Metropolitan University

Dr. Rama Islam

Professor Head, Department of English

Biography

Dr. Rama Islam, completed her PhD in the Department of Indian Comparative Literature at Assam University, India. She is an Associate Professor of English at Metropolitan University, Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Her areas of interest include Postcolonialism, Comparative Literature, Diasporic Literature, Cultural Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies.

She has presented a number of papers in both national and international conferences, and her research articles have appeared in various journals. She is also an exponent of music, especially Tagore and Nazrul songs.

Education

Ph D in Comparative Literature, , Assam University

Integrated Pre-PhD Course (IPP) in Comparative Literature, , Assam University

M.A. in English, University of Chittagong

B.A. (Hons.) in English, University of Chittagong

Award & Achievements

Research Publications

Islam, Rama. “Political Prisoners: A Comparative Critical Reading of Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks, Rahman’s Prison Diaries, and Mandela’s Conversations with Myself”. Imbizo : International Journal of African Literary and Comparative Studies. Vol. 13 No. 2 (2022): 1-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6565/11301

Islam, Rama. “Taslima Nasrin”. The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 February 2022 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14589, accessed 24 February 2022.] The Literary Dictionary Company Limited. ISSN 1747-678X

Islam, Rama. “Anjum Hasan’s The Cosmopolitans: A Critique of a Cosmopolitan Woman”. SCHOLARS: Journal of Arts & Humanities. 4.1 (2022): 87-98. Print.

Islam, Rama. “Representation of Koibarta Women and the Titas in Adwaita Mallabarman’s A River Called Titas”. North South University, Panini. 8, (2017-2019), published in 2020, 28 December: 59-80. Print.

Islam, Rama. “Lajja”. The Literary Encyclopedia: Exploring Literature, History and Culture. 2020. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39299, accessed 22 December 2020.] Print.

Islam, Rama. “Nation, Culture and International Relation in Rabindranath Tagore’s Letters to a Friend”. Murarichad College Journal. Nagri. 1.1 (2019): 131-145. Print.

Islam, Mohammad Shafiqul, and Rama Islam. “Representation of Postcolonial Indian Women: Bimla and Nanda Kaul in Anita Desai’s Clear Light of Day and Fire on the Mountain”. South Asian Review. 40.1-2 (2019): 51-64. Print.

Islam, Rama. Romesh Gunesekera’s Monkfish Moon: Loneliness and Failure in Relationships in War-torn Sri Lanka. Dialogue 14.2 (2018): 17-29. Print.

Islam, Rama. “Diaspora and Identity in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth: A Feminist Analysis”. Crossings: A Journal of English Studies. 8.1 (2017): 91-100. Print.

Islam, Rama. “Ashima Ganguli and Gauri: A Diasporic Study of The Namesake and The Lowland”. Diasporas and Diversities: Selected Essays. Dhaka: Department of English, Independent University Bangladesh, 2016. 93-107. Print.

Islam, Rama. “Cross-Cultural Issues in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake”. Contemporary Discourse 7.2 (2016). 122-128. Print.

Islam, Mohammad Shafiqul, and Rama Islam. “Disintegration of Familial Bond and Beyond: Anita Desai’s Clear Light of Day and Partition of 1947”. Chaos 2.1 (2014). 54-67. Print.

Islam, Mohammad Shafiqul, and Rama Islam. “Emancipation of Women through Education and Economic Freedom: A Feminist Study of Begum Rokeya’s Utopias”. SUST Journal of Social Sciences 18.4 (2012). 11-19. Print.

Islam, Rama, and Mohammad Shafiqul Islam. “Harmony, Violence and Humanity: Reminiscing Partition 1947 in Light of Khushwant Singh’s Train to Pakistan”. Metropolitan University Journal 3.1 (2011). 41-51. Print.

