Ayantika Mukherjee, BA, MA, PhD (ABD)

Area of Study / Keywords

Child and Youth Studies American Studies Boardgames Print History and Material Culture Research Development Grant Development Knowledge Mobilization Research Impact Community Engagement

About

I was awarded SSHRC grants for both my master's and PhD (ABD) in English Literature at the University of Alberta. I also worked as a lead copy editor for a peer review journal. I have 5.5 years of experience supporting grant applicants from a variety of faculties and departments, including Arts, Business, Education, Law, Native Studies, Nursing, Kinesiology, Agriculture, and Life Sciences. In 2022, I attained a certification in knowledge mobilization from Research Impact Canada. I am currently the Research Partner supporting faculty members applying for SSHRC Connection grants, community-engaged (CSSH) grants, and any grants to do with creative & performing arts and research-creation, such as Canada Council for the Arts and Alberta Foundation for the Arts. I am also the key contact for Art & Design, Digital Humanities, Drama, English & Film Studies, and Music. 

Research

My dissertation is entitled Playful Imperialisms: Children and Informal Modes of Education in the Long American Nineteenth Century in which I examine children’s relationship to knowledge. In my dissertation, I argue that children are the objects and subjects of imperial education, highlighting the institutionalism of informal modes of education such as literature and games. I have previously presented my research at the Association in Research of Cultures in Young People (ARCYP) and I recently presented on imperial scripts of American games at the Modern Language Association conference in 2024. I have also previously published reviews on transnational children's literature in Bookbird and I have forthcoming peer-reviewed articles based on my dissertation in Children Literature and Commonplace. 

Teaching

My past teaching experiences at the University of Alberta include teaching undergraduate courses in English Literature in Historical and Global Perspectives in addition to teaching undergraduate courses in Business Communications. 

“Making Beliefs: Educational Card Games as Scripts of Imperial Fantasy.” Children's Literature, vol. 52, 2024, pp.27–57. Forthcoming in May or June 2024.