Sara Suleri
Encyclopedia
Sara Suleri Goodyear, born Sara Suleri, is an author and, since 1983, professor of English
at Yale University
, where her fields of study and teaching include Romantic and Victorian poetry as well as a recent interest in Edmund Burke
. Her special concerns include postcolonial literatures and theory, contemporary cultural criticism, literature and law. She was a founding editor of the Yale Journal of Criticism
, and serves on the editorial boards of YJC, The Yale Review
, and Transition
.
to a Welsh mother and a Pakistani father, Z. A. Suleri. She is one of six children.
, in Lahore
, in 1974. Two years later, she was awarded an M.A. from Punjab University, and went on to graduate with a Ph.D. from Indiana University
in 1983.
, Homi Bhabha, Gauri Viswanathan, and Jacques Derrida
has "reformulated the paradigmatic
assumptions of colonial cultural studies
," and the book was as "important addition to such scholarship." The "unconventionality of some of her selections brings a breath of fresh air to a field prone to turn, time and again, to the same weary list of standard texts." However, an historian took Suleri to task for the "casual manner in which she forms important generalizations without benefit of hard data." As with other deconstructionists, he continued, there are "Pronunciamentos based on unstructured, undisciplined and unresearched observations about the past..." He concludes, that "This is not to say that Suleri's work is totally without substance or that all of her insights are without value. No doubt, she is a sensitive literary critic who would be bored with the kind of detailed monographs historians and ethnographic anthropologists do as a matter of course."
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where her fields of study and teaching include Romantic and Victorian poetry as well as a recent interest in Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
. Her special concerns include postcolonial literatures and theory, contemporary cultural criticism, literature and law. She was a founding editor of the Yale Journal of Criticism
Yale Journal of Criticism
The Yale Journal of Criticism was an academic journal published by the Johns Hopkins University Press which covered all humanities disciplines. It was named best new journal by the Conference of Editors of Learned Journals in 1989 and ceased publication in 2005.-External links:* at Project MUSE...
, and serves on the editorial boards of YJC, The Yale Review
The Yale Review
The Yale Review is the self-proclaimed oldest literary quarterly in the United States. It is published by Yale University.It was founded originally in 1819 as The Christian Spectator. At its origin it was published to support Evangelicalism, but over time began to publish more on history and...
, and Transition
Transition
Transition or transitional may refer to:* Transition economy* Transition function* Transition * Transitional government* Transition * Transition , a flying car made by Terrafugia...
.
Early Life and Family
Suleri was born in PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
to a Welsh mother and a Pakistani father, Z. A. Suleri. She is one of six children.
Education
She received her B.A. at Kinnaird CollegeKinnaird College
Kinnaird College for Women is a college in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is partially semi- government institute recognized by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.-Early history:...
, in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, in 1974. Two years later, she was awarded an M.A. from Punjab University, and went on to graduate with a Ph.D. from Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
in 1983.
Career and Major Works
Suleri is a founding editor of the Yale Journal of Criticism. Her memoir, Meatless Days, is an exploration of the complex interweaving of national history and personal biography which was widely and respectfully reviewed . Her 1992 The Rhetoric of English India was well received in literary circles. One critic, for instance, said recent scholarship by Edward SaidEdward Said
Edward Wadie Saïd was a Palestinian-American literary theorist and advocate for Palestinian rights. He was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and a founding figure in postcolonialism...
, Homi Bhabha, Gauri Viswanathan, and Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher, born in French Algeria. He developed the critical theory known as deconstruction and his work has been labeled as post-structuralism and associated with postmodern philosophy...
has "reformulated the paradigmatic
Paradigmatic analysis
Paradigmatic analysis is the analysis of paradigms embedded in the text rather than of the surface structure of the text which is termed syntagmatic analysis. Paradigmatic analysis often uses commutation tests, i.e...
assumptions of colonial cultural studies
Cultural studies
Cultural studies is an academic field grounded in critical theory and literary criticism. It generally concerns the political nature of contemporary culture, as well as its historical foundations, conflicts, and defining traits. It is, to this extent, largely distinguished from cultural...
," and the book was as "important addition to such scholarship." The "unconventionality of some of her selections brings a breath of fresh air to a field prone to turn, time and again, to the same weary list of standard texts." However, an historian took Suleri to task for the "casual manner in which she forms important generalizations without benefit of hard data." As with other deconstructionists, he continued, there are "Pronunciamentos based on unstructured, undisciplined and unresearched observations about the past..." He concludes, that "This is not to say that Suleri's work is totally without substance or that all of her insights are without value. No doubt, she is a sensitive literary critic who would be bored with the kind of detailed monographs historians and ethnographic anthropologists do as a matter of course."
See also
- ZA SuleriZA SuleriZiauddin Ahmad Suleri was a notable journalist and writer from Pakistan. He served as Editor of Dawn and the Pakistan Times and founded the Times of Karachi. He was outspoken and frequently jailed for his statements and activities. He was also called Pip...
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