Research Papers Presented in Conferences and Seminars

1. “Migration, Cultural Flow, and Cross-border Mobility in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Whereabouts”, International Conference on Discourses around Liberal Arts and Humanities organized by Faculty of Arts, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh on 13-14 November 2022.
2. “The River-Centric Identity in Bandyopadhyay’s The Boatman of the Padma and Waliullah’s Cry, River, Cry”, International Conference on Natural and Cultural Heritage in South Asia jointly organized by Tribhuban University Prithbi Narayan Campus and Pokhara University, Pokhara, Nepal on 16-17 June 2022.
3. Presented a paper titled “Diversity and Multiplicity in Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories” at an international conference on Postcolonial Perspectives: Language, Literature and Culture and the Global South by Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh on 14-15 February 2020.
4. Presented a paper titled “Nation, Culture and International Relations in Rabindranath Tagore’s Letters to a Friend” in an international seminar on Rabindranath Tagore in South Asia organized by M.C. College, Sylhet, Bangladesh on 6 November 2019.
5. I have presented the paper “Exploring Identity and Space of Hijra: Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness” at a two-day International Conference on Poetic Imagining (s) of Southasia: Borders and Nations organized by South Asian University, Delhi, India on 22-23 April 2019.
6. I have presented the paper “Anjum Hasan’s The Cosmopolitans: A Critique of a Cosmopolitan Woman” in a two day International Conference on Redrawing Gender Boundaries in Literary Terrains organised by Department of English and Humanities, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh on 18-19 May, 2017.
7. I have presented the paper “Representation of Culture, Conflict, and Rootedness: Selected Stories from North-East India” in an International Conference on (Re)envisaging India’s Northeast: Ethnicity, Identity, Culture, Literature organized by the Department of English, Assam University, India on 08-09 September 2016.
8. I have presented the paper “Culture and Identity in Rabindranath Tagore’s Home and the World” in an international conference on Rabindranather Shikkha Bhabna organized by Uttara University (Bangladesh), Rabindracharcha Kendro, Rabindrabharati University (India) and Department of Bengali, Jahangirnagar University (Bangladesh), Bangladesh on 05-06 August 2016.
9. I have presented the paper “Cross-Cultural Issues in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake” in an international seminar on Language & Its Influence on Society and Culture organized by the Department of Indian Comparative Literature, Assam University, India on May 18, 2016.
10. I have presented the paper “Diaspora and Identity in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth: A Feminist Analysis” in a two-day national seminar on Poetry: East and North-East India organized by Indian Comparative Literature Department, Assam University, India from 27-28 March 2016.
11. I have presented the paper “Representations of Koibarta Women and the Titas in Adwaita Mallabarman’s A River Called Titas” in an international conference on The River: Flows of Innovation and Exchange in the Global(i)zed English World organized by the English Department, North South University, Dhaka from 3-4 March 2016.
12. “Ashima Ganguly and Gauri: A Diasporic Study of The Namesake and The Lowland” in an international conference on Diasporas and Diversities: Teaching English in a Changing World organized by the Department of English, Independent University Bangladesh from 5-7 November 2015.
13. “Romesh Gunesekera’s Monkfish Moon: Loneliness and Failure in Human Relationships in the War-torn Life in Sri Lanka”, National conference on The Machine in the Garden: Literature, Language and Technology in English Studies organized by Department of English, Daffodil International University on 19 September 2015.
14. “Fusion of Cultural and Generational Divergences and Tension: A Diasporic Study of Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth” in a seminar on Women and Media: Challenges and Opportunities organized by Centre for Bangladesh Studies, Department of Bengali and Department of Mass Communication, Assam University, India held from 3-4 March 2014

Project

1. Translation on Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron from English into Bangla is in the process.
2. She is working on my PhD thesis titled “Diasporic Identity and Cross-Cultural Encounter: A Study on the Works of Jhumpa Lahiri and Monica Ali” to transform it into a book.
3. She is working on a book titled “An Introduction to Cultural Studies: An Interdisciplinary Area” and “Comparative Literature: Practice and Prospect in Bangladesh”.

