The South Asian Sociologist (SAS) Community was formed to address the pervasive sense of marginality and invisibility among South Asian sociologists in the U.S. This sense of collective invisibility reflects the unique dynamics of U.S. racialization for persons of South Asian descent who are marginalized in multiple contexts, including within the “Asian American” umbrella. Through the South Asian Sociologists Community, ASA seeks to provide opportunities for networking, mentorship, and the exchange of ideas among sociologists of South Asian/American/diaspora descent.
Formed in 2023, this Community hopes to convene as follows:
- 1-2 virtual meetings each semester
- Ongoing virtual professionalization and mentoring events
- In person meeting at ASA’s Annual Meeting
- A South Asian Sociologists virtual mini conference, produced by the Community
Proposed activities include:
- Workshops on how to teach about South Asian Americans and race in the U.S. context
- A panel on challenges faced by people of South Asian descent in sociology and the academy
- Resource sharing
- Virtual meetings to share information about opportunities specific to the Community such as publishing, funding, new books, and new articles
Community Leadership
Co-Chair: Nazli Kibria, Boston University
Co-Chair: Prema Kurien, Syracuse University
Advisory Committee Members:
Maheen Haider, University of Massachusetts – Lowell
Smitha Radhakrishnan, Wellesley College
Arun Balachandran, University of Maryland
Student Representative, Durgesh Solanki, John Hopkins University
Looking for community?
You can join the Community while joining ASA or renewing your membership. You can also add the Community to your existing ASA membership from your ASA Member Portal. While it is free to join a Community, you do have an option to make a voluntary donation to the Community. By joining the Community, you will have access to the Community’s listserv. Through the listserv, you can receive notifications about the latest Community happenings and make connections with others in the Community.
