Michael Nijhawan
Associate Professor
Office: Vari Hall, 2146
Phone: (416) 736-2100 Ext: 77994
Email: nijhawan@yorku.ca
I am a social anthropologist and cultural sociologist interested in the fields of transnational migration, religion, violence, trauma, health and medicine. My research agenda crosses the disciplines of anthropology, sociology, critical religious studies, Sikh Studies and Islam. I currently work on a SSHRC funded project on "Autoimmunity, Self, and Society: A Sociological Approach to Chronic Illness in the Wake of SARS-CoV-2." My prior research focused on the long-term effects of social, legal and political violence on Sikh and Ahmadi diaspora communities in Toronto and Frankfurt. I have been exploring how these communities negotiate experiences of both marginalization and resilience in the context of everyday lived religion. In this context I have introduced the concept of Precarious Diasporas as a conduit to explore the fragility, mutability and complexity of diaspora communities. For an overview: "Mapping Precarity and Politicisation in Punjabi Diasporas" Click Here
Degrees
Dr. Phil. Anthropology, University of HeidelbergM.A. Anthropology, Psychology, Education, University of Heidelberg
Appointments
Faculty of Graduate StudiesResearch Interests
- John O'Neill Award in Teaching - 2014
- John O'Neill Award in Teaching - 2012
- Research Fellow, Max Weber Institution for Advanced Social and Cultural Studies - 2013
- Deans Merit Awards - 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Constructing a Genuine Religious Character: The Impact of the Asylum Court on the Ahmadiyya Community in Germany. In: M. Fuchs et al. (eds). Religious Individualization: Types and Cases. Historical and Crosscultural Explorations. W. de Gruyter (forthcoming Feb 2019)
Migrant Precarity and Religious Individualisation. In: M. Fuchs et al. (eds). Religious Individualization: Types and Cases. Historical and Crosscultural Explorations. W. de Gruyter (forthcoming Feb 2019)
Aesthetics, Sikhism. In: Arvind-pan Singh Mandair (ed.) Sikhism. Heidelberg & New York: Springer, 1-11.
Precarious Presences, Hallucinatory Times: Configurations of Religions Otherness in German Leitkulturalist Discourse. In: Markus Dressler & Arvind Mandair (eds.), Secularism and Religion-Making. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011, pp. 243-68.
Memory, Genre, Voice: The Partition Motif in a Punjabi Performative Genre. In Smita Jassal & Eyal Ben-Ari (eds.), The Partition Motif in Contemporary Conflicts: Israel-Palestine, India-Pakistan, Germany East-West. London: Sage Publications, 2007.
Haunted by the Event: A Response. Sikh Formations: Religion, Culture, Theory. Inaugural Theory Colloquium on my book The Precarious Diasporas of Sikh and Ahmadiyya Generations (Palgrave, 2016)
1984 and the Diasporic Politics of Aesthetics. Reconfigurations and New Constellations Among Toronto's Sikh Youth. Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies 17(2): 196-219.
"Lullabies for Broken Children": Diasporic Citizenship and the Dissenting Voices of Young Sikhs in Canada. Sikh Formations 9(3): 299-321.
Sikhism, Traumatic Repetition, and the Question of Aesthetic Sovereignty. Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 23(2) (2011): 128-142
“Today, We are all Ahmadi.” Configurations of Heretic Otherness between Lahore and Berlin. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 37(3): 429-447
Cultural, Linguistic and Political Translations: Dhadi Urban Music. Co-authored with V. Kalra. Sikh Formations 3(1) (2007): 67-80
Editorial: Religion, Politics and the Inner Space of Translation. Sikh Formations 3(1) (2007): 1-11
Deportability, Medicine, and the Law. Anthropology and Medicine 12(3) (2005): 271-86.
Musafer. - Sikhi is Travelling. Documentary Film, co-dir. K. Singh.
Approach to Teaching
In my understanding, teaching begins with the creation of an active learning environment in the classroom that is conducive to the development of academic skills and that fosters processes of learning through social interaction. Teaching has never unfolded in a social and political vacuum, particularly not in sociology. I am committed to a critical school of social theory in which learning in the classroom is oriented towards societal change and the intellectual and ethical flourishing of the person. Whatever course material I teach – be it on the undergraduate or graduate level – has components that speak directly to global societal issues that are salient to our times. As a sociologist and anthropologist, I am specifically sensitive to the diversity of thought and knowledge and so try to actively push students to step outside of their taken-for-granted frames of seeing the world.
