The University of Winnipeg’s Dr. Sharanpal Ruprai will deliver the Chancellor’s Research Chair lecture on Friday, October 20, outlining the diverse range of research projects that she intends to undertake over the next three years.
Dr. Ruprai, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, is an alumna, internationally recognized writer, and shortlisted poet who was named UWinnipeg’s 13th Chancellor’s Research Chair in June 2023. The appointment carries a three-year term.
Dr. Ruprai is a gifted scholar and writer whose work has impact and reach.
Dr. Jino Distasio
The lecture will be delivered during a special luncheon celebration.
“As Chancellor’s Research Chair, I will be working on a few projects linking diverse communities to the University,” Dr. Ruprai said. “I am currently examining how South Asian artists use oral, written, visual, and multimedia modes to express issues of gender, sexuality, class, and religion in their creative practices as linked to their identity.”
As an interdisciplinary humanities scholar, Dr. Ruprai’s research and teaching interests include Indigenous and critical race feminism, religious and cultural studies, and artistic practice.
“Over the course of the three-year term, I hope to publish refereed journal articles, deliver lectures, host a symposium with the community, and present my initial findings to the Centre for Research in Cultural Studies Research Talk Series,” she said. “I am teaching South Asian Diasporic Film (WGS 4401-001), which is cross-listed with the Master of Arts in Cultural Studies program this term which is part of this project.”
Dr. Ruprai is also at work on a new collection of essays titled Who You Calling a Kaur/Princess? The book juxtaposes novels, plays, poetry collections, and films to explore religion, gender violence, and identity within the specific context of the Canadian-South Asian women’s experience.
“Dr. Ruprai is a gifted scholar and writer whose work has impact and reach,” said Dr. Jino Distasio, Vice-President of Research and Innovation, who will bring greetings at the luncheon along with President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Todd Mondor. “UWinnipeg was honoured to have her accept this year’s Chancellor’s Research Chair and we all look forward to hearing more about her ongoing research exploring how South Asian artists use oral, written, visual, and multimedia modes to express issues of gender, sexuality, class, and religion.”
Dr. Ruprai’s debut poetry collection, Seva, was shortlisted for the Stephen G. Stephansson Award for Poetry by the Alberta Literary Awards in 2015. Her most recent collection, Pressure Cooker Love Bomb, was shortlisted for the 2020 annual Lambda Literary Awards, the Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry, the Lansdowne Prize for Poetry, and was the Goldie Finalist for Poetry.
In 2022, Dr. Ruprai was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal after being selected by The Writers’ Guild of Alberta in recognition of her service in advancing the art of writing. Earlier this year, she was on faculty at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity as part of the Literary Arts Emerging Writers Poetry program.
Current and former Chancellor’s Research Chairs
Current and former Chancellor’s Research Chairs include: Dr. Craig Willis, Department of Biology; Dr. Angela Failler, Department of Women’s and Gender Studies; Dr. Melanie Martin, Department of Physics; Dr. Bruno Silvestre, Department of Business and Administration; Dr. Kevin Walby, Department of Criminal Justice; Dr. Renée Douville, Department of Biology; Dr. Delia Gavrus, Department of History; Dr. Nora Casson, Department of Geography; Dr. Peter Miller, Department of Classics; Dr. Jenny Heijun Wills, Department of English; Dr. Caleb Hasler, Department of Biology; and Dr. Yannick Molgat-Seon, Department of Kinesiology and Applied Health.
All have made, and continue to make, exceptional contributions to research in their field.
