Bio

Dr. Chakali Chandra Sekhar is a scholar of literary and cultural studies, with research interests spanning Dalit studies, Christianity, caste, and vernacular modernity in colonial and postcolonial South India. His work draws on literary texts, vernacular periodicals, missionary archives, and oral histories to examine the intersections of caste, religion, and social change. His current book manuscript, based on his PhD dissertation completed at the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad, explores Dalit engagements with Christianity and the social transformations it enabled in colonial Rayalaseema. Alongside this, his ongoing research project investigates Telugu Christian periodicals, public sphere formation, and the history of print culture in South India, with a focus on the cultural and intellectual contributions of Dalit-Christian communities.

His articles have appeared in journals such as South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, South Asia Research, Economic and Political Weekly, and Religions, addressing themes such as famine, gender, caste, conversion, and vernacular Christianity. His research has been supported by fellowships and grants from the DAAD, Charles Wallace India Trust, AHRC, and others. He has presented his work at international conferences and workshops in India, UK, Germany, Sweden, and the USA. He currently teaches English Language, literature, Dalit literature, women’s writing and Indian Literature in Translation, at SRR & CVR Government Degree College (Autonomous), Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.

Education

• Ph.D. in English (Cultural Studies), English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad

• M.Phil. in English (Cultural Studies), English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad

• PG Diploma in Women’s Studies, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University, Hyderabad

• M.A. in English, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Rajasthan

• B.A. in English, History, Economics, and Political Science, Government Degree College for Men, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh