Faculty

Kumi Silva

Assistant Professor

Office Location: 215 Holmes Hall
Office Phone: 617-373-4855
Email: k.silva@neu.edu

Office Hours:
Tuesday: 11:00-12:30
By Appointment

Education:
Ph.D. University of Oregon
MA. Miami University
B.Sc. Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Courses Taught:
Introduction to Communication Studies
Theories of Media & Culture
Global and Intercultural Communication
Gender and Communication
Films from the South Asian Diaspora, Identity and Media
Advertising and Promotional Culture

Research Interests:
Dr. Silva's research primarily engages with mediated constructions of race, ethnicity and gender, particularly in transnational and diasporic contexts and is influenced by feminist and postcolonial theory. Her research focuses on how the rise of "Brown" disrupts a simple White/Black binary, introducing new and complex racial relationships and identities, which are made most visible through the media. Her most recent publications are in the areas of global media, popular film, and media literacy. She is currently putting together a special issue titled "Conjunctures of Brown" for the journal Cultural Studies and is also working on a book length manuscript that engages with popular media, including film and television, to theorize the popularity of South Asia as a cultural trope within the United States and its impact on changing notions of race and ethnicity within contemporary U.S. culture.