MA Gender and Development, University of Sussex/Institute of Development Studies, 2008.  

BA Communication, Simon Fraser University, 2008.

Supervisor: Dr. Gaston Gordillo

I am interested in the spaces that are created by the intersections between religiosity, affect, embodiment, and gendered identities. My research involves exploring the religious practices of Sikh women and the ways in which religious bodies and practices are created, honed, practiced and carried out in everyday life. I have a number of years of experience working in university research settings, community development and international development, both in Canada and India in various fields.

Arora, Kamal and Michael Nijhawan.  2013. Sikh Youth Diasporicity and the Complexity of Gendered Religious Bodies. In Glenda Bonifacio (ed): Feminism, Migration, and Transnational Practices in Canada. Toronto: Canadian Scholars Press. (Forthcoming).

Arora, Kamal, Gul, D. and M. Nijhawan. 2013. Violence, Memory, and the Dynamics of Transnational Youth Formations. Editorial. Sikh Formations 9(3): Forthcoming.

Nijhawan, Michael and Kamal Arora. 2013. ‘Lullabies for Broken Children’: Diasporic Citizenship and the Dissenting Voices of Young Sikhs in Canada. Sikh Formations 9(3): Forthcoming.

Arora, Kamal and Sophie Voegele. 2013. Questioning assumptions of universally applicable social theories: Considerations on women’s empowerment in India. In Indian Women: Issues and Perspectives. Delhi: Indian Publishers Distributors.

Arora, Kamal. Punjabi Sikh Youth In Canada. Presented at: The Punjab Trilogy: Documentaries by Ajay Bhardwaj. JNU, Delhi, March 9.

Arora, Kamal. August 10, 2012.Wisconsin shooting: Tragic extension of everyday hate experienced by Sikhs in North America. Rabble.ca Available at: http://rabble.ca/news/2012/08/wisconsin-shooting-tragic-extension-everyday-hate-experienced-sikhs-north-america

Arora, Kamal.  2012. “Let Me Tell You about 1984″: Identity and Aesthetic Renderings of Violence Amongst Sikh Youth in Toronto, Canada. Paper presented at Constellations, Confrontations and Aspirations: Reflections on Diaspora and Transnationalism Through the Lens of Youth Formations. York University, Toronto, May 22-23.

Arora, Kamal. 2010. The Politics of Pain: Gender, Mourning and the Punjab Crisis.”Presented at Sikholars: Sikh Graduate Studies Conference. Stanford University, Stanford, Feb 20.

Arora, Kamal and Voegele, Sophie. 2010. Questioning assumptions of universally applicable social theories: Considerations on women’s empowerment in India. Paper presented at the Canadian Asian Studies Association Annual Conference, October 30.

Haines, R.J., Johnson, J.L., Carter, C.I., Arora, K. June 2009. “I couldn’t say, I’m not a girl” – Adolescents Talk about Gender and Marijuana Use. Social Science & Medicine. 68(11): 2029-2036.

Arora, K. 2008. The Politics of Pain: Gender, Mourning and the Punjab Crisis. Paper presented at the Association for Research on Mothering Annual Conference, Toronto, York University, October 26.

Arora, Kamal. 2008. The Politics of Pain: Gender, Mourning and the Punjab Crisis. MA dissertation. Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, UK.

Projects

Phd Research: Bodies That Mourn: Sikh Women’s Religiosity and the Legacy of Communal Violence (working title).

Researcher for “Predicaments of a “Post-Conflict” Generation: A Comparative Study of Sikh and Ahmadiyya Diaspora Formations” with Michael Nijhawan at York University.