Dr Rathna Ramanathan

Biography

Rathna Ramanathan is a typographer, researcher and educator known for her expertise in intercultural communication, and alternative publishing practices. She is Dean of Academic Strategy and Reader in Intercultural Communication at Central Saint Martins. For the past twenty years, Rathna has headed research-led, intercultural, multi-platform graphic communication design projects, all fuelled by a love for, and life-long interest in typography and language, and a belief that communication is a fundamental human right.

There are two strands to Ramanathan’s research activity: intercultural graphic communication and investigations into non-mainstream and alternative publishing, which include experimental book design and production (print and digital).The former is evidenced through a focus in the research, design and curation of marginalised content and endangered practices within intercultural publishing with South Asia as the site of investigation. Themes that resonate in Ramanathan’s work include the relevance of tangible and intangible heritages in contemporary design; dialogues of people, politics and place; and empowering marginalised voices.

The latter strand involves working with independent publishers who use innovative and experimental methods of print and digital production, and challenge the form of the book. Underlying themes include an interest in the graphic and material potential of language and in the evolving relationship between form, media and content to address social and political issues.

Originally from Chennai, India, Ramanathan is now based in London. Her research and practice are predominantly focused in the Global South, specifically South Asia. This ‘critical position’ of situating between two cultural contexts is crucial to Ramanathan's role as an academic. Intercultural practice is a core characteristic of her approach to learning, teaching and research. As noted by (Killick, 2018) intercultural practice ‘places considerably more emphasis on the ways in which the diverse cultures of universities, of faculty and of students inform some of the good practice principles, given the contexts of internationalisation and globalisation’.