Nandita Sharma

Background

I entered university with the goal of becoming an immigration lawyer. However, after taking sociology courses as an undergraduate student, I changed my mind and pursued graduate degrees in sociology with the aim of becoming a professor of migration. I have no regrets! As an "activist scholar," my involvement in globally active social movements struggling for justice has shaped my research agenda and my teaching. I am an active member of several social movements, particularly the No Borders movement and those struggling for the commons. To these movements, I bring a feminist, anti-racist approach. It is incredibly fulfilling to know that one is a part of making our world a place for all.

Education

• PhD, Sociology and Equity Studies, University of Toronto (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education), 2000
• MA, Sociology, Simon Fraser University, 1995
• BA, Sociology (Minor: History), Simon Fraser University, 1993

Courses

• SOC 218: Introduction to Social Problems
• SOC 413: Analysis in Economy and Society
• SOC 492: Politics of Multiculturalism
• SOC 612: Contemporary Sociological Theory
• SOC 620: Seminar in Social Stratification
• SOC 706: Cultural Analysis
• SOC 715: Seminar in Current Issues in Sociology
• SOC 725 (Alpha): Seminar in Race and Ethnicity

Research

My research interests address human migration, migrant labor, nation-state power, ideologies of racism, sexism, and nationalism, processes of identification and self-understanding, and social movements for justice.

Community Engagement

I am an active part of social movements for the global commons and in opposition to racist, sexist, classist, and nationalist institutions that socially position some above all others. In particular, I am interested in creating the kinds of consciousness needed to challenge existing structures and cultures and to create new ways of being and acting in the world so leaves no one or nothing out.