Jatinder Mann joins UFV as SASI Director

Dr. Jatinder Mann has joined the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) as Director of the South Asian Studies Institute (SASI), succeeding Dr. Satwinder Bains, who retires this month.

Jatinder comes to UFV from the United Kingdom (UK). He holds several degrees and credentials, including a PhD from the University of Sydney in Australia and, most recently, a Master of Laws degree from the University of Reading in the UK, where he was also a visiting research fellow.

His research has focused on transnational, international, and comparative history, law, and politics, with an emphasis on Australia, Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand, South Africa, and the British World.

One of his future research projects will focus on transnational family connections, drawing from his own experience as a person of South Asian (Punjabi) descent born and raised in the UK with family connections in Australia, Canada, Dubai, India, and the United States. He has lived and worked in the UK, Australia, Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Hong Kong.

“When I saw the position advertised, it seemed like a great fit for me,” Jatinder notes. “I am very impressed by how much Satwinder and SASI have achieved in its first two decades.”

He stresses that he is very aware that he is not stepping into a “clean slate” but rather to a vibrant research institute with many projects on the go, and that he is looking forward to stewarding them while helping to launch new initiatives.

“It’s great to see an institute like SASI doing important work in building archives for the South Asian community in Canada and collecting oral histories. These are living treasures that we will keep going,” he notes. “I will do my best to continue the legacy, which I don’t take lightly. I have not come across anything quite like SASI so far in my career. What struck me from the beginning is the focus on and relationship with the community.”

As for the future of SASI, Jatinder plans to guide initiatives focused on three categories: regional/provincial, national, and transnational. He notes that people of South Asian descent comprise one of the most wide-ranging diasporas in the world, with settlements on almost every continent.

“I’m hoping to secure funding for new initiatives and build new relationships,” he says. “My door is always open, and I’m hoping that my international experience will be something that my colleagues can draw upon.”

Jatinder is the creator and manager of the Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand Studies Network (ACNZSN) and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

His current research project is focused on the ‘Transnational Identities of the Global South Asian Diaspora in Australia, Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand, and South Africa, 1900s–1940s’. He has more than 40 refereed publications, including 12 books and edited journals. Jatinder’s most recent book is Reflecting on the British World: Essays in Honour of Carl Bridge (2024). He has published numerous articles in front-ranking and emerging interdisciplinary journals. Jatinder is a co-editor in the forthcoming Documents on Australian Foreign Policy: Australia in War and Peace, 1914–1919 with UNSW Press. He is also the editor for a book series on Studies in Transnationalism.

Jatinder is the editor-in-chief and book reviews editor of the Journal of Australian, Canadian, and Aotearoa New Zealand Studies (JACANZS).

Jatinder’s academic journey includes visiting fellowships at King’s College London, the Australian National University, Carleton University, and Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington.

He and his partner John are settling into their new home in Chilliwack with their four cats and are looking forward to exploring their new community.