Anu Taranath

Teaching Professor
Joint Appointment with Comparative History of Ideas (CHID)
Dr. Anu in a red dress in conversation

Contact Information

virtual office hours
Office Hours
by appointment

Biography

Ph.D., University of California San Diego, 2000

Dr. Anu Taranath brings both passion and expertise to her work as a speaker, facilitator and educator. As a UW Teaching Professor for the past 20 years and a racial equity consultant, Dr. Anu deepens conversations on diversity, social justice and global consciousness. She teaches about contemporary world and multi-ethnic literatures; colonial and postcolonial literatures and theory; and transnational feminist and cultural studies. A four-time member of Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, she has also received the Seattle Weekly’s “Best of Seattle” recognition, the UW’s Distinguished Teaching Award, and multiple US Fulbright Fellowships to work abroad.

Her book Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World was published in 2019, and has garnered many awards and honors:

  • Washington State Book Award in Nonfiction, 2020 (Shortlisted)
  • Fodor’s Travels best “13 Books to Inspire Your Travels”
  • Oprah Magazine’s “26 Best Travel Books Of All Times”
  • Foreward INDIES Book of the Year Prize (Bronze Prize Winner)
  • Wishing Shelf Awards in Nonfiction (Shortlisted)
  • Next Generation Indie Award in Social Justice (Shortlisted)​.

Beyond Guilt Trips has been featured in YES!, AFAR, Mindful, National Geographic and Bitch magazines, the national podcast “To the Best of Our Knowledge” and “Travel with Rick Steves” radio program.  For more on Dr. Anu, please visit www.anutaranath.com.

Awards
UW Distinguished Teaching Award
Seattle Weekly's "Best of Seattle" designation
Multiple US Fulbright Scholar Grants, including a spot on the Fulbright Specialist Roster
Four-time Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau Roster member
VONA/Voices Fellow and Hedgebrook Alumni
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Research

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