FACULTY PROFILE
Dr. Susan Thomas
History, Kalady Main Centre
Designation
Professor
Profile Summary
Susan Thomas received her Ph D from the MG University Kerala on the topic“ Property Relations and Family Forms in Colonial Keralam”. Was the recipient of the ICHR Fellowship for Ph D.<br /> <br /> Part of the international project for the digitization the records of the Syrian Christian Community in collaboration with the Central European University Budapest, Hill Museum and Manuscript Library Minnesota and the Tubingen University.<br /> <br /> Awarded the UGC Research Award (2015-18) for doing post doctoral research on ‘Historicizing Church and Community: Syrian Christian Community in the 19th and 20th Century Kerala’ through the digitized palm leaf records as part of the international project. (these palm leaf records are a major source for understanding not just the social, economic and cultural history of the community but also the history of the region)<br /> <br /> Guest Professor at the JewsEast Summer School 2018, at the Centre for Religious Studies (CERES), Ruhr Universitat Bochum.<br /> <br /> Published many research articles in national and international journals on the Syrian Christians and the nair communities of Kerala and on setting up of Digital Archives.<br /> <br /> Attended conferences and programmes on gender justice and social justice of the Christian Conference of Asia.<br /> <br /> Delegate for UN Women hosted CSW65 (Commission on the status of women 65th conference) held in 2021.<br />
Experience
Taught both at the UG and PG levels for the past 20 years. Guided research students at the M.Phil and Ph.D levels. <br /> International Teaching: Lectures on Kerala History, Trading communities, Sources in Malayalam, Tarisappalli copper Plate, and Christian Palm leaves at the JewsEast Summer School 2018, on, ‘Jews and Christians between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean: Co-existence and Conflict 600-1800CE’ conducted by and at the Centre for Religious Studies (CERES), Ruhr Universitat Bochum.
Courses Taught
History of Kerala -I, II and III (Ancient, Medieval and Modern periods) Perspectives of Historical writing in India, Medieval Societies/ Feudal Societies, History of Science and Technology in Pre-modern India History of Science,Technology and Medicine in Colonial India Twentieth Century World, Modern Revolutions History of Kerala Themes in World History
Achievements
Director Office of International Affairs, SSUS, 2023 Coordinator, ABC Committe , SSUS 2023 Member, Board stuides - CMS College,Kottayam; M.A. College Kothamangalam External Expert for promotion to professor in MG University and Calicut University Subject Expert for appointment of Assistant Professor - I in St. Josph's College Alapuzha and UC College Aluva Chairperson Internal Complaints Commiitte, SSUS, April - December 2023 Member Editorial Board, Eastern Christian Cultures in Contact, Book Series, Brepols Belgium, 2020 UGC Research Award for postdoctoral research 2015-18 Guest Professor at JewsEast Summer School 2018, on, ‘Jews and Christians between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean: Co-existence and Conflict 600-1800CE’ conducted by and at the Centre for Religious Studies (CERES), Ruhr Universitat Bochum. Opened up a new area of study through the palm leaf documents of the Syrian Christian Churches for the study of Kerala history in the 19th and 20th centuries. Member of the international project for the digitization the records of the Syrian Christian Community in collaboration with the Central European University Budapest, Hill Museum and Manuscript Library Minnesota and the Tubingen University. Delegate to the 65th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65) organized by UN Women in 2021 Recipient of the ICHR Fellowship for Ph D.
Post Doctoral Achievements
UGC Research Award 2015-18 topic- Historicizing Church and Community: Syrian Christian Community in the 19th and 20th Century Kerala
Number of Ph.D’s produced
| Name of the scholar | Tittle of the Phd thesis | Date of Award |
|---|---|---|
| Deepa K N | Gender in the Context of Internal Migration from Travancore to Malabar | Nil |
| Sabu Samuel | Printed Community, Printing Community: Community Formation in and through Print Media | 04-05-2018 |
| Jani Chungathu | Conflicts, Negotiations and Compromises: A Study on the Syrian Christians of Kerala in the 18th and 19th centuries | 25-03-2019 |
Research Topics
Ph. D- Property Relations and Family Forms in Colonial Keralam. Modern Kerala History, Christian Community Formations in the Modern period, Social History of the christian community
Chapter in Books
| SusanThomas. Fall from Grace: Gender and Community Formations among Syrian Christians. Zooming In: Historicizing the Religious Spaces of Women in Kerala. (eds.) Manoj Kumar P S & Sandhya Unnikrishnan. Meena Books. New Delhi. 2019. 54-70. |
| Susan Thomas. Donation and Patronage in the Syrian Christian Church. On Present(in/g) Histories. Sebastian Joseph (ed.). DC Books. Kottayam. 2017. 164-176. |
| Susan Thomas. ‘Locating the State in Conflicts and Resolution: Leaves from Syrian Christian History. Proceedings of the Third International Kerala History Conference. Proceedings of the Third International Kerala History Conference,. Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society Ltd.. Kottayam. 2016. 215-227. |
Journal Article
| Susan Thomas ( 2016). Inheritance of Loss: Dowry among the Syrian Christian Women’: Social Orbit Journal of Social Sciences,, Vol.Vol 2. 44-54. ISSN:2395-77189 |
| Susan Thomas ( 2017). From Kerala Society Papers to Family Histories: On The Trail of a lost Manuscript: Journal of History and Society, Vol.6. 1 7-17. ISSN:2320 6276 |
| Susan Thomas (2020). Colonial Enterprise in the 'Re-forming' of the Syrian Christians of Kerala: Hekamtho, Vol.3. 2 36-48. ISSN:2395-4426 |
Conference Proceeding
| Title | Year | Conference publication name | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donation and Patronage in the Syrian Christian Church | 2017 | Selected papers from the second Kerala History Congress | kottayam |
| Locating the State in Conflicts and Resolution: Leaves from Syrian Christian History | 2016 | Proceedings of the Third International Kerala History Conference, | Kottayam |
Additional Details
1. ‘Leaves From the Past: Life World in the 19th Century’, Paper Presentation, 9th World Syriac Conference, SEERI, Kottayam, Septmber 2018 2. “From Trade to Land: Transition of the Syrian Christians in the 19th Century’, paper presented at the 38th South Indian History Congress, Calicut, 29th January, 2018. 3. “From Trade to Land: Transition of the Syrian Christians in the 19th Century’, paper presented as Resource person at the Two Day National Seminar on Trade in Kerala: New Themes and Perspectives, organized by the Maharajas College, Ernakulam, on December 12-13, 2017. 4. ‘Historizing the Local Archive’, paper presented as Resource person at the One Day Seminar on Recent Trends in Kerala History Research Methodology, organized by the Sri C Achutha Menon Government College, Thrissur, on November 14, 2017. 5. ‘Colonial Enterprise and the Re-‘forming’ of the Syrian Christians’, paper presented as Resource person at the UGC National Seminar on Indian History and Culture in the Promotion of Human Values, organized by the Bharathidasan Government College for Women, Puducherry, on September 21-22, 2017.