Prof Chandak Sengoopta

Overview

Biography

Whilst retaining my interest in the history of medicine and science, I am currently working on a major new project on the historical, cultural and ideological contexts that shaped the work and impact of the film-maker, writer, designer and composer Satyajit Ray (1921-1992). A major aim of the study is to analyse how Ray's films, in spite of their profoundly Bengali/Indian setting and tone, came to be seen, especially by Western critics, as timeless and universal. Unlike the many biographical and critical studies on Ray, my project seeks to historicize his work and career, showing how they were shaped by the interplay of his three identities as a Bengali, an Indian and a "universal humanist".

Research

Research overview

I have three major research interests:
the history of European medicine
the history of modern science in India
the cultural history of modern India

In all these apparently disparate areas, I focus on the fundamental theme of identity and how sexual, racial and cultural identities are constructed, interpreted and disseminated in different historical contexts.

The latest product of this research is the book, The Most Secret Quintessence of Life: Sex, Glands and Hormones, 1850-1950 (University of Chicago Press, 2006), which investigates how the discovery of sex hormones transformed our notions of "male" and "female".
An earlier study analysed the biomedical roots of the Viennese philosopher Otto Weininger's notorious ideas on femininity and "Jewishness". I have also researched the emergence of identification techniques and their relation to broader social and cultural factors in Imprint of the Raj: How Fingerprinting was Born in Colonial India (Macmillan 2003).

Supervision and teaching

Supervision

Supervisions within Birkbeck:

3

I would be happy to supervise projects on the history of modern medicine and the life sciences, British and Central European cultural history; the history of colonialism (particularly on science and medicine in the British Empire); and the cultural history of modern India.

If you are interested in pursuing research in any of these areas, you should first read our advice on how to apply for MPhil/PhD research before submitting an application.

Current doctoral researchers

• SIMON FLYNN

  Nature of supervision:

  Joint Principal Supervisor, Sep 2024 onwards

  Title of thesis:

  Making Meaning: The Influence of Malthus on the Directions of Darwinism

Doctoral alumni since 2013-14

• SUGRA BIBI

  Nature of supervision:

  Principal Supervisor, Jan 2016

  Title of thesis:

  The Remittance Cultures of Indian Labourers: The Punjab 1850-1947

  Awarded:

  2022

• CLARE FITZPATRICK

  Nature of supervision:

  Joint Principal Supervisor, Oct 2016

  Title of thesis:

  "Miraculous and supernaturall effects" in the works of Henry More

  Awarded:

  2019

Teaching

Teaching modules

• The Science of Progress: Darwin, Evolution and the Making of Modernity (HICL195S7)
• London: Places, Objects, Ideas (SC03015S3)
• Mastering Historical Research: Birkbeck Approaches (SSHC247S7)
• Research Skills for Historians (SSHC386Z7)
• Exploring the Past (SSHC407S5)
• The Modern World (SSHC411S4)

Publications