Prof. Shamsad Mortuza has over 27 years of teaching experience. He is a professor (on leave) of the English Department at the University of Dhaka. Prior to joining ULAB, he has taught at many universities including his alma mater Jahangirnagar University, where he was the Chair of the Department of English between 2005 and 2008. As a Fulbright scholar, he pursued his second MA in American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona. For his PhD, he attended Birkbeck College, University of London. His doctoral dissertation "The Figure of the Shaman in Contemporary British Poetry" was published by Cambridge Scholars Publishers in 2013. He also completed his CELTA from St. Giles College, London. In 2013, he received a Fulbright scholarship for the second time to go to UCLA as a senior visiting postdoctoral fellow to conduct research on occultism. He has published numerous articles and book chapters in reputed national and international journals. He has also published a book of poetry, Barkode, and a collection of non-fiction pieces, I Spy. He started his career as a journalist for The Daily Star, is the Editor of Crossings (ULAB), serves on the editorial boards of Yearly Shakespeare (Visva Bharati, Santiniketan), Spectrum (DU), Harvest (JU), Six Seasons Review (Bengal), and is a peer reviewer for Journal of Commonwealth Literature.
Contemporary British Poetry, Romanticism, Native American Literature, Occultism, Postmodernism
Awards:
- Consultant, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and BISS, for BCIM country report, 2014.
- Senior Visiting Fulbright Scholar, University of California, Los Angeles 2013.
- Fulbright Scholarships, University of Arizona, 1997-1999.
- Jahangirnagar University Higher Studies Scholarships, 2002-2005.
Workshop/ Training:
- South Asia Higher Education Symposium Boston Program, Boston Massachusetts, September 15-20, 2019. Hollings Center and the US State Government.
- “South Asian Higher Education Symposium”. Organized by Hollings Center for International dialogue and US Embassy, Kabul, April 23-28, 2019. Hotel Bosphorus Swissotel Istanbul, Turkey.
- E-Teaching Certificate Course; Webinar 11, American Center .
- “Being There: Workshop on Performance Arts” November 10-11, 2006, Queen Mary College, University of London.
- Teaching in Higher Education, (Foundation course for GTAs), Birkbeck College, University of London, Fall, 2005.
- Workshop on Postcolonial Literatures, Conducted by Dr. Sharmila Sen, Harvard University, organized by BRAC University, Dhaka December 2001.
- Foundation Course for Graduate Teaching Assistants, University of Arizona, Fall 1997.
Grants:
- Hollings Center Small Grants, Video Makings for Online Teaching, June 2020-December 2020. Chief Investigators Prof Colla MacDonald, University of Ottawa and Prof Shamsad Mortuza.
- US Department of State Research Grant 2017. “Evaluating Secondary School English Language Teaching and Learning in Bangladesh”, Chief Investigator.
- US Department of State Research Grant 2017. “English Vocabulary Learning Material Development: A Multimodal Approach”. Chief Investigator.
- ULAB Research Grant 2014-2015. “Literature on the Side: A Conditional and Historical Study of Little Magazines in English and the Literary Supplements of English Language Newspapers.” Chief Investigator Prof. Kaiser Haq, Professor and Co-Investigator Dr. Shamsad Mortuza.
- ULAB Research Grant 2014-2015. “Lost in Translation: Making Sense of Bangla Proverbs and Idioms.” Arifa Ghani Rahman and Shamsad Mortuza.
Mosques of Bangladesh. Eds. Nymphea Publications, Dhaka, 2018.
Selected Poems of Kamal Hossain. Eds. Bengal Lights Books, 2017
English for Today, Class IX-X, NCTB (panel writer), 2014.
The Figure of the Shaman in Contemporary British Poetry, Cambridge, Scholars Publication, UK, 2013.
Barkode, Adorn Publishers, Dhaka, 2013
I Spy, Adorn Publishers, Dhaka, 2013.
“Beyond ‘Kalapani’ and Tagore’s search for a shared regional identity. Journal of the Indian Ocean Region. Vol. 13.3. Routledge, 2017. [UK]
Date: 01/17/2017
Journal Articles [More Info, If Any]
“Interview with Poet Kaiser Haq,”Anekaant: A Journal of Polysemic Thought. Vol.5, Spring 2016-17. pp. 151-156. [India]
“The Cinema of Bangladesh,” MargAsia. Special Bangladesh Volume. 2016. [India]
“The Curious Case of Kafka’s Odradek,” Crossings, Vol. 5, ULAB 2015
"Coyote and the Storyteller: Simon Ortiz Revisited." BAAS Journal, Special Martin Luther King Issue, 2014.
"Court vs. Courtship in Austen's Emma." East West Journal, Summer 2014
"Nearing Singularity: Book Review." Crossings: Vols. 4&5. ULAB. 2014.
