Dr. Karthikeyan Damodaran

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore
• Master’s degree in Business Economics, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore
• Research training programme, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata
• Postgraduate Diploma,  Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai
• Ph.D., University of Edinburgh

Profile

Karthikeyan was previously a Research Fellow, affiliated to the Centre for Modern Indian Studies, University of Goettingen, Germany. He has also worked as Assistant Professor at the Department of Asian Studies, School of Creative Liberal Education, Jain (Deemed to be) University.

He was a recipient of Principal’s Scholarship for his Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh. His previous research focused on caste processions and commemorations in Tamil Nadu, and his current research looks at performances of traditional masculinity in contemporary times.

Prior to entering academia he worked as a senior journalist with The Hindu newspaper for seven years. He is the author of numerous sole and joint authored articles on Dalits, Dalit politics, Dravidian politics and Tamil cinema.

Research Interests

Identity politics
Social movements
Urban Studies
Film studies
Subaltern Cultures

Publications

Journal articles and Book chapters:

• Damodaran, K & Gorringe, H. 2017, ‘Madurai Formula Films’ South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal (SAMAJ), pp. 1-30.
• Karthikeyan, D. 2013. ‘Three Trendsetters: Nativity and Rural Milieu in Tamil Films,’ Deep Focus Cinema Vol 1, Issue 4.
• Karthikeyan, D; Rajangam, S & Gorringe, H. 2012. ‘Dalit Political Imagination and Replication in Contemporary Tamil Nadu,’ Economic & Political Weekly Vol XLVII, No.36.30-34
• Gorringe, H. and Damodaran, K. (forthcoming)“Dalit Movements in India” in Surinder Jodhka and Jules Naudet (eds) Oxford Handbook of Caste in India. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
• Gorringe, H. and Damodaran, K. (Forthcoming) “Ambedkar and Dalit Politics in Tamil Nadu” in Rao and Paik (ed.,) Cambridge Companion to Ambedkar. Cambridge University Press.
• Damodaran, K. and Gorringe, H. 2021. “Contested Narratives: Filmic Representations of North Chennai in Contemporary Tamil Cinema,” in Selvaraj and Devadas (ed.,) Tamil Cinema in the 21st Century: Politics, Genre and Technology. Routledge: London.
• Karthikeyan, D. 2016. “Contentious Spaces: Guru Pujas as Public Performances and the Production of Political Community.” In Hugo Gorringe, Roger Jeffery, Suryakant Waghmore (ed.,) From the Margins to the Mainstream: Institutionalising Minorities in South Asia. SAGE Publications, 194-216.

Media articles: 

• Damodaran, K and Gorringe, H. 2021. How the VCK Emerged as More Than ‘Just a Dalit Party’ in the Tamil Nadu Elections. The Wire. 
• Gorringe,H. & Damodaran,K. 2020. Justice for Jayaraj and Bennix Means Ending a Culture of Impunity. The Wire.
• Damodaran, K. 2019. How Dalit Resistance in its various forms is breaking down Modi’s image. Law School Policy Review, 22 May 2019. 
• Gorringe, H & Damodaran, K. 2019. Caste calculations and curry leaves: Dalits and the 2019 elections. The Asia Dialogue. April17, 2019. 
• Damodaran, K. 2018. Pariyerum Perumal: A Film That Talks Civility in an Uncivil, Casteist Society. The Wire 
• Damodaran, K. 2018. An Artiste of the Millennium: Ilaiyaraaja at 75. The Wire 
• Damodaran,K. and Gorringe*. 2018. The DMK Has Been Two-Faced in Its Commitment Towards Social Justice The Wire.
• Damodaran, K. 2018. Poet, Politician, Patriarch: Mu Ka, Kalaignar, Karunanidhi. The Wire.
• Gorringe and Karthikeyan. 2017. Sasikala’s Big Challenges Include Caste And Her Family ‘Mafia’. NDTV 
• Gorringe and Karthikeyan. 2017. “Stalin Finally Gets That Big Promotion. Won’t Be Easy”. NDTV
• Gorringe and Karthikeyan. 2017. “In Backing Sasikala For Bigger Role, What Her Party’s Overlooking” in NDTV
• Damodaran, K. 2016. The media’s caste: How it’s to blame for Rohith Vemula’s death. Hindustan Times, Jan 24, 2016.
• Damodaran K. 2016. “In Tamil Nadu Can there be Politics without Cinema” The Wire 
• Gorringe, H. & Karthikeyan, D. 2016. ‘Blurring the political map’ Op-Ed article, Indian Express, Dec, 12.
• Karthikeyan, D. 2016. ‘Kabali Destabilises the Established Idioms of Tamil Cinema’ The Wire. Gorringe, H. & Karthikeyan, D. 2013. ‘A new churning in the caste cauldron,’ Op-Ed Article in The Hindu.
• Karthikeyan, D. 2013. ‘The sound and fury of symbolic politics,’ Op-Ed Article in The Hindu.
• Karthikeyan, D. & Gorringe, H. 2012. ‘Rescuing Ambedkar,’ Frontline 29(19).

Book Reviews:

• Karthikeyan, D. 2018. ‘A Colossus of Tamil Politics.’ Economic & Political Weekly 53 (2): 27.
• Karthikeyan, D. 2014. Haunted by Fire, by Mythily Sivaraman (review). Economic and Political Weekly 49 (25): 38-41.