Dr Mohit Prasad
Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs
Faculty of Arts, Law and Education (FALE)
Dr Mohit Prasad teaches Pacific Literature, Film, Diaspora and Postcolonial Studies at the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji. He is the Director of the Pacific Writing Forum and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs in the Faculty of Arts, Law and Education (FALE). He gained his Bachelors and Masters Degree at USP between 1993 and 1997 and was awarded with Gold Medals at the BA and Post-Grad Diploma levels. He was awarded a Vice-Chancellors PhD Award scholarship with the University of Western Sydney in 2002 and completed his dissertation and received his award in 2005.
Dr Prasad has wide and varied research interests. This is reflected in his outputs and some of their research outcomes. He has published widely on scholarship in areas like Pacific Literature, Diaspora Studies, and general literary studies. He is the recipient of the 2009 Vice-Chancellors Award for Research Excellence (USP). This was in recognition for research that led to the chapter contribution titled ‘Vijay Singh and the Indo-Fijian Work Ethics’ in Comparing Postcolonial Diasporas edited by Michelle Keown, David Murphy and James Procter and published by Palgrave Macmillan.
Recent publications include a history of the Sanatan (Hindu religious) movement in Fiji (2008); a second edition of the history of football in Fiji (2008); a Civic History of Ba – a municipal town in Fiji (2009). A current project is nearing completion on a history of football in Ba, a champion district team in Fiji. Contemporary works in popular history and popular culture has led to invitation to provide commentaries on, and deliver papers on the subject in Fiji, Australia, United States, Canada and Hawaii. Among administrative and organisation achievements has been inclusion into organising committees in conferences on literature and creativity since 1999 at USP and recently convened the Oceans, Islands and Skies -Conference on Creativity and Climate Change in 2010. As Associate Dean Research innovations include the inaugural Research Expo on Archival, Library and Data agencies in 2011 and initiating Research Writing Residencies at the inter-faculty level in 2011 and a specific program for FALE Post-Graduate students in research writing in 2012.
An acknowledged creative writer and his works have been cited regionally and internationally by scholars working in varied disciplines including Pacific Studies and international studies on the Indian Diaspora. Among publication are four volumes of poetry, Eyes of the Mask (1998), Eating Mangoes (2000), Kissing Rain (2006) and Songs of the Jahajin (2010). Short stories and other contributions have been published in journals, and anthologies like Bittersweet (2005), Stolen Worlds (2006), and Writing the Pacific (2008). Two anthologies, Saraga! (2006) and Dried Shells (2008) both feature new writing from Oceania were published under his editorship. He has published numerous journal articles and delivered papers and addressed at various conferences. He is the general editor of Dreadlocks, the literary journal of the School of Language, Arts and Media. The current volume of Dreadlocks published in association with the Auckland University of Technology and the Pacific Media Center, will be launched in March 2012.
Current research projects include writing a chapter contribution on Grand Parenting: The Single Grandparent in the Indo-Fijian diaspora, for an international publication on grandparents of the Indian diaspora. A major project is a documentary drama film based on the treatment of plantation women in Fiji during the indenture until 1920 and their transition to freedom. The project is in the last stages of filming and will be in post-production from April, 2012.
