Soumya James

Bio

I received my Ph.D. (2011) and M.A. (2005) from the Department of History of Art and Visual Studies, Cornell University. My dissertation titled, ‘The symbiosis of image, monument and landscape: A study of select goddess images at Prasat Kravan, Banteay Srei and Kbal Spean in Cambodia’, focused on three Angkor-period sites dated between the early 10th to 11th century C.E. My research focuses on the confluence of religious, eco-political and geographic factors that influence and localize the choice and iconography of images in premodern Southeast Asia. In my dissertation, I examine how landscape was manipulated to interact with the 11th century reclining Vishnu and Lakshmi images on Kbal Spean to articulate localized Tantric beliefs, and their link to the Angkorean water management network. Additionally, the 10th century Durga Mahishasuramardini carving at Banteay Srei requiring human interaction to augment its meaning, appears to encapsulate ritual performance of animal sacrifice within its static representation. I suggest that the divine feminine had a critical religious and eco-political presence in the Angkor period.

CV (PDF) Interests