Participation in Conference

1. One-day Wabinar on Literature, Migration, Transnationalism and Us organized by ELT@1, South Assam Chapter, in collaboration with SKC School of English and Foreign Language Studies, Assam University, India, on 13 November 2021.
2. Conference on English Studies and the Marketplace organized by the Department of English, East West University, Dhaka, 19-20 February 2016.
3. International Conference on Language, Literature and Community organized by the Department of English, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh 10-11 July 2015.
4. Research conference organized by Metropolitan University, Sylhet on 31 March 2012.

Workshop and Training Programme

1. ESL Teacher Training Programme on “Classroom Strategies for Effective Teaching” jointly organized by BELTA and UKBET on 24 April 2009 at Sylhet, Bangladesh.
2. Workshop on Text and Theories organized by the Department of English, Metropolitan University, Sylhet, Bangladesh on 18 April 2016.
3. International workshop on Contemporary Bengali Literature of Bangladesh and India organized by the Department of Indian Comparative Literature, Assam University, Silchar, India during 12-14 February, 2017. As a discussant, I discussed on “Representation of Culture: A Study of Syed Manzoorul Islam’s Bilingual Works” in the same programme.
4. Training on “Inception Workshop” organized by Metropolitan University IQAC (Institutional Quality Assurance Cell) on 21 May, 2017.
5. Training Workshop on “Curriculum Concept, Models and Development Strategy” organised by Metropolitan University IQAC (Institutional Quality Assurance Cell) on 04 and 05 October, 2017.
6. Workshop on “Team Building and SA Process” organised by Metropolitan University English Department and IQAC on 24 October 2017.
7. Training Workshop on “Pedagogy and Meta-Cognitive Tools and Techniques” organised by Metropolitan University IQAC on 2 December 2018.
8. Workshop on “Teaching Literature through Theory” on December 18, 2022 (Sunday), organized by the Association of Teachers of Literatures in English, Bangladesh (ATLEB)

As a Trainer

1. “Research and Teaching” on 27 February, 2022 in an orientation programme held on 26 and 27 February, 2022 organised by IQAC of Metropolitan University.
2. “Teaching Techniques in OBE” on 3 September, 2022 in an orientation programme held on 3 to 5 September, 2022 organised by IQAC of Metropolitan University.
3. “Research and Teaching” on 5 September, 2022 in an orientation programme held on 3 to 5 September, 2022 organised by IQAC of Metropolitan University.
4. “Preparation of Course Outline and Lesson Plan” on 12 January, 2023 in an workshop on “Quality Teaching in Higher Education” organized by IQAC of Metropolitan University, Sylhet.

Other Responsibilities

1.Convenor of Metropolitan University Sexual Harassment Prevention Committee, Metropolitan University, Sylhet.
2. Adviser of Implementation of Gender Rule and Sexual Harassment and Prevention Committee of FIVDB (Friends in Village Development Bangladesh), Khadimnagar, Sylhet.
3. Adviser of Metropolitan University Cultural Club.
4. Additional Director of Excellence in Teaching-Learning (ETL) of IQAC (Institutional Quality Assurance Cell) from 7 February, 2022.
5. Member of QAC (Quality Assurance Committee) at Metropolitan University from 19 April 2022.
6. Performed as a reviewer in the recognized journal, Society and Culture in South Asia
7. Members of the editorial board of a recognized international journal named SCHOLARS: Journal of Arts & Humanities published from the Department of English, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal.
8. Registered as a reviewer for Wasafiri, (Plubons) Editorial Manager online submission and peer review system.

Creative Writings

1. A Feature on the title “Gandhism and Modern Civilization” has been published in the Star Campus, a weekly magazine of The Daily Star on August 05, 2007, Volume 2 Issue 30.
2. A book review on “Shaheen Akhtar’s Beloved Rongomala (a novel)” has been published in Shabdaghar in the August issue, 2019.
3. A translation of a short story titled “Wings of Gabriel” written by Shahed Ali has been published in the September issue, of 2019.
4. A book review on the title, “Bengal in Tagore’s Eyes: Selina Hussain’s The Painter’s Palette” has published in Shabdaghar in the January issue, 2020.

Interests

Postcolonial Literature

Feminism

Diaspora Studies

South Asian Literature

Comparative Literature

Cultural Studies

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