About:

Hello. I am currently working as Associate Professor of Linguistics (Dept. of HSS) at IIITG. I had joined this Institute in July 2014 as an Assistant Professor before which I worked for nearly three years as Research Associate at the Centre for Assamese Studies, Tezpur University. I did my M.A, M.Phil and PhD throughout from the Department of Linguistics, University of Delhi. I am a member of the Editorial Committee of the journal Language and Language Teaching and am a Language Specialist and Aviation English Trainer for AELTO/TSP Guwahati under Airports Authority of India, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt. of India. I have also been a Language Consultant for various organizations across India.

I have served as the Associate Dean (Student Affairs) here at IIITG (Oct, 2018-till Aug, 2022) and as the Head of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIITG (March, 2016-Oct 2018). I am a Member of the Linguistic Society of India (LSI); a Member of Indian Association for Women’s Studies (IAWS), a Member of the European Association of South Asian Studies (EASAS) and a Member of Aaranyak (an NGO of Assam dedicated to wildlife conservation).

Research Interests:

Sociolinguistics (Discourse/ Conversation Analysis), English Language Teaching, Translation Studies, Gender Studies

Teaching:

At IIITG, I am teaching/ have taught the following courses:

For B.Tech:

• Introduction to Linguistics (HS 201)
• Language and Society (HS 202)
• Language, Cognition and Culture (I) (HS 302)
• Language, Cognition and Culture (II) (HS 404)
• English (HS 101)

• Research Methodology (HS 701; shared with HSS faculty members)
• Perspectives in Linguistics (HS 708)
• Sociolinguistics (HS 709)

• English Language Learning Programme for Adults (ELLPA) under Institute Social Responsibility

Research Scholars:

1. Ms. Dimple Choudhury
Status: Completed and Degree awarded
Thesis Title: A Cognitive Sociolinguistic Study of Miju and Digaru: Two Endangered Languages of Arunachal Pradesh

2. Ms. Barshapriya Dutta
Status: Ongoing

3. Ms. Ayesha Dkhar
Status: Ongoing

4. Ms. Porixita Kakoty
Status: Ongoing

Internship Supervision:

1. Ms Vijaya Lakshmi, Department of Linguistics; Banaras Hindu University
Status: Completed
Title: Basics of Research in Sociolinguistics

Research Projects:

1. ICSSR Minor Research Project in 2019 titled Makers of Modern Assam: A Case Study of Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi, Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha and Chandraprabha Saikiani. (With L.David Lal)
Status: Completed

Books:

1. Suranjana Barua (forth. in 2023): Revelation of Self in Language: Narrative Identity as Emergent in Conversation (Tulika Books in association with Columbia University Press). https://cup.columbia.edu/book/revelation-of-self-in-language/9788195055968

Publications:

