She joined the New School faculty in 1988, and was chair of the department from 2000 to 2008. She previously taught in the English department at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and lectured at Lucknow University in India. Her books include National Identity in Indian Popular Cinema, 1947-1987 and The Enemy Within: The Films of Mrinal Sen. She was a member of Fulbright National Screening Committee for 2009-2010 and a recipient of the Social Science Research Council Advanced Research Grant for 1996-1997.