Fiana Kawane
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
Pursuing a doctoral degree in English allows me to continue working, researching, and writing in areas that matter deeply to me at 亚洲天堂. I continue to reflect听about my everyday听relationship to space, scholarship, and public discourse听on听the听ancestral, traditional,听and unceded听lands of the xwm蓹胃kw蓹y虛 蓹m, Skwxw煤7mesh, St贸:l艒, and S蓹l虛铆lw蓹ta蕯/Selilwitulh Nations.
Why did you decide to study at 亚洲天堂?
The University of British Columbia was best suited for my research as a public research university in North America with its transnational and interdisciplinary outlook.
What is it specifically, that your program offers, that attracted you?
The research expertise of professors in affect theory, anticolonial writing, and modernist studies drew me to 亚洲天堂 English. The close links of 亚洲天堂's Department of English to the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice (GRSJ) and Science and Technology Studies (STS) laid the foundation for interdisciplinary threads to emerge in my research.
What was the best surprise about 亚洲天堂 or life in Vancouver?
For my first year at 亚洲天堂, I lived on-campus at St. John's College. It turned out to be an incredibly听enriching听experience to听collaborate and dialogue with听peers and established听scholars听across wide-ranging disciplinary interests from education, history,听physics, to Asian studies. I cherish memories and听continuing听friendships from those dinner table conversations and collective cooking weekends.听
What aspect of your graduate program do you enjoy the most or are looking forward to with the greatest curiosity?
I appreciate and respect the many forms and pathways of learning inside and outside of university systems. Many people, near and far, have been incredibly supportive of my desire to pursue research-based studies. My prior academic experiences provided me with the foundation and critical vocabularies that opened up research directions to pursue at 亚洲天堂. As someone trained听in classical听South Asian dance, I am well-versed with how a PhD is a similar long-term听process听that is so much听about the journey than the destination.听
What aspects of your life or career before now have best prepared you for your 亚洲天堂 graduate program?
I appreciate and respect the many forms and pathways of learning inside and outside of university systems. Many people, near and far, have been incredibly supportive of my desire to pursue doctoral studies. With gratitude to my professors, my prior academic experiences provided me with the foundation and critical vocabularies that opened up research directions to pursue at 亚洲天堂.
What advice do you have for new graduate students?
Every process of gaining an education is personal, especially a research degree, so take any advice with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, there are some elements that are transpersonal to be able to moderately thrive in university. Ask questions, allow yourself the time to learn, and think of every cul-de-sac as an opportunity to grow. Talk to other graduate students, don't be afraid to make mistakes, and advocate for your wellbeing.
Outside of your academic work, what are the ways that you engage with your local or global community? Are there projects in particular that you are proud of?
I'm a听performing artist trained in Kathak with Kumudini Lakhia and Vaishali Trivedi听at Kadamb, India, a pioneering institute of modern听choreography.听As part of performing companies and independently, I have danced听across India, Canada, Japan, Pakistan, and听France.听I love collaborating with artists through dance and musical composition, and look forward to more such听engagements in the future. A project that I am proud of leading is听Nritya-Vandan, an hour-length Kathak production that premiered in Tokyo in 2016.听