"People to People Connectivity." Chapter 10. BCIM Country Report. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and CPD. 2014.
Maggie O’Sullivan: Freeing the Female Tongue from Male Traditions. Harvest Vol.25, Department of English, Jahangirnagar University. 2009-10
Thomas Chatterton and Barry MacSweeney: The Influence of Anxiety. BRAC University Journal. Special Volume 2010.
Shamanic Poetry: Re-categorisation of Mythic Rationality. The Jahangirnagar University Review Part C Vol. XX –XXI 2007-8
“Contemporary British Poetry: An Overview.” Journal of Philosophy: A Cross-Disciplinary Inquiry. Philosophical Society of Nepal, Vol. 2, No. 4, Page: 12-17.
“The use of Land in Momaday’s House Made in Dawn and Solko’s Ceremony.”Crossings. University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh Journal, Vol. 1, Dhaka.
“J.H. Prynne’s The White Stonesand Shamanism.”The Jahangirnagar Review Part C Vol. XVIII 2006-7
“Allegory: A Romantic Reading Category.” Harvest. Vol.22.Department of English, Jahangirnagar University, 2004-5.
“Allen Ginsberg and Blake’s Songs: Mutation of Romanticism.” The Jahangirnagar Review Part C Vol. XVII 2005-6
“Edward Said after Orientalism” Harvest Vol. 20Department of English Jahangirnagar University 2004-5
“A Tale of Two Storytellers in Vargas Llosa’s The Storyteller”, Harvest Vol. 15. Department of English Jahangirnagar University 2004-5.
Simon Ortiz’s Reconstruction of the Trickster Figure of American Southwest. The Jahangirnagar Review Part C Vol. X 1998-1999.
Writing Oral Traditions: Trickster Stories of American Southwest and Fairy Tales of Europe.Vol. 1X Jahangirnagar University Review Part C IX 1997-1998.
“Nothing Made out of Nothing: A Reading of the Structure of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.” Theatre Studies, Department of Drama and Dramatics, JU, June 2000.
“Comparing Cultures and Issues on Methodology,” Nribigyan. Department of Anthropology, Jahangirnagar University, 2000.
“Slouching into the Bethlehem: A Reading of Salman Rushdie’s Historiographic Metafiction.” Rethinking English. Ed. Niaz Zaman and Fakrul Alam. UPL, 2000.
The Prince of Denmark Reconsidered: A Survey of the Criticism of Hamlet. Published as proceedings by the Faculty of Arts, 2000.
“Diane Glancy’s Cold and Hunger Dance”. Red Ink. American Indian Studies, University of Arizona, 1998.
“The Sound of Silence: A Reading of Momaday’s House Made of Dawn”. Harvest Vol. 13. Department of English Jahangirnagar University 1995.
Two levels of time in Navajo Trickster Stories”. Abstract. Society for Applied Anthropology Conference, Tucson Arizona, April 23, 1999.
MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS:
POEMS ANTHOLOGIZED IN:
- Three poems anthologized in Re-makings: A World Assembly of Poets: Contemporary poems, Ed. Nibir Ghosh,Vol.16. No.4, New Delhi,2017
PROSE ANTHOLOGIZED IN:
- “The Confession of an Overseas Student.” In Khademul Islam, ed. The Daily Star Book of Bangladeshi Writing. Dhaka: Daily Star, 2006.
- “Naxalgia and ‘Madhu Chakra’ in Meghnadhbodh Rohoshya: A Critical
- Review.” Crossings: Special Marx Volume. June 2020..
- “The Magical Heritage of Hindi Movies.” Crossings. Vol. 10. ULAB 2019.
Chapters 1:
Mortuza, S. (2014). People to people connectivity. BCIM Country Report. Dhaka: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and CPD. Chapter 10.
Date: 02/01/2014
Chapters 2:
“Grace under Fire: A Reflection on the State of English Studies in Bangladesh”, in The Routledge Handbook of English Language Education inBangladesh (Routledge International Handbooks) Eds. Sultana, S. et al., 2020.
Date: 01/07/2020
“I Spy”, a monthly column for the lifestyle magazine ICE Today, (October 2008-to date).
Date: 07/01/2019
“Blowin’ in the Wind” a weekly column for The Daily Star, October 2019- to date.
Date: 01/17/2019
Newspaper & Magazines [More Info, If Any]
“Run of the Mill”, a weekly column for a leading national daily, The Daily Sun (2011-2013)
“Bits and Bobs”-a fortnightly column for New Age.
Contributors: Jamini: The International Art Quarterly and The Daily Star
Online Teaching Bangladesh, position paper presented at the South Asia Higher Education Webinar, Hollings Center, USA, Zoom Event, June 17, 2020.
