Binish Ahmed

Binish Ahmed (she/her) is an Asian Indigenous Kashmiri cis-woman, educator, artist, researcher, writer, and community connector. Born in Srinagar, Kashmir, she now lives in Tkaronto, the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt treaty territory. Her work centers on decolonizing research methods, governance, and social movements at the intersections of racialization, migration, gender, and labor, in solidarity with Indigenous movements for self-determination and resurgence in policy studies.

A PhD Candidate (ABD) in Policy Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, Ahmed’s dissertation examines Indigenous-settler alliances across Turtle Island through an Indigenous research framework and qualitative interviews with Knowledge Holders. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science with a specialization in Public Policy from Brock University, where her research investigated immigrant settlement and retention, uncovering systemic exclusion in the Niagara region. Ahmed was awarded the Spirit of Brock Medal at convocation for her outstanding contributions to making the university community a better place to live and learn. She also earned an Honors BA from the University of Toronto, majoring in Political Science with double minors in History and South Asian Studies.

Ahmed’s scholarly and creative work has been featured in leading publications, including Indigenous Policy Journal, Third World Approaches to International Law Review Journal, Critical Policy Studies Journal, Feral Feminisms Journal, UppingTheAnti Journal, The Conversation, Room Magazine, and Rabble. Her work is recognized for its academic and public impact, including its inclusion in university course curricula. She has provided commentary in media outlets such as Al Jazeera, the Toronto Star, New Canadian Immigrant, Global News, Omni News and CBC News. Ahmed also guest-edited a 2024 special issue on decolonizing knowledge production in policy studies for the Critical Policy Studies Journal, reflecting a significant contribution to this emerging field.

As an educator, Ahmed specializes in public policy and administration, research methods, Indigenous rights, Kashmir, decolonization, anti-racism, social movements, and solidarity. Her teaching is grounded in an anti-oppression framework. She has designed and delivered undergraduate courses, facilitated community and university workshops, served as a graduate education assistant for sociology and public policy courses, and presented numerous invited lectures. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and decolonial pedagogies, advancing critical engagement. This commitment is exemplified by her innovative development of generative writing spaces for BIPOC graduate students.

A committed organizer and community connector, Ahmed has supported impactful research, education, and community engaged initiatives. Her interdisciplinary scholarship, teaching, and ability to bridge theory with practice highlight her meaningful contributions to sociological inquiry and policy studies.