Proposed Thesis Title: Calcutta In The Cold War: Anti-Imperialism, Global Solidarity, And The Emergence Of A Postcolonial Metropolis (1947-1975)

Supervisor: Associate Professor Hajimu Masuda

Souradeep Chatterjee (He/Him) is a first-year PhD student in the Department of History at the National University of Singapore (NUS). His research focuses on the Cold War and how the perceived rivalry between the superpowers was viewed, contested, and negotiated from the vantage point of the Global South. Using a multidisciplinary approach, his research seeks to move beyond the traditional focus on high politics and examine how the Cold War was experienced and understood by people and communities who were not always at the centre of the superpower conflict.

Souradeep was born and raised in Kolkata, India. He completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees in the Department of Bengali at Jadavpur University (JU). At JU, he also took elective courses in International Relations and Sociology, which helped him develop a keen interest in twentieth-century Bengali children’s literature and its engagement with themes such as the Second World War and the Cold War. He is also interested in the history and memory of the Partition of India and is a Citizen Historian with the 1947 Partition Archive.

Before joining NUS, Souradeep worked as a journalist and columnist for over four years. He worked extensively on international news, covering political, social, and diplomatic affairs in Europe and North America. His columns have appeared in leading Bengali daily newspapers, including Anandabazar Patrika, Ei Samay, and Aajkaal. He was also associated with All India Radio, where he regularly hosted talk shows on FM Rainbow for over three years.

Although now engaged in full-time research, Souradeep has a hobby of reading (and often, collecting) newspapers from different countries. He enjoys watching football, films, and web series, and is always happy to share an adda (the Bengali tradition of relaxed, informal conversation) with friends and loved ones.