/2021 – 05/31/2023
• International Leo Baeck Fellowship, LBI London (declined), 10/01/2021 – 09/30/2022
• Graduate Research Grant, American Academy for Jewish Research, 2021-2022
• USC Ralph and Jean Hovel Fellowship, 01/08/2017 – 05/31/2022
• Central European Historical Society Dissertation Research Grant, 2020-2021
• Fritz Thyssen Pre-Dissertation Fellowship, German Historical Institute, 2020-2021
• USC Robert Persinger Foulke Fellowship, 2020-2021
• USC Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation Fellowship, 2019-2020
• USC Harold Hastings McVicar Scholarship Award, 2019-2020
• USC Linnie and Michael Katz Fellowship, 2018-2019
• Holocaust Educational Foundation Summer Institute Fellowship, Northwestern University, 06/23/2019 – 07/05/2019
• HREC Early Career Scholar Grant, Holodomor Education and Research Consortium, University of Alberta, Fall 2018