Professor Nasra M. Shah visit to the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) as “Scholar of Excellence”, October 2024
Professor Shah was invited to the TMC Center for Excellence in Research Chair (CERC) in migration and integration as a “Scholar of Excellence” in October 2024. Under the leadership of Dr. Anna Triandafyllidou, the CERC is a major think tank where more than 30 researchers, graduate students and specialists are doing cutting edge research on diverse aspects of migration spanning many different parts of the world. CERC invites renowned scholars to spend up to three months to work on their topics of interest and encourages collaboration with institutions where these scholars are employed. Two other scholars were visiting CERC along with Professor Shah, namely Dr. Marla Asis (Editor-in-Chief, Asian and Pacific Migration Journal), and Dr. Naika Foroutan, Professor, Humboldt University, Berlin.
One of the highlights of Professor Shah’s visit was participation in a one-day workshop on the emerging scholarship on de-centring, de-colonizing and de-racializing migration research. In a self-reflexive discussion, the participants discussed how the socio-economic and political context of the researcher’s life shaped their research themes and methodologies. They looked at the intersectional dimensions of privilege and disadvantage and the influence of the socio-economic, ethnic, racial and religious undertones of our times. The workshop aimed to contribute to re-centring analytical perspectives through personal-political experiences, considering the different geopolitical contexts and complex biographies of senior and emerging women academic leaders. Details of the one-day workshop can be found here.
Canada is a favourite destination for many migrants around the world, including Pakistanis. The Pakistani diaspora in Canada, defined to consist of Pakistanis who continue to maintain ties with the home country, is estimated to consist of 268,000 Pakistani-Canadian citizens, and several thousand non-permanent residents. As part of her work while at CERC, Professor Shah started a project on “A socio-Demographic and Economic Profile of Pakistani Migrants in Canada” on the basis of the 2021 Canadian Census. She also held discussions with CERC researchers to participate in an ongoing project that looks at transnational linkages of migrants in Canada, their sense of identity and belonging to the host country, and their future plans. She would focus on Pakistanis in Canada and try to collect some primary data through focus group discussions with selected professionals and their families.
Dr. Anna Triandafyllidou is a member of the Centre on International Migration, Remittances and Diaspora (CIMRAD) Advisory Board at GIDS, and we look forward to developing a professional relationship with CERC in future.