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2026 | AP/SOCI3650 6.0 | M | Sociology of Religion | ONLN |
| Winter 2026 | GS/SOCI6200 3.0 | M | Contemporary Topics in Social Theory | SEMR |
I am a social anthropologist and cultural sociologist interested in the fields of transnational migration, religion, violence, trauma, health and medicine. My research agenda crosses the disciplines of anthropology, sociology, critical religious studies, Sikh Studies and Islam. I currently work on a SSHRC funded project on "Autoimmunity, Self, and Society: A Sociological Approach to Chronic Illness in the Wake of SARS-CoV-2." My prior research focused on the long-term effects of social, legal and political violence on Sikh and Ahmadi diaspora communities in Toronto and Frankfurt. I have been exploring how these communities negotiate experiences of both marginalization and resilience in the context of everyday lived religion. In this context I have introduced the concept of Precarious Diasporas as a conduit to explore the fragility, mutability and complexity of diaspora communities. For an overview: "Mapping Precarity and Politicisation in Punjabi Diasporas" Click Here
Degrees
Dr. Phil. Anthropology, University of HeidelbergM.A. Anthropology, Psychology, Education, University of Heidelberg
Appointments
Faculty of Graduate StudiesResearch Interests
Awards
- John O'Neill Award in Teaching - 2014
- John O'Neill Award in Teaching - 2012
- Research Fellow, Max Weber Institution for Advanced Social and Cultural Studies - 2013
- Deans Merit Awards - 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
All Publications
Constructing a Genuine Religious Character: The Impact of the Asylum Court on the Ahmadiyya Community in Germany. In: M. Fuchs et al. (eds). Religious Individualization: Types and Cases. Historical and Crosscultural Explorations. W. de Gruyter (forthcoming Feb 2019)
Migrant Precarity and Religious Individualisation. In: M. Fuchs et al. (eds). Religious Individualization: Types and Cases. Historical and Crosscultural Explorations. W. de Gruyter (forthcoming Feb 2019)
Aesthetics, Sikhism. In: Arvind-pan Singh Mandair (ed.) Sikhism. Heidelberg & New York: Springer, 1-11.
Precarious Presences, Hallucinatory Times: Configurations of Religions Otherness in German Leitkulturalist Discourse. In: Markus Dressler & Arvind Mandair (eds.), Secularism and Religion-Making. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011, pp. 243-68.
Memory, Genre, Voice: The Partition Motif in a Punjabi Performative Genre. In Smita Jassal & Eyal Ben-Ari (eds.), The Partition Motif in Contemporary Conflicts: Israel-Palestine, India-Pakistan, Germany East-West. London: Sage Publications, 2007.
Haunted by the Event: A Response. Sikh Formations: Religion, Culture, Theory. Inaugural Theory Colloquium on my book The Precarious Diasporas of Sikh and Ahmadiyya Generations (Palgrave, 2016)
1984 and the Diasporic Politics of Aesthetics. Reconfigurations and New Constellations Among Toronto's Sikh Youth. Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies 17(2): 196-219.
"Lullabies for Broken Children": Diasporic Citizenship and the Dissenting Voices of Young Sikhs in Canada. Sikh Formations 9(3): 299-321.
Sikhism, Traumatic Repetition, and the Question of Aesthetic Sovereignty. Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 23(2) (2011): 128-142
“Today, We are all Ahmadi.” Configurations of Heretic Otherness between Lahore and Berlin. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 37(3): 429-447
Cultural, Linguistic and Political Translations: Dhadi Urban Music. Co-authored with V. Kalra. Sikh Formations 3(1) (2007): 67-80
Editorial: Religion, Politics and the Inner Space of Translation. Sikh Formations 3(1) (2007): 1-11
Deportability, Medicine, and the Law. Anthropology and Medicine 12(3) (2005): 271-86.
Musafer. - Sikhi is Travelling. Documentary Film, co-dir. K. Singh.
Approach to Teaching
In my understanding, teaching begins with the creation of an active learning environment in the classroom that is conducive to the development of academic skills and that fosters processes of learning through social interaction. Teaching has never unfolded in a social and political vacuum, particularly not in sociology. I am committed to a critical school of social theory in which learning in the classroom is oriented towards societal change and the intellectual and ethical flourishing of the person. Whatever course material I teach – be it on the undergraduate or graduate level – has components that speak directly to global societal issues that are salient to our times. As a sociologist and anthropologist, I am specifically sensitive to the diversity of thought and knowledge and so try to actively push students to step outside of their taken-for-granted frames of seeing the world.
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2026 | AP/SOCI3650 6.0 | M | Sociology of Religion | ONLN |
| Winter 2026 | GS/SOCI6200 3.0 | M | Contemporary Topics in Social Theory | SEMR |