Date:06/17/2020
Conference Proceedings [More Info, If Any]:
“Tagore’s Java Diaries” keynote paper presented at Rabindranath Tagore and Travel Conference, Visva Bharati, March 29-30, 2019.
"Re-reading British Poetry across Time and Space: Themes, Issues and Perspectives." Kenore address at Gourbanga University, March 12-13, 2019.
“An ecocritical Reading of the Quran,” Islam, Youth and Utopia in Bangladesh. International Conference 2019. November 11-12, 2019. University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Gerda Henkel Foundation.
“From Modernism to Late Modernism: A Shamanic Journey.” Keynote paper. “Rereadiong British Poetry across Time and Space Conference.” March 12-13, 2019, University of Gour Banga, Malda, West Bengal, India.
”Tagore’s Orientalism: A Reflection”. Keynote paper presented at the BUP annual seminar. Bangladesh University of professionals, Dhaka, March 28, 2019.
“Shamanic Poetry in Contemporary Britain.” Faculty Seminar. East West University, March 20, 2019.
Meghnadhbadh Rohoshya Revealed. Plenary paper. Marx Bicentenary Conference, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, October 2018.
“Thingifying Shakespeare after Shakespeare” plenary talk given at the international conference titled, “401 years after Shakespeare: Shifting Paradigms from the Shakespearean Human to the Post-human,” organized by The Heritage College and the Shakespeare Society of Eastern India. Nov24-25, 2017, Heritage College, Kolkata. [abstract published]
Enhancing Mobility in Higher Education in the BIMSTEC Region, BIMSTEC conference, Chulalongkorn University, May 2017. [abstract published]
Beyond Kalapani: A Reading of Tagore’s Letters from Java. Intersection of Culture in the Indian Ocean Region, IORA Academic Council Conference, Jakarta, Indonesia. October 10-11, 2016. [abstract published]
"Translation Studies: Theory and Praxis/ Comparative Literature & Shakespeare" Conference Keynote paper. Shakespeare Society of Eastern India, Kolkata November 29- December 1, 2015.
Greening the War: Reading Rebecca West's The Return of the Soldier. Paper presented at The Great War and English Studies International conference organized by the University of Dhaka, December 18-19, 2015.
From The American Dream to A Dream: A Pilgrimage. Paper presented at the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” Speech. BAAS, August 29, 2013
Oolter Palter Narrative in Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies, BRAC international Conference, 2011
Iain Sinclair’s Lud Heat and Psychogeography. Thinking Otherwise. May13-14. Jahangirnagar University
En Route to Springfield in A Streetcar Named Desire. “Tennessee Williams in his Centenary”. University of Dhaka, September 25, 2011.
From Sweden with Love: The Wonderful World of Astrid Lindgren. Conference on the Children’s Literature. February, 2010.
Tradition, Transition and Transformation in Don DeLillo’s White Noise. Fulbright Alumni Association of Bangladesh, Lakeshore Hotel, Banani, Dhaka, November 21, 2009.
Benjamin Zephaniah’s Dub Poetry. Colonial and Postcolonial Context and Caribbean Literature. BRAC University, August 2009.
English Studies: A Master-Slave Discourse, Conference on Pedagogy, East West University, December 2009.
Revisiting the Silk Route. Theme Paper presented at the 8thBangladesh China India Myanmar-BCIM Forum Conference, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, July 23 -24, 2009
The Curriculum Ghost and English Studies in Bangladesh, Paper presented at the Eighth International Language and Development Conference, organized by British Council, Hotel Sonargaon, Dhaka, June 23 -25, 2009.
A Tale of Two Storytellers. Locating Latin American Literature: An International Conference, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, May 21 -22, Dhaka.
“Apocalypse in Brian Catling’s Cyclops Cycle.” Paper presented at the Religion and Religiosity Conference 2005, University of Leicester, UK. [abstract published]
“Allen Ginsberg and Blake’s Songs: Mutation of Romanticism.” Paper presented at the Mutation and Mutability Conference, 2004 at the Institute of Advanced Studies, University of London, UK. [abstract published]
“Land in Momaday’s House Made in Dawn.” Paper presented at the American Studies Conference, organized by the Association of American Studies, Nagorkote, Nepal 2002. [abstract published]
“Time in Navajo Trickster Stories.” Paper presented at the Applied Anthropology Conference 1999, Tucson, Arizona [abstract published]
“The Raw: The Cooked:: Tragedy : Comedy” Paper presented at the Western Social Science (WSSA) Conference 1999, Fortworth, Dallas, Texas., April 24-26, 1999.
“Slouching into the Bethlehem: Off-centering Devices in Salman Rushdie.” Paper presented at the Reading English Conference 1997, British Council, Dhaka. [published by UPL as conference proceedings].