international development | The Harriet Tubman Institute

Zakirah Allain

rebsl — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 19:15:34 +0000

My name is Zakirah Allain, pronouns she/they, and I am 23 years old. Education and advancing opportunities for all is my passion. In my undergraduate studies I double majored in International Development studies and African Studies with a certificate in Black Canadian studies. This year I enter my first year of graduate studies in Social Anthropology. I look forward to a future of life-long learning with hopes to educate and work to expand peoples freedoms and opportunities around the globe.

Keywords: Decolonization, Education, the Caribbean, Black Canadian Studies, International Development

Ify Okadigbo

rebsl — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 18:07:53 +0000

Ifeyinwa (Ify) Okadigbo, PhD. is a Black African Canadian scholar-activist with a strong record of developing theoretical and methodological frameworks for understanding the nuanced and complex experiences of Black African women across diverse physical and ideological contexts. She earned her PhD from �첥��Ƶ in Gender, Feminist, and Women’s Studies, completing it in four years, passing without revisions, and receiving a nomination for dissertation prize by the faculty of Graduate Studies. In addition, she holds dual master’s degrees from �첥��Ƶ where she earned a distinction, and the University of East Anglia, UK, in Gender and International Development.

With over a decade of research, teaching, and community engaged experience, her work explores gender, spirituality, governance, and institutional power in African and Black contexts. Her pedagogical practice is informed by critical, inclusive, and decolonial approaches that empower students to interrogate power, resistance, and social transformation. Beyond the academy, she collaborates with policymakers and community organizations to produce engaged, policy relevant research that advances gender justice, challenges racism, patriarchy and sexism across public and private spheres.

Keywords: Decolonization, Spirituality, African Feminism, Gender, Coloniality, Power

Oloto Arni

rebsl — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 17:15:38 +0000

I am Oloto Arni, a second-year undergraduate student at �첥��Ƶ, I am pursuing my bachelor's in International Development Studies and have minors in Information Technology. I participated in Dean's Awards for Research Excellence (DARE) project with the �첥��Ƶ Department of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LA&PS). I am also an executive member of the World University Services of Canada (WUSC) Program at �첥��Ƶ which sponsors refugee students from refugee camps across the world to Canada.