The Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Iowa State is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Rita Mookerjee to our core faculty! Rita (she/her/hers) joins us as a recent graduate of the English Department at Florida State University. Her specialization is contemporary literature of the Caribbean with a focus on gender and food studies. Dr. Mookerjee received the 2017-2018 Edward F. and Marie C. Kingsbury Award and the May Alexander Ryburn Fellowship in 2015. Her recent critical work has been featured in the Bloomsbury Handbook to Literary and Cultural Theory, the Bloomsbury Handbook of Twenty-First Century Feminist Theory, the Routledge Companion to Food and Literature, and Palaver Journal.
Rita will join us as an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, within the LAS Sociology Department. This fall, Dr. Mookerjee will teach Introduction to Queer Studies (WGS 205), International Perspectives on WGS (WGS 301), and Feminist Theories (WGS 401/501). In the spring, Rita will conduct research projects abroad as a part of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. “I will use my Fulbright grant to illuminate daily life and food culture in Jamaica. My study will elevate marginalized voices and counter the many stereotypes of Jamaica perpetuated in the West.”*
Rita is excited to join our program at Iowa State University in August. “Our faculty are always covering topical issues in course content and exploring texts off the beaten, canonical path,” she says when asked about what she appreciates about our WGS Program. “I’m here to break the mold and create safe spaces for people of marginalized communities.” Rita wants students to know that she is available to them, and they can reach her any time via email at rmookerj@iastate.edu. Beyond coursework, Rita wants people to know some of her other passions: poetry, social activism, cooking, reading, and the performing arts. To get to know Rita more, check out the below info graphic, or join us at the WGS Kick-off Event on Wednesday, September 4!
