University of Calgary

Home

Associate Professor
Office: SS 1018
Phone: (403) 220-4663
asrivast@ucalgary.ca

Professional Description

Most of my work in the past few years has been in the area of critical race theory and pedagogy; my teaching has focused on international indigenous studies, with emphasis on indigenous film. Throughout, my main area of interest is pedagogy (and in this field I do a good deal of work in the area of pedagogical technologies as well). My interest in literature (English) I see as part of a larger field of cultural studies and theory--those listed above as well as feminist theory and the various aspects of race studies that have particular resonance in Canada (critical multiculturalism, equity studies and so on). Most recently, I have been pursuing work on the ethics and politics of reconciliation (again with particular reference to Canada, although my earlier interest in this in the 90s came from the Australian and South African contexts as well). I am also engaged in work in the field of disability studies, particularly relating to issues of "passing" and chronic illness. I do work in the arts (amateur myself), related to metissage and hybridity--see my "Braids" project-- and have written creatively on being mixed-race. I have supervised graduate work on a range of topics, including globalization, children's literature by women of colour, Middle-Eastern dance, Asian-Canadian literature, the writing of mixed race authors, comparative indigenous literatures, postcolonial theory, critical pedagogy, critical legal studies, and various literary topics in the field of postcolonial studies.


My research and teaching interests are as follows: feminist theory and literature, race theory, postcolonial (international) literature, aboriginal (First Nations) literatures, writing by minorities (especially women of colour), pedagogy (practice and theory of teaching), collaborative and learner-centered teaching, disability studies, Canadian literature, cultural studies.

As far as my goals and expectations for students are concerned: critical thinking, particularly reflecting critically on cultural and personal ideologies, access to and training in different skills--reflected in a range of assignments, from research assignments to internet and e-mail work (always a feature of my courses) --to journals to oral presentations and a great deal of group work. I expect that they will learn that literature exists within particular social contexts, and that they will become more aware of these contexts and how they affect their own reading practice.

Institutions Attended

PhD - McMaster University
MA, BA - University of Waterloo

Selected Publications

"What Ails Us: Living With Chronic Illness in the Academy." With Louise Saldanha. Women and Texts issue of Open Letter: The Body Chronic: Women's Perspectives on Trauma, Pain, and Illness, January/March 2000.

"A Moose in the Corridor": Teaching English, Aboriginal Pedagogies, and Institutional Resistance." With Sharron Proulx. Eds. Renate Eigenbrod and Joanne Thom. Creating Community: A Roundtable On Canadian Aboriginal Literatures. Brandon Manitoba: Bearpaw, 2001.

"Dancing on the Lines: Mothering, Daughtering, Masking and Mentoring in the Academy." With Jennifer Kelly. Madwoman in the Academy: Songs from the Ivory Tower. Eds. Debbie Keahey and Deborah Schnitzer.  University of Calgary Press, 2002.

Related Information

International Literature Site