Saima Asghar

Saima Asghar will be joining the Cultural Studies program as a PhD candidate at Queen’s University. She obtained a BA (Honours) degree with a double major in Communications Studies and Women and Gender Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2017. Saima also earned an MA in Cultural Analysis and Social Theory (CAST) from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2018. Currently, she is completing her second MA in Religion, Culture and Global Justice at Laurier. Her research interests focus on enhancing the effective literacy of the unprivileged girls of Pakistan who face social and economic inequality within the patriarchal society and are often overlooked by the government’s education policies. The social stigma surrounding girl's education due to conservative practices and poverty in Pakistan forces them to sacrifice their desire to attain an education and live truncated lives in permanent obscurity.

Originally from Pakistan, Saima got married at a very young age and completed her education as a mature student with four kids after moving to Canada in 2011. Based on her own experiences, she understands the value of education and the confidence it provides to champion one’s rights as responsible citizens. Through her research Saima hopes to provide new perspectives on female education in Pakistan by applying cultural theories along with exposing them to contemporary forms of digitalized education using an electronic device the tablet enhancing the educational goals of these unprivileged girls. Saima hopes that her research will bring awareness around the importance of girl’s education within the patriarchal society of Pakistan.