Dr. Asma Sayed is Canada Research Chair in South Asian Literary and Cultural Studies. Through her research, Dr. Sayed is exploring the significant contributions of South Asian Canadian writers and filmmakers to Canadian culture from 1910 to 2020. She is raising awareness about how these artists helped foster fairness and empathy in Canadian society. Using an intersectional social justice framework, Sayed is analyzing literary and visual texts to establish theories about how we can interpret creative expressions as sites of socio-political change and activism.
Explore more about the projects here.
In 2024, Sayed co-edited with Dr. John C. Ball (University of New Brunswick) a special issue of the journal Studies in Canadian Literature. The issue focused on the theme of ‘The Ruptured Commons’ and included thirteen articles on Canadian texts. Dr. Sayed co-authored the article titled “Ruptured Relationships in a Patriarchal Commons: Mother-Daughter Conflict in Priscila Uppal’s Projection: Encounters with my Runaway Mother” with KPU English alumna, Jacqueline Walker.
In October 2023, Dr. Sayed organized an international symposium on the literatures and cultures of the Indian Ocean World. The organizing team included her postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Pushpa Raj Acharya, and KPU English alum, Aneil Sidhu. Many faculty members from ENGL attended the symposium.
A number of students, especially from ENGL, work with Dr. Sayed as research assistants. They work on a number of projects and occasionally co-author articles. Here are some examples:
Review of The Secret Keeper with Brittany Lumb
Review of Hana Khan Carries On with Jacqueline Walker