SU’s Chandra Mohanty to earn honorary doctorate from College of Wooster

Chandra Talpade Mohanty—an internationally recognized scholar of post-colonial and transnational feminist theory and a celebrated professor in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences—will receive an honorary doctorate from the College of Wooster (Ohio) at its 142nd commencement ceremony on Monday, May 14. Mohanty will be awarded a doctor of humanities, along with actor/writer Tom Alter, who will be given a doctor of humane letters. Both recipients will address the graduating class of nearly 400 seniors.

In addition to serving as professor of women’s and gender studies (a department she chaired from 2008-2011), Mohanty is Dean’s Professor of the Humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences. She also is an affiliated faculty member of the Department of Sociology and of the Cultural Foundations of Education program in the School of Education.

“Chandra is among the most accomplished and respected feminist theorists and scholars, nationally and internationally,” says SU Chancellor Nancy Cantor. “She is known for producing profoundly insightful and powerful work that illuminates some of the most pressing issues in transnational feminism, transcending disciplinary boundaries in the process. We’re proud that the College of Wooster is recognizing Chandra with this honorary degree.”

Arts and Sciences Dean George M. Langford agrees: “For more than two decades, Professor Mohanty has been on the cutting edge of transnational feminist studies. Her commitment to interdisciplinary teaching and research, combined with public service, has helped elevate The College of Arts and Sciences—and Syracuse University–to international prominence.”

A widely published scholar, Mohanty is the author and editor of five books, including the landmark “Feminism Without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity” (Duke University Press, 2003), and has served as series editor of “Gender, Culture, and Global Politics” (Garland Publishing) and “Comparative Feminist Studies” (Palgrave/Macmillan). She has published more than three dozen essays, including “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses,” which has been used in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies courses worldwide for more than two decades.

Mohanty is a member of numerous editorial and advisory boards and consultancies; is an internationally sought-after public speaker; and is the recipient of numerous other honors and awards, including a 2008 honorary doctorate from Lund University (Sweden). Her commitment to activist scholarship and cross-border solidarity is evidenced by her ongoing involvement with SU’s Democratizing Knowledge Project and with the Municipal Services Project, a transnational research and advocacy group working on alternatives to privatization in the Global South.

Prior to joining SU in 2004, Mohanty held faculty positions at Hamilton and Oberlin colleges and at Union Institute and University in Cincinnati. She earned a Ph.D. in education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.