Welcome to Dr Guntasha Kaur Tulsi: Research spotlight
Dr Guntasha Kaur Tulsi is the School of History's Charles Wallace India Trust visiting fellow 2026.
Dr Guntasha Kaur Tulsi joins us from the Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College at the University of Delhi and will be at Leeds for the autumn of 2026.
What is your research background?
My research background comprises of specialisation in Indian writings in regional languages and English, Translation Studies (mainly in practice and between English and Punjabi), Literary and Cultural Theory (with mainly a focus on post-colonial theory and related ideas) and English language teaching in an Indian classroom.
My doctoral work has focussed on an intensive study of the rare and community-conscious Sikh newspapers and periodicals which emerged from the fold of the Singh Sabha movement (1873) in undivided Punjab. I have utilised an archive-centred methodology to examine formulations in language, identity and culture (1873-1920) within the Sikh community during a formative phase of building of modern identity and its transformation into a relatively more conscious discourse in the subsequent decades.
What are your research plans while you are here at Leeds?
My research plans at Leeds comprises of accessing mostly important South Asia collections at the Brotherton Research Collection. I further aim to collaborate with specific groups functioning under the School of History (mainly the Empires & Aftermath research group, Institute for Colonial and Post-Colonial Studies, and Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums research group) and related faculty on aspects pertaining to circulation of print and periodical literature in British India and the multilayered discourse of negotiation, dialogue and subversion which arose from the same
I further plan to access other important South Asia collections at the British India Office, National Archives and SOAS, all based in London. I also plan to make a visit to the University of Edinburgh and Manchester for accessing their South Asian collectives and research build-ups.
What else are you looking forward to during your fellowship?
My other plans during the fellowship period comprise of productively organising a workshop and seminar around the impact of nineteenth-century print and periodical literature on regional Indian identities. I aim to collaborate with colleagues at the School of History and its related research groups to engage in dialogue in connection with necessity of re-configuring a study of history from the perspective of archives, and how it often incentivises a re-positioning of our understanding of the native-colonial encounter.
I also plan to explore the historical and vintage charm of Leeds and Yorkshire and breath of fresh air that this space brings into everyday research.
Charles Wallace India Trust fellowships
Dr Guntasha Kaur Tulsi’s fellowship is generously supported by the Charles Wallace India Trust. Learn more about the scheme on our fellowships webpage.
