South Asian Studies Institute
Dr. Jon Thomas, BC Regional Innovation Chair (UFV) has also been appointed as the Director, the Esposito Family Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (EFCIE) at UFV. The Esposito Family Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (EFCIE) is a new research hub at the University of the Fraser Valley working to foster an inclusive, vibrant, and resilient … Read more
For the past three years, the SASI has worked under the leadership of Dr. Dhami and Dr. Bajwa to organize the ‘Building Bridges Community Golf Day’ event. The annual golf tournament’s goal, which began in 2018, is to assist in the creation of an endowed Research Fellowship program housed at the South Asian Studies Institute. … Read more
The SASI is in the process of curating its next exhibit at the Sikh Heritage Museum, on the heels of the ‘Haq and History‘ ending its run. The Haq and History exhibit was curated by the Royal BC Museum in partnership with the SASI. The next exhibit, slated to launch April 14, 2021, is travelling … Read more
The SASI has been busy working on six major projects as part of its Provincially funded South Asian Canadian Legacy Project (SACLP). Each of the projects: the travelling exhibit, the labour history work, the digital archive, the social history book, the historic sites work and the school curriculum work is well underway with major milestones … Read more
The SASI has received a number of grants reflecting the breadth and depth of the work being undertaken. This includes the BC Arts Council, Arts Infrastructure program grant in the amount of of $24,436 to assist SASI in the installation of permanent exhibit of the Vancouver Maritime Museum’s 2014 exhibit titled Komagata Maru: Challenging Injustice. The … Read more
The South Asian Canadian Legacy Project was the successful recipient of the MITACS Business Strategy Internship grant totaling $10,000 from January 11, 2021 to May 11, 2021. MITACS introduced this new grant based on the new economic landscape due to COVID-19. This internship presents an opportunity to an UFV student to learn the new realities … Read more
The SASI has created a newsletter for all work, projects, exhibits and early Sikh settler story telling based on the Sikh Heritage Museum, located in the National Historic Site of Canada in Abbotsford, BC. The SASI has collected years of archival images and stories from the Punjabi settler community in Canada and would like to … Read more
Due to COVID restrictions SASI’s annual symposium related to the South Asian diaspora was a zoom conversation. The symposium featured a keynote address by noted scholar Dr. Suraj Yengde followed by a Q&A moderated by SASI Director Dr. Satwinder Kaur Bains. Dr. Yengde, a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School is author of the … Read more
The SASI is pleased to have Dr. Kusum Soni join as Coordinator in a shared position. Kusum brings with her the strengths and interests in global citizenship, inter-cultural capacity building and preserving cultural heritage and inter-generational values. She is a strong feminist, a consummate advocate for women’s rights, youth empowerment and takes initiatives in community … Read more
The Sikh Heritage Museum in Abbotsford, located in the National Historic Site Gur Sikh Temple received the National Trust for Canada award as a Resilient Historic Place. Established in 2013 through the generous sponsorship of Ecclesiastical Insurance, these awards honour projects and sites in two categories: exemplary commercial, institutional or mixed-use projects (transformative projects); and places … Read more