The South Asia Center congratulates the 2024 graduates of the M.A. in International Studies (South Asia) and affiliated South Asia Studies programs!
Abdulwajid Abdulwahid
Degree: M.A. in International Studies (South Asia), Jackson School of International Studies
Research/academic interests: Interested in looking at the modern characteristics of Afghan Refugees especially after the collapse of the republic government in Afghanistan in 2021. I am also interested in the resurgence of the Taliban and regional cross-border issues of South Asia.
Final papers: “The demographic shift in Afghan refugees before and after 2021” and “The situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan”
Honors, awards, and fellowships: FLAS 2022-2023-2024
Favorite class: JSIS 478: Migration Smuggling & Human Trafficking with visiting scholar Dr. Sarfraz Khan
Future plans after graduation: I want to work in the UN and get involved with the refugees and contribute towards humanitarian assistance for refugees
Advice for new students: Don’t study hard, study smart. Try to make friends and reach out to them for help if you don’t understand something, it helps.
Amalie Goul Dueholm
Degree: Ph.D. in Cinema and Media Studies, Department of Cinema and Media Studies
Research/academic interests: The politics of cultural productions, gender and sexuality, visual culture, law
Final paper: “Legal Imaginaries: Citizenship, Violence, and the Law in Contemporary Hindi Cinema”
Favorite class: Favorites are impossible, but I’ve enjoyed almost every class I’ve taken in GWSS
Future plans after graduation: Complete the filmographies of Helen, Shashi, and Sharmila
Advice for new students: Grad school can be a lot, allow yourself to embrace mediocrity once in a while — we all have to. And find your people, but also remember that community seldom happens overnight, so be gentle with yourself as you settle in.
Farrah Hasan
Degree: M.M.A in Marine and Environmental Affairs, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs
Final paper: “Resilient Destination Cities: Climate Migrant Resettlement in Mongla, Bangladesh”
Honors, awards, and fellowships: FLAS fellow in Bangla, Linda J. Maxson Endowment in Marine Policy Award, UW Libraries Research Communication and Equity fellow
Favorite class: Climate Justice with Sameer Shah
Future plans after graduation: Ph.D. in City & Regional Planning at UNC Chapel Hill
Advice for new students: If someone does or studies something intriguing to you, reach out to them. Very rarely, if ever, will you regret spending a half hour learning from someone, especially if you come in with pointed questions and come out with new direction.
Erin Keoppen
Degree: Ph.D. in Communication, Department of Communication and Graduate Certificate in South Asian Studies, Jackson School of International Studies
Research/academic interests: Rhetoric, Environmental Communication, International Development Studies
Final paper(s): “Fire Regimes: Rhetoric and the Local Climate Politics of Wildfire;” “In the Darkroom: International Development Photography and the Naturalistic Enthymeme;” and “Local Time: Chronotopes in Vandana Shiva’s anti-GMO Rhetoric”
Honors, awards, and fellowships: Department of Communication Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award 2024; Graduate Fellow at Center for Environmental Politics (2023-2024); and Mortar Board Alumni/Tolo Foundation Madeline Jones Campbell Scholarship Awardee (2023-2024)
Favorite class: I absolutely loved Dr. Christian Novetzke and Dr. Sunila Kale’s core classes, JSIS A 508 & 509!
Future plans after graduation: I am working for UAW Local 4121, our union representing Academic Student Employees, Postdocs, and Research Scientists here at UW
Kaya Mallick
Degree: M.A. in International Studies (South Asia), Jackson School of International Studies
Research/academic interests: Yoga, Hinduism, asceticism, gender, celibacy, ritual, embodied religion, religious ethnonationalism, and comparative politics (regional foci on India and Israel)
Final papers: “Socio-Spiritual Lives: A Meta-Ethnography of Female Hindu Ascetics” and “A Man on His Head: Muscular Nationalisms in Post-Independence India and Israel”
Honors, awards, and fellowships: FLAS fellowship in Hindi (2022-24), Critical Language Enhancement Award in Hindi (2024), Fulbright-Nehru Student Research Fellowship (2024-25)
Favorite class: Christian Novetzke’s public writing workshop!
Future plans after graduation: I am heading to Uttarakhand, India this August for a 12-month independent research project! I also plan to do some freelance journalism and work heavily on my blog and personal creative projects. I hope to pursue my doctorate in anthropology within the next few years.
Advice for new students: Take advantage of all the university’s resources! There are lecture series, workshops, newspaper/journal subscriptions, software downloads, brilliant librarians, professors’ office hours, and so many more amazing resources that are all here to help students succeed. We are incredibly fortunate as UW students to have such a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips.
Sanahadbegam Shaikh
Degree: M.A. in International Studies (South Asia), Jackson School of International Studies
Research/academic interests: Cultural History, Popular Culture, Socio-cultural research
Final paper: “Dakhani Language: Exploring the New Avenues for Preservation and Promotion”
Honors, awards, and fellowships: The Indian American Community Services (IACS) Scholarship and the Frank F. Conlon Summer Scholarship
Favorite class: Interdisciplinary Study of South Asia I and II, Feminist Social Theory, Gender and the Hindu Goddess, Persian language class
Future plans after graduation: I am excited to explore the opportunities where I can apply the knowledge I gained through my interdisciplinary study
Advice for new students: 1) Reach out to your faculty and peers early if you have any questions or are struggling with the coursework. 2) Take advantage of the great resources the library and department offer, like the writing support services. 3) Getting an early start on your thesis and final papers is a good idea so that you can relax and enjoy the stunning cherry blossoms in the spring during your second year.
Musa Subramaniam
Degree: M.A. in International Studies (South Asia), Jackson School of International Studies