Renu Susan Jacob has submitted her doctoral thesis in the Department of Cultural Studies at The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. Her research examines self-narratives of middle-class “housewives” and the construction of gendered subjectivities through practices of long-form vlogging on YouTube. Through this, she traces the reconfiguration of ideas of expertise and credibility in neoliberal India. Her areas of interest also include economic humanities, Malayalam cinema, and gender studies. Renu is a part of the editorial team of the Kerala studies blog, Ala, that publishes research on Kerala from across the disciplinary spectrum. Her work with the blog is informed by a commitment to making academic research work more accessible to a general readership. Renu holds a postgraduate degree in English from the University of Delhi and an undergraduate honours degree in English from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, she was a Guest Faculty of English at St Joseph’s College for Women and C.M.S Autonomous College in Kerala.

Research –  Gender studies; Digital Media; Economic humanities; Malayalam cinema

Publications – Jacob, Renu Susan. (2025). “Thoughts on the Titular Refrain and Lyrical Subtext in Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey.” The Economic and Political Weekly. https://doi.org/10.71279/epw.v60i4.41795

Teaching Modules – Writing and Oral Communication