Bio
Dr. Vishaka Venkat has a Ph.D. from National Institute of Technology, Trichy, for her research on ‘Theorising the Language of Humour in Indian Political Cartoons’. She has also specifically researched the concept of hāsya and the Indian traditions of humour. Her primary research interests include humour, Indian aesthetics and mythology.
At Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, she teaches courses in English Language and Literature.
Education
- Ph.D. in ‘Theorising the Language of Humour in Indian Political Cartoons’ National Institute of Technology, Trichy
- M.A. in English Language and Literature, Government Victoria College, Palakkad
- B.A. in English Language and Literature, St. Joseph’s College, Irinjalakuda
- UGC NET JRF in English
Interests
- Research: Humour | Indian aesthetics | Literature | Mythology | Popular culture | Children’s literature
Publications
Journals
- Vinod Balakrishnan and Vishaka Venkat. Conversations with Indian Cartoonists: Politickle Lines. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Dec. 2019.
- Vishaka Venkat and Vinod Balakrishnan. ‘(Poli) Tickle/Prickle: Keshav Between the Lines’. 13:3 in the Journal of Creative Communications (Sage SCOPUS/ESCI).
- Vishaka Venkat and Vinod Balakrishnan. ‘How Conceptual Metaphors Make Political Iconography: A Focus Group Discussion on Psychological Aspects’. Applied Psychology Readings (Springer, 2018, Singapore ISBN: 978 981 10 8033 3)
- Vishaka Venkat and Vinod Balakrishnan. ‘When Humour Turns Violent: Theorising the Effect of Political Cartoons’. Creativity and Cognition in Art and Design, Eds. Aneesha Sharma and Jamuna Rajeshwaran, Bloomsbury Publishers, 2018, New Delhi, ISBN: 978-93-86349-88-0.
- Vishaka Venkat. “A Feminist Inception in Disney Movies: A Move Away from Hegemonic Masculinity?” Singularities, a transdisciplinary biannual journal, ISSN: 2348-3369 – 2015
Poems
- Published ‘Life’s Metonymy’ in Heavenly Hymns – 2015.
- Published ‘She Smiles Again’ in Poetic Symphonies Duet Anthology – 2015.
Upcoming
- ‘A Comparison between Henri Bergson and Bharatamuni’s Nāṭyaśāstra’ accepted by Humor (SCI) (July 2020)