1. Barua, Suranjana (2022). ‘Politeness and Language’. In R.K.Agnihotri and Rajesh Kumar (Eds.) Language, Mind and Society: A Language and Education Reader. Orient Blackswan. Pp. 217-238.
2. Lal, L.David and Barua, Suranjana. (2021). ‘Gandhi’s Role in India’s North-East: Issues of Reform and Integration’. In Swaran Singh and Reena Marwah (Eds.) Revisiting Gandhi: Legacies for World Peace and National Integration. World Scientific Publishers, Singapore. pp. 197-222 (https://doi.org/10.1142/12365)
3. Barua, Suranjana and Lal, L.David (2021). ‘History, Memory and Legend: Contextualizing Joymoti Utsav in Assam’. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities. Vol 13, No. 3, 2021, pp. 1-16 DOI: https://rupkatha.com/v13n322/ Full text: http://rupkatha.com/V12/n5/rioc1s17n3.pdf
4. Barua, Suranjana and Lal, L.David. (2021). ‘Feminist Consciousness, Empowerment and Identity: Contextualizing Chandraprabha Saikiani in Contemporary Assam’ in 7th World Conference on Women’s Studies (WCWS 2021) TIIKM Publishing Conference Proceedings (ISSN 2424-6743). DOI: https://doi.org/10.17501/24246743.2021.6101 Full text: https://tiikmpublishing.com/data/conferences/doi/wcws/24246743.2021.6101.pdf
5. Choudhury, Dimple and Barua, Suranjana. (2020). Politeness and Collective Identity: A Case Study of Two Endangered Languages of Arunachal Pradesh. International Linguistics Research; Vol. 4, No. 1; 2021 pp 43-60 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30560/ilr.v4n1p43 Full text: https://j.ideasspread.org/index.php/ilr/article/view/828/710
6. Barua, Suranjana (2020). ‘Symbolic Acts, Implied Character: Constructing the Peer Identity’. In Om Prakash and Rajesh Kumar (Eds.) Linguistic Foundations of Identity: Readings in Language, Literature and Contemporary Culture. Routledge, London. 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003106807
7. Barua, Suranjana and Lal, L. David. (2020). ‘Identity, Indigeneity and Excluded Region: In the Quest for an Intellectual History of Modern Assam’. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, Vol. 12, No. 5, 2020, pp. 1-11. DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v12n5.rioc1s17n3 Full Text: http://rupkatha.com/V12/n5/rioc1s17n3.pdf
8. Barua, Suranjana (2018). ‘Symbolic Acts, Implied Character: Constructing the Peer Identity’. In Om Prakash and Rajesh Kumar (Eds.) Linguistic Foundations of Identity: Readings in Language, Literature and Contemporary Culture. Aakar Books, New Delhi (2018) pp.48-62.
9. Barua, Suranjana (2017). ‘Locating Exclusion in Male Peer Talk’. Journal of Exclusion Studies Vol. 7, No. 1, 2017, pp. 76-89.
10. Barua, Suranjana (2016). ‘The Meaning of ma:ne: A Conversational Filler, A Structural Necessity and a Cognitive Endowment’. Paper published in M Barbora and G K Borah (eds). Aspects of Modern Assamese. Guwahati: Bhabani Books. 2016. pp192-213.
11. Barua, Suranjana (2016). ‘Othering in Self-ascription: A Case for the Linguistic Selfie’. In V. Dhanaraju (Ed.) Voice of the Other: Understanding Marginal Identities. GenNext Publication, New Delhi. 2016. pp. 298-310.
12. Barua, Suranjana (2016) ‘Marginalising the Marginalized: The Feminine Narrative Voice and/as Exclusionist Language’. In Debarshi Prasad Nath (ed.) Women's Narratives from North East India: Lives in the Margins. Purbanchal Prakash, Guwahati. 2016. pp. 48-64.
13. Barua, Suranjana (2014) ‘Women and the Injunction to Care: A Case Study of Reminiscences’. In Journal of Higher Education and Research Society. Issue­1,Vol­2,April 2014; pp.10-20.
14. Barua, Suranjana (2014) ‘Bezbaroa’s Life Writings: Hermeneutics of the Experiencing Self and Encountered Other’. In edited volume titled Bezbaroa: The Architect of Modern Assamese Literature – Issues of Nationalism and Beyond pp 188-215 (Perfect Imagers, Assam 2014).
15. Barua, Suranjana (2013). ‘Language and the Vicarious Emotion: Indira Goswami’s Delineation of Bhupen Hazarika’. In Literary Insight – a refereed international journal. Vol 4; January, 2013; pp.131-137.
16. Barua, Suranjana (2013). ‘Fashioning a Folk Legend: Bhupen Hazarika in Indira Goswami’s poetic imagination ’. In The Heritage: Vol IV-Issue 2, 2013, pp. 35-42.
17. K.V. Subbarao, Malhotra, S. and Barua, Suranjana (2010). ‘The Structure of the Kokborok Language’. In Interdisciplinary Journal of Linguistics, IJL, Vol (3), 2010, University of Kashmir pp. 1-43.

Text Book Chapters

1. Barua, Suranjana (2019) ‘English Reading and Vocabulary’; Unit 1; pp3-23; English Communication. ENG-AE-1014 BA English. Gauhati University Institute of Distance and Open Learning.
2. Barua, Suranjana (2019). ‘Pragmatics and Language and Thought’ (Module V); Units 9-10; pp 42-82; MEG 104 Aspects of Language. MA English. Centre for Open and Distance Learning. Tezpur University.

Major Translations

1. Barua, Suranjana. Translated select poems of Bishnu Prasad Rabha in Sarma, M., Borah, G.K. and Nath, D.P. 2019. The Call of the Pherengadao: Select Writings of Bishnuprasad Rava. P156-166. Katha Guwahati.
2. Barua, Suranjana. Translated Rajanikanta Bordoloi’s epochal novel Miri Jiyori as research project at Centre for Assamese Studies, Tezpur University in 2012 (Publication Board, Assam, Oct 2012).
3. Barua, Suranjana Translated Padma Shri Arun Sarma’s play Sri Nibaron Bhattacharya (with J.P.Saikia). Published in Robes of Destiny by Sanbun Publishers, New Delhi; 2009.

