Karen L Donoghue

Shillong, Meghalaya

Grant Category:	Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Project Title:	Cultural Continuity and Community: An Oral History of the Mizo Diaspora in the United States of America
Field of Study:	History
Home Institution:	North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Meghalaya
Host Institution:	Baylor University , Waco, TX
Grant Start Month:	October 2025
Duration of Grant:	Twenty-four months

Brief Bio:

Dr. Karen L. Donoghue is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at North-Eastern Hill University in Shillong, Meghalaya. She obtained her BA from St. Anthony’s College, Shillong, which is affiliated with North-Eastern Hill University, in 2007 and completed her MA at Sikkim Manipal University in 2010. In July 2021, she was awarded a PhD by North-Eastern Hill University in Shillong, Meghalaya.

Dr. Donoghue’s research interests primarily lie in the fields of media representation, gender, and oral history, focusing on the intersection of media and self-representation, with oral history as a central method. She has published several research articles in reputable national and international journals. She was awarded a gold medal by North-Eastern Hill University for achieving first rank in her BA program.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Baylor University, Texas, Dr. Donoghue is focusing on the experiences, values, and practices of the Mizo diaspora in the United States through their oral histories. During her fellowship, she will examine migration patterns, community formation, and socio-political integration through lenses such as community collectives known as ‘pawls’ and the Mizo song tradition, as well as the role of technology and social media in preserving the cultural identity of the Mizo in the United States. Given the Mizo community’s predominantly Christian faith and the sizeable Christian population in the U.S., this project offers a unique perspective on transnational identity and solidarity.