Dr Suman Ghosh

Personal statement

Dr Suman Ghosh is Subject Leader, Film and Television. Dr Ghosh joined Bath Spa in 2010. He previously taught in the universities of Central Lancashire and Lancaster. 

A film historian and commentator, Dr Ghosh has published his work in academic journals as well as mainstream platforms, particularly on the cinema of Satyajit Ray, which were the subject of his doctoral thesis. He led a series of public events to celebrate Ray’s centenary in 2021, including invited talks at the London Indian Film Festival and the IFFSA, Toronto. 

Dr Ghosh teaches across the Film programme, leading modules on American cinema, global film cultures and political cinema from a selection of mainstream, arthouse and independent film traditions.

Academic qualifications

• B.Sc (Physics), Presidency College, Calcutta University
• MA (Comparative Literature), Jadavpur University
• PhD (Cultural Research), Lancaster University
• MBA (Leadership), Bath Business School.

Professional memberships

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Bath Spa employment

• Film and Television Lead at Bath Spa University, including:
  • BA (Hons) Film and Screen Studies
  • BA (Hons) Film, TV and Digital Production
  • BA (Hons) Sports Production

• Collaborations Lead in the School of Art, Film and Media and a member of the School's Management Team
• Co-Chair of the University's Global Inclusivity Network, and member of the Combined Honours Steering Group, International Strategy Group and Equality and Diversity Steering Group. 

Other external roles

Dr Ghosh was Erasmus Plus Visiting Faculty to Taras Shevchenko University, Ukraine in 2019, RUSA Visiting Professor at Jadavpur University, India in 2020 and most recently Erasmus Plus Visiting Faculty to Adamas University, India in 2022.

He has also been an invited speaker on Indian film at events hosted by the Visva Bharati University, and TMYS India. 

Dr Ghosh has published in mainstream platforms including The Conversation, The Independent and the World Economic Forum. He is a member of the Editorial Board for South Asian Studies (Taylor and Francis) and a reviewer for major academic publishers.

Areas of expertise

Dr Ghosh has particular interest in transitional moments in film culture and is currently working on decolonisation of film and cultural discourse.

He created ‘Bristol Remembers Rammohun Roy’, a short documentary on the 19th century Indian religious and social reformer, which was publicly screened at the Government of India’s official Rammohun memorial celebrations in Kolkata in September 2013, and later at other venues including the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, Kolkata, and at Rammohun’s ancestral village in Radhanagar, West Bengal, India. This was followed by a second documentary on Rammohun's role in connection with the Abolitionist movement in Bristol.

He has been an invited speaker on Higher Education in the UK at events organised by the British Council, events on Indian Cinema organised by BAFTA, an Arts Council funded series on Indian Cinema at the Dukes Theatre, Lancaster, BFI-hosted Indian film events at The Watershed, Bristol and at Phoenix Cinema, London. 

Dr Ghosh has also been an invited speaker at the Indian International Film Academy (IIFA), London Indian Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival.