Degrees

Ph.D., University of Cinncinati; M.A., University of Calcutta, India; B.A., Presidency College in Calcutta, India

Short Bio

Dr. Jaita Talukdar is an assistant professor in the department of sociology at Loyola University, New Orleans. Before coming to Loyola she taught as Visiting Assistant Professor at Northland College: The Environmental Liberal Arts College in Wisconsin and Temple University in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Talukdar's research lies at the intersection of gender, culture, globalization, body, health and food. In her recently completed dissertation she examined the question: how do women interpret cultural meanings about body and eating when they find themselves in the midst of a changing cultural landscape? Particularly, Dr. Talukdar studied the religious institution of fasting and the modern institution of dieting to examine how women negotiated the traditional- modernity divide that characterizes urban contexts in non-western societies. She found that the women in her study were not blind to the regressive, patriarchal motives of fasting and dieting. In their own practices of fasting and dieting the women modified rituals and expectations to fulfill goals that expanded rather than constricted their roles. Women who “fasted” thought of it as a necessary appendage to their role as home-makers, while women who dieted thought of it as an imperative to become productive workers in urban economies. In her future research endeavors she intends to develop theoretical frameworks that explores how cultural meanings along class and ethnic lines impacts women’s understanding of their bodies and health, and more importantly, in which instances culture protects or (alternatively) acts as catalysts in developing health complications.

Courses Taught

• Introductory Sociology
• Gender, Body, and Health
• Sociology of Gender