Conference Presentations (since 2014 only)

1. Barua, Suranjana. and Lal, L.David. 2021 ‘History, Memory and Legend: Contextualizing Joymoti Utsav in Assam’. 1st Rupkatha International Open Conference on Recent Advances in Interdisciplinary Humanities held in online mode, 28-30 August, 2021.
2. Barua, Suranjana. and Lal, L.David. (2021) ‘Feminist Consciousness, Empowerment and Identity: Contextualizing Chandraprabha Saikiani in Contemporary Assam’ at the 7th World Conference on Women’s Studies (WCWS 2021) held in online mode, 20th – 22nd May 2021.
3. Lal, L.David and Barua, Suranjana. (2020). ‘Revisiting Gandhi’s Role in India’s North-East: Issues of Reform and Integration’ at International Conference on Revisiting Gandhi: Peace, Justice and Development organized by Association of Asia Scholars, held in online mode, 30-31 October, 2020.
4. Barua, Suranjana. and Lal, L.David. (2020). ‘Identity, Indigeneity and Excluded Region: In the Quest for an Intellectual History of Modern Assam’ at 1st Rupkatha International Open Conference on Recent Advances in Interdisciplinary Humanities held in collaboration with IIT Patna and Siksha O Anusandhan, Bhubaneshwar in online mode, 20-22 August, 2020.
5. Dimple Choudhury and Barua, Suranjana. (2019) Politeness and Collective Identity in Miju and Digaru: Two Endangered Languages of Arunachal Pradesh’. Paper presented at the National Conference on ‘Revitalization of Indigenous Languages: Issues and Challenges’ held at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 12-14 July, 2019.
6. Barua, Suranjana (2018) ‘Peer Group as the Social (Imaginary): Evidence from Contours of Language’. Paper presented at Thirteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at University of Granada, Granada, Spain, 25-27 Jul, 2018.
7. Barua, Suranjana (2017). ‘What I am (not): Discourse Strategies for Identity Mitigation amongst Peers’. Paper presented at International Conference on Language, Culture and Identity, GLA University, Mathura in collaboration with Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, 10-11 November, 2017.
8. Barua, Suranjana (2017). ‘Language Endangerment: Tibeto-Burman Languages of Northeast India’. Dimple Choudhury and Suranjana Barua. Paper presented at National Conference on Language Diversity, Endangerment and Vitalization: Agenda and Roadmap. National Law University, Delhi, 21 January, 2017.
9. Barua, Suranjana (2016). ‘Food Mnemonics and Identity Construction’. Paper presented at National Seminar on Food Cultures of India held at Tezpur University, organized by Department of Cultural Studies, Tezpur University, India and Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), Bhopal, 1-2 December, 2016.
10. Barua, Suranjana (2015). ‘The Language Prism: At Intersections of Peer Group Identity’. Paper presented at Indian Institute of Information Technology, IIT TEQIP Symposium on ‘Language Literature and Cognition’, IIT Guwahati, 25-27 November, 2015.
11. Barua, Suranjana (2015). ‘Symbolic Acts, Implied Character: Constructing The Peer Identity’. Paper presented at National Conference on ‘Language, Identity and Society: Centrality of Language in Formation of Identity in Contemporary Society’, Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, Delhi/ NCR. 30-31 October 2015.
12. Barua, Suranjana (2015). ‘Othering in Self-ascription: A Case for the Linguistic Selfie’. Paper presented at International Conference on ‘Contesting Self and Other: Identities of Caste, Tribe, Gender and Beyond’ jointly organized by Assam University (Diphu Campus) and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIS), Kolkata), 27-28 Mar, 2015.
13. Barua, Suranjana (2014). ‘The Vexed and Vexing language: Situating Moral Dilemmas in a Cultural Plane’. Paper presented at International Seminar on Philosophy of Culture jointly organized by Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR), New Delhi, and Department of Cultural Studies, Tezpur University March-April, 2014
14. Barua, Suranjana (2014). ‘Knowing is/ as Being: Gendered Identity and Perception in Institutional Space –A Linguistic Study’. Paper presented at XIV National Conference of Indian Association for Women’s Studies (IAWS), Feb, 2014.