Graduate Associate
ssukhdev[at]yorku.ca
Doctoral Student
Graduate Programme in Theatre & Performance Studies, York University
Research Keywords:
Identity; culture; environment; mental health; human rights
Research Region(s):
India
Research Diaspora(s):
South Asian Diaspora
Shabnam Sukhdev is an Indo-Canadian filmmaker, artist-educator and interdisciplinary researcher whose work bridges performance, media and community-engaged scholarship. With a background in documentary filmmaking and an MFA in Film Production from York University, Shabnam's creative practice is deeply rooted in South Asian identity, intergenerational memory and lived experience. Her research interrogates the cultural politics of family, trauma and healing within diasporic contexts through decolonizing, feminist and critical disability frameworks. Drawing on methodologies such as interpretive autoethnography, devised theatre and digital storytelling, she creates participatory spaces for storytelling, reflection and resistance. Shabnam’s work has been featured in film festivals, academic
conferences and community spaces, where she continues to explore the intersections of art, activism and scholarship.
Photo credit: Ishan Shastri