From Persona to Personal

Posted by on Jan 28, 2015 in Critic's Area | 0 comments

Samita Nandy

Dear Readers,

Hope the first month of 2015 went well for all! I am pleased to update that I completed publication requirements for Celebrity Studies, Persona Studies, and my first book photo shoot for Fame in Hollywood North yesterday. After 7 years of research and writing, I finally completed the book manuscript and its photo shoot in Toronto. Special thanks go to Jeremiah Hill Photography that has captured wisdom, journeys, presence and expressions of writing in deep and personal ways. The above photograph was taken after the photo shoot. Around 1300+ shots were taken within 4.5 hours and will carry them in my upcoming 50+ hours of airline travels – flying tonight. My first stop will be in Sydney and then presenting my latest research at the inaugural Persona Studies symposium in Melbourne!

My current research for Persona Studies entails sensory aesthetics, sensual ethnography, and visual imagery that will guide the next book on my personal journey of writing fame. Here is a quote from one of my latest readings: “Photography has always demanded and documented certain performative behaviors of its subjects (e.g., the pose).” This prompts a question: in self reflection and historicizing fame, do Celebrity Studies scholars need to use photographic evidences of their writing bodies? Have a fabulous end to January! Connect on Twitter @samita_nandy and Instagram @samitanandy for my latest travel and research updates. Stay tuned for more exciting updates – coming soon! With best wishes, Samita Nandy

Leave a Reply