We are honoured to host Sharanjit (Sharn) Kaur Sandhra for our speaker this month.
A Zoom registration link can be found here.
Title: “20th Century Sikhs in the Sawmill Industries: Tensions, Racism, and the many Complexities Past and Present.”
Abstract: This talk will explore the macro to micro experiences of Sikhs in the sawmill industries across BC in the early 20th centuries. The macro are the histories and stories many be already be aware of, the narratives that make the public sphere as part of popular history making, but the micro will delve into the lesser known tensions to add more depth to the complexities of the racism, exclusion, casteism, resource extraction, and how all these themes (and more) are set within a context of decolonizing. The presentation will hopefully bring into sharper focus the need to make histories complex, and not situate ourselves within a consistent narrative that brings us into the present moment..
Bio: Dr. Sharanjit Sandhra (sharn, she/her) is a Historian, educator, storyteller, and founder of Belonging Matters Consulting. Sharn has more than two decades of experience in museum curation, community heritage work, and mentoring youth. She became the first Punjabi and Sikh to complete her PhD from the Department of History at UBC in 2022. Her PhD looks at the affective experiences of museum visitors through a critical race theory lens with the dissertation is titled “Museums as Spaces of Belonging: Racialized Power in the Margins.” Sharn is a passionate activist and dynamic storyteller, building bridges between community and academia. She has been featured in the Knowledge Network series “B.C: An Untold History,” is co-author of “Challenging Racist BC: 150 Years and Counting,” and has been featured on local, and international podcasts and media.
Please see the 2026 Speaker Schedule here.
