Alka Kurian is a Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington, Bothell.

Using the lenses of post-colonial and feminist theory, Kurian examines politically engaged, women-centered South Asian films.

Part 1: Class, Caste and Social Exclusion 1. Subalterneity and Resistance in Shyam Benegal's Nishaant and Manthan 2. Radical Politics and Gender in Govind Nihalani's Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Ma, Sudhir Mishra's Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, and Sanjiv Karambelkar's Lal Salaam Part 2: Nationalism, Religion, and Identity 3. The Politics of Hindutva in Nandita Das' Firaaq, Rahul Dholakia's Parzania, and Rakesh Sharma's Final Solution 4. Gender, Home, and Displacement in Sabiha Sumar's Khamosh Pani Part 3: Nationalism and Ethnic Struggle 5. Subjectivity, Choice, and Feminist Agency in Santosh Sivan's The Terrorist and Beate Arnestad's My Daughter the Terrorist Part 4: Heteronormativity, 'Difference', and the Construction of a Subversive Femininity 6. Gender, Identity, and the Diaspora in Gurinder Chadha's Bhaji on the Beach and Sarah Gavron's Brick Lane