Dr. Ambedkar Emancipation Day at UFV

On Oct 14, in commemoration of Emancipation Day – the day that Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar embraced Buddhism, the SASI and CHETNA organized a discussion on the annihilation of caste. A painting of Dr. Ambedkar installed at the UFV library was unveiled in the presence of members of the community, Dr. James Mandigo, Acting President and … Read more

Building Solidarity: Anti-Casteism at UFV

On September 19th, the SASI and UFV Library hosted a welcome back to campus event for students in the Library Rotunda that focused on creating an anti-caste UFV campus. Artist Raghavendra K.V. Rao donated a painting of Dr. Ambedkar to UFV Library where it will serve as a reminder of our commitment to anti-caste work. … Read more

Dr. Christine Moliner, Visiting Scholar from O.P. Jindal University

Dr. Christine Moliner from O.P. Jindal University, Haryana came to SASI as a Visiting Scholar in June to undertake research on the local Punjabi diaspora. During Dr. Moliner’s visit, she held two presentations at the SASI: one with MA student Prabhjot Kaur titled ‘Enough Schooling: Migration to Canada & Aspirations of the Youth in Panjab’ … Read more

Exhibition Opening & Komagata Maru Commemoration

The SASI launched a new exhibition at the Sikh Heritage Museum on July 25th, 2023: Marriages & Migration: A Transnational Story of BC. Evocative photos from the Del Monte collection allowed us to tell the history of transnational marriages in Abbotsford’s Panjabi Sikh community. The photographs in the exhibition present a glimpse into Panjabi Sikh … Read more

Paldi Historical Museum Opening

On July 1st, the Paldi Khalsa Diwan Society hosted a grand opening of the Paldi Historical Museum (located in the Paldi gurdwara) as part of the community’s annual Jor Mela. The museum space is in the Paldi gurdwara at 23 Paldi Road. The South Asian Canadian Digital Archive hosts multiple collections on Paldi: the Joan … Read more

SASI Research Awards

The South Asian Studies Institute (SASI) received a $15,000 matching grant from the British Columbia History Digitization Centre Program. With the grant SASI aims to digitize, preserve, and provide open access to Dr. Norman Buchignani and Dr. Doreen Indra fonds in the South Asian Canadian Digital Archive. The fonds consists of 2.5 linear feet of … Read more

Haq and History Travels to Port Moody

On Sunday, May 7th, the SASI team attended the opening reception of the Haq and History exhibition at the Port Moody Station Museum. Haq and History is a collaborative exhibition created by the Royal BC Museum and the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley, as part of the South Asian … Read more

Equality Day Observation and Celebration at SASI

On April 26th, the SASI was honoured to observe and celebrate Equality Day as part of the 2023 Dr. Ambedkar International Symposium on Emancipation and Equality Day Vancouver. This was the 20th year for the week-long International Dalit Conference held in Vancouver since 2003. In May 2023, people collected at a forum for academics and … Read more