Deepa Kumar

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Deepa Kumar is an Indian‑American scholar and activist who teaches at Rutgers University. She is a professor of Journalism and Media Studies and is known for her work on US imperialism, Islamophobia, anti‑Muslim racism, neoliberalism, gender, and media.

Education and career
Kumar earned a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Bangalore University in India, a Master’s degree in Mass Communication from Bowling Green State University in the United States, and a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh. At Rutgers, she has taught courses such as Gender, Race, and Empire. She has also been a leading figure in the Rutgers faculty union (AAUP‑AFT), serving as a president and helping secure a contract in 2019 that was praised as an example for advancing gender and racial equity.

Writings
Kumar has written several influential books and essays. Her 2008 book Outside the Box examines how corporate media cover labor struggles, focusing on the United Parcel Service strike of 1997. Her 2012 work Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire (updated in 2021 as Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire: 20 Years after 9/11) analyzes the rise of anti‑Muslim racism from early modern times through the War on Terror. She has written on topics such as Danish cartoons and Islamophobia, introducing the term “Green Scare” to describe fear‑mongering about Muslim Americans. Kumar has also contributed to discussions on Political Islam and has lectured widely; one of her lectures, Constructing the Terrorist Threat: Islamophobia, the Media & the War on Terror, was published by the Media Education Foundation in 2017.

Awards and recognition
In 2016, Kumar received the Dallas Smythe Award from the Union for Democratic Communications. She has also been honored with two American Association of University Professors (AAUP) awards—the Georgina M. Smith Award (2016) and the Marilyn Sternberg Award (2020)—for her contributions to academic work and advocacy.

Overview
Kumar is widely regarded as a leading scholar on Islamophobia and race. Her work connects media studies, imperial politics, and social justice, and she remains active in efforts to improve equity and fairness in higher education.