Indian American professor Usha Iyer has been named the incoming director of Stanford University’s Center for South Asia for the 2025–26 academic year. An associate professor of film and media studies, Iyer is known for her expertise in cinema, gender, and performance, particularly in the context of the Global South.
Her acclaimed book Dancing Women: Choreographing Corporeal Histories of Hindi Cinema delves into gender, stardom, and spectacle in Hindi film, linking South Asian cultural narratives with broader global discourses on race, caste, and sexuality.
Her upcoming book, Jammin’, examines the emotional and cultural connections between Caribbean audiences and Indian cinema, delving into shared histories of indenture and resistance.
Iyer is also co-editing a volume on the Indian New Waves and holds affiliations across Stanford’s key interdisciplinary centers, including Gender Studies and Comparative Race Studies. Her appointment reflects the growing prominence of Indian American scholars in reimagining South Asian studies in global academia
