ASMA SAYED

Dr. Asma Sayed is the Canada Research Chair in South Asian Literary and Cultural Studies in the Department of English at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Her academic research focuses on postcolonial and diasporic literatures and cultures and representations of gender and race in literature, film (especially Bollywood), and media. She draws on critical equity studies, critical race theory, and postcolonial and decolonial Studies to examine issues of marginalization, solidarity, and cultural identity. The author/editor of seven books and numerous articles, Sayed’s current projects explore Indian Ocean studies, postcolonial feminist fiction, and South Asian food cultures.

PUSHPA RAJ ACHARYA

Dr. Pushpa Raj Acharya is a Postdoctoral Fellow in South Asian Studies at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He holds a PhD in Comparative Literature and South Asian Studies from the University of Toronto and an MPhil in English from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. His research focuses on postcolonial and diasporic literature, with particular attention to law, debt, political theology, democracy, and violence. He has taught English, postcolonial and South Asian literature, literary theory, and creative writing. His documentary films focus on food and art, and he has also authored and edited five poetry books.