Susan Visvanathan facts for kids

Susan Visvanathan (born in 1957) is an Indian expert in how people live together and understand their beliefs. She is a sociologist and a social anthropologist. She also writes exciting stories. She is famous for her work on different religions and how they connect with society. Her first book, Christians of Kerala, was a very important book in understanding religion in society.

She used to be a professor of Sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi.

Early Life and Learning

Susan Visvanathan studied at Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University. She earned her master's degree (M.A.) in sociology from JNU. Later, she completed her M.Phil. and PhD degrees in sociology. She studied at the Delhi School of Economics, which is part of Delhi University. Her PhD was guided by the well-known sociologist, Veena Das.

Her Career Journey

Susan Visvanathan began her career in 1983. She was a senior lecturer in sociology at Hindu College, University of Delhi. From 1989 to 1997, she led the Sociology Department there. In 1997, she joined the Centre for the Study of Social Systems at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). She taught courses on the sociology of religion and how society changes over time. She also taught about gender studies. She retired from JNU as a professor of sociology in 2022.

Visiting Roles and Consultations

Susan Visvanathan has been a visiting scholar at many places. These include the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Shimla. She was also a fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in New Delhi. She visited Queen's University Belfast in 1997. She has been a visiting professor in Paris, France, and a guest faculty member in Berlin, Germany. She also visited universities in California, Sweden, and Jamaica.

She has also worked as a consultant for important organizations. These include the World Council of Churches in Geneva. She also advised Oxford University Press on books.

Writing Books and Stories

Besides her academic work, Susan Visvanathan also writes fiction. She writes novels and short stories. She often uses her knowledge of sociology in her creative writing. She usually writes during her breaks from university.

Non-Fiction Books

Here are some of the books she has written:

• The Christians of Kerala: History, Belief and Ritual among the Yakoba (1993)
• Missionary Styles and the Problem of Dialogue (1993)
• An Ethnography of Mysticism: The Journeys of a French Monk in India (1998)
• Structure and Transformation: Theory and Society in India (2000)
• Friendship, Interiority and Mysticism: Essays in Dialogue (2007)
• Children of Nature: The Life and Legacy of Ramana Maharshi (2010)
• Reading Marx, Weber and Durkheim Today (2012)
• Culture and Society (2014)
• Art, Politics, Symbols and Religion: A Reader for Humanities and Design (2019)
• Wisdom of Community: Essays on History, Social Transformation and Culture (2022)
• Work, Word and the World: Essays on Habitat, Culture and Environment (2022)

Fiction Stories

She has also written several fiction books:

• Something Barely Remembered (2000)
• The Visiting Moon (2002)
• Phosphorus and Stone (2007)
• The Seine at Noon (2007)
• Nelycinda and Other Stories (2012)
• Adi Sankara and Other Stories (2017)

What Critics Say About Her Fiction

A literary critic named Bruce King wrote about Susan Visvanathan's fiction. His book, Rewriting India: Eight Authors (2014), has a chapter about her. He says that her stories are not about her own life. Instead, they are based on her studies of society. They also come from stories she heard and things she imagined.

King notes that her fiction is not easy to guess. He writes that her stories are "unpredictable". This shows that life itself is full of unexpected changes. He finds her to be a very interesting writer.