Shama Rangwala
Assistant Professor
General Education Coordinator
Email: shamara@yorku.ca
Media Requests Welcome
Accepting New Graduate Students
My current research examines the adaptations of liberalism and fascism as represented in cultural production. I have also written and presented on issues around the limits of free speech and academic freedom frameworks.
My teaching interests include literary and critical theory; film, media, and cultural studies; 19th- and 20th-century literature; and political and social theory. I am passionate about teaching students how to take their education outside of the classroom and university.
As the PI of the public humanities project Pedagogy and Praxis, I have organized a series of symposia across Canada--"Progressive Publics: Connecting Scholarship and Media"--bringing together journalists and academics around contemporary political and social issues. I also co-host a popular culture podcast (Replay) with journalist Desmond Cole.
My academic writing has appeared in Public, English Studies in Canada, and Canadian Review of American Studies. My public-facing writing has appeared in Jacobin, Public Books, The Star, The Globe and Mail, The Sprawl, Canadaland, The Orchard, and The Monitor. I was a regular panelist on Alberta Primetime (CTV) from 2018-2022, and am a frequent contributor to news, podcasts, and other media. I served on the Editorial Board of Imaginations: Journal of Cross-Cultural Image Studies (2019-2023) and the Board of Briarpatch Magazine (2023-2024).
Degrees
PhD, University of AlbertaMA, McGill University
BA Honours, McGill University
Research Interests
- Dept. of Humanities Award for Excellence in Teaching - 2022
- Ernest J. Redekop Essay Prize - 2022
Current Research Projects
-
Summary:
Under neoliberal austerity regimes, universities in Canada and around the world are being defunded to neutralize their critical power. At the same time, the public demand for critical analysis and scholarly knowledge is increasing, as evidenced by the use of social media for education and the explosion of webinars and teach-ins during the Black Lives Matter racial justice protests of summer 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic. In this time of multiple and intensifying crises, Pedagogy and Praxis is rooted in a commitment to social justice and starts from the position that the university has crucial role to play in critical analysis and knowledge mobilization and dissemination.
Description:The broader objective of Pedagogy and Praxis is both to develop pedagogical methods and strategies of public humanities as well as provide a forum for scholars and students to share their work publicly, integrating the research and practice of public pedagogy. Championing the university as a public good, Pedagogy and Praxis involves teaching in public with the university in mutual dialogue with the broader community. We conceive the public of this project to be community members who are looking for rigorously researched historical context and critical analysis for the social justice issues of the present.
Pedagogy and Praxis includes the pop culture podcast Replay, co-hosted by Prof. Shama Rangwala and award-winning journalist Desmond Cole.
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/CLTR4851 6.0 | A | Modernism Across the Arts | SEMR |
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/CLTR3100 6.0 | A | Culture, Meaning & Form | SEMR |
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/HUMA1781 6.0 | A | Exploring Culture | BLEN |
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/HUMA1781 6.0 | A | Exploring Culture | TUTR |
My current research examines the adaptations of liberalism and fascism as represented in cultural production. I have also written and presented on issues around the limits of free speech and academic freedom frameworks.
My teaching interests include literary and critical theory; film, media, and cultural studies; 19th- and 20th-century literature; and political and social theory. I am passionate about teaching students how to take their education outside of the classroom and university.
As the PI of the public humanities project Pedagogy and Praxis, I have organized a series of symposia across Canada--"Progressive Publics: Connecting Scholarship and Media"--bringing together journalists and academics around contemporary political and social issues. I also co-host a popular culture podcast (Replay) with journalist Desmond Cole.
My academic writing has appeared in Public, English Studies in Canada, and Canadian Review of American Studies. My public-facing writing has appeared in Jacobin, Public Books, The Star, The Globe and Mail, The Sprawl, Canadaland, The Orchard, and The Monitor. I was a regular panelist on Alberta Primetime (CTV) from 2018-2022, and am a frequent contributor to news, podcasts, and other media. I served on the Editorial Board of Imaginations: Journal of Cross-Cultural Image Studies (2019-2023) and the Board of Briarpatch Magazine (2023-2024).
Degrees
PhD, University of AlbertaMA, McGill University
BA Honours, McGill University
Research Interests
Awards
- Dept. of Humanities Award for Excellence in Teaching - 2022
- Ernest J. Redekop Essay Prize - 2022
Current Research Projects
-
Summary:
Under neoliberal austerity regimes, universities in Canada and around the world are being defunded to neutralize their critical power. At the same time, the public demand for critical analysis and scholarly knowledge is increasing, as evidenced by the use of social media for education and the explosion of webinars and teach-ins during the Black Lives Matter racial justice protests of summer 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic. In this time of multiple and intensifying crises, Pedagogy and Praxis is rooted in a commitment to social justice and starts from the position that the university has crucial role to play in critical analysis and knowledge mobilization and dissemination.
Description:The broader objective of Pedagogy and Praxis is both to develop pedagogical methods and strategies of public humanities as well as provide a forum for scholars and students to share their work publicly, integrating the research and practice of public pedagogy. Championing the university as a public good, Pedagogy and Praxis involves teaching in public with the university in mutual dialogue with the broader community. We conceive the public of this project to be community members who are looking for rigorously researched historical context and critical analysis for the social justice issues of the present.
Pedagogy and Praxis includes the pop culture podcast Replay, co-hosted by Prof. Shama Rangwala and award-winning journalist Desmond Cole.
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/CLTR4851 6.0 | A | Modernism Across the Arts | SEMR |
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/CLTR3100 6.0 | A | Culture, Meaning & Form | SEMR |
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/HUMA1781 6.0 | A | Exploring Culture | BLEN |
| Fall/Winter 2025 | AP/HUMA1781 6.0 | A | Exploring Culture | TUTR |
