Faculty Associate
nijhawan[at]yorku.ca
Professor
Department of Sociology, York University
Research Keywords:
Transnational migration; religion; violence; trauma; health; medicine
Research Region(s):
Research Diaspora(s):
South Asian Diaspora
Michael Nijhawan is a social anthropologist and cultural sociologist interested in the fields of transnational migration, religion, violence, trauma, health and medicine. His research agenda crosses the disciplines of anthropology, sociology, critical religious studies, Sikh Studies and Islam. He currently works on a SSHRC-funded project on "Autoimmunity, Self, and Society: A Sociological Approach to Chronic Illness in the Wake of SARS-CoV-2" that includes qualitative research work with Asian diaspora populations. His prior research focused on the long-term effects of social, legal and political violence on Sikh and Ahmadi diaspora communities in Toronto and Frankfurt. He has been exploring how these communities negotiate experiences of both marginalization and resilience in the context of everyday lived religion. In this context, he has introduced the concept of Precarious Diasporas as a conduit to explore the fragility, mutability and complexity of diaspora communities.