Pallavi Banerjee

• By appointment

My research interests are situated at the intersection of sociology of immigrant, refugee resettlement, gender, intersectional feminist theories, and families. In particular, I am concerned with how the intersections of gender, race, and class play out in the everyday lives and interactions of immigrants and transnational families as a consequence of Western state policies and other institutional mandates. At the heart of my research is the idea that minoritized families reside at the center of immigration and transnational governmental processes and these processes must be seen through an intersectional lens to understand the experiences of the different forms of families.  On empirical and theoretical levels, my goal is to unravel the specific structural processes through which the state, corporations, and other related institutions operate together as gender and labor regimes to reconfigure the lived experiences of minority and transnational families in public and private spheres.

I am currently working on three research projects. The first is a project that involves building on my dissertation research in the preparation of a book manuscript tentatively titled Dismantling Dependence: Gendered Migration of Indian Professional Families and the Visa Regime. The second project explores how the reception of recently arrived refugees (Syrian, Yazidis, and Rohingya) affects the readjustment and resettlement from the perspective of the families, especially the main caregiver in Canada and the U.S. This research is part of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) 2018 Insight Development Grant awarded for my project, A Comparative Intersectional Analysis of the Resettlement Process and Integration Paths of Syrian and Rohingya Refugees in Canada and the USA. A third project examines the family dynamics of South Asian immigrant women, particularly Muslim women across class locations, religious practices, immigration status, and motherhood.

Op-Eds/ Invited Blogs

• Banerjee, Pallavi. “Housewife Visas and Highly Skilled Immigrant Families in the U.S.” Council on Contemporary Families Symposium Paper, (reprinted) in The Society Pages, Oct 23, 2018
• Banerjee, Pallavi. “Trump’s war against immigrant workers and their spouses“ The Conversation, Canada May 10, 2018. (Reprinted by the National Post)
• Banerjee, Pallavi. “March of the millions: Reflections on global women’s march against Trumpism.” An invited editorial in World is One News (WION), January 31, 2017
• Banerjee, Pallavi. “No Country for Brown Flyers: How Civil Aviation has Changed after 9/11.” An invited editorial in World is One News (WION),  December 7, 2016.
• Banerjee, Pallavi. “Racial profiling at airports adds a colour-coded cost when I fly on business.“ Editorial in The Globe and Mail national edition, July 20, 2016
• Banerjee, Pallavi. "New Visa Policy Allows Immigrant Spouses to Hold Jobs.” Op-Ed based on research on the US immigration policy was published in the Ms Magazine Blog,  March 5, 2015.
• Banerjee, Pallavi. “Crisis of Dependent Visas: A Reality Check.” Op-ed based on my research on the US immigration policy, was published in the transnational weekly newspaper, India Abroad,  June 13, 2014.
• Banerjee, Pallavi. "Proposed Rule Change for High-Tech Migrant Workers’ Spouses Isn’t Enough". Op-Ed based on research on the US immigration policy was published in the Ms Magazine Blog,  May 20, 2014.
• Banerjee, Pallavi. “Dodging the Chores? Indian Men and Household Work”. An invited Blog post in the Gender & Society Blog in response to Atlantic article about men and housework, March 24, 2014.
• Banerjee, Pallavi. “An Immigrant Wife’s Place? In the Home, According to Visa Policy”. Op-Ed based on dissertation research on the US immigration policy was published in the Ms Magazine Blog  (Reposted in The Gender & Society  Blog and Girl w/Pen), June 19, 2013. Archived by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs: Executive Office of the President of the United States of America – see Handout 1

Media Attention and Press 

• Interviewed at the Danielle Smith Talk Show on CHQR 770 AM (Calgary) to discuss the UN Immigration Pact. Nov 13, 2018.
• Quoted in The MEL Magazine, in a feature entitled: In 1976, More than 6 Million Men in India were Coerced into Sterilization, by C. Brian Smith, May 1, 2018.
• Quoted in The Economic Times (print and online), in the article entitled: There’s still hope for H- 4 visa holders. Here’s why, by Ishani Duttagupta, Apr 29, 2018.
• Quoted in The Calgary Herald. Nearly 30 years later, Family Day celebrated by an increasingly diverse society. by Valerie Fortney, Feb 16, 2018.
• Quoted in The Public Radio International. The children of H-1B visa holders are growing up - and still waiting for green cards, by Sonia Paul, Feb 13, 2018.
• Quoted in The Economic Times, in the article entitled: Indo-American families face uncertainties as Trump admin plans to rollback H4 spouse visa by Ishani Dattagupta, Jan 7, 2018.
• Quoted in Mary Review Magazine (print and online) in the article entitled: “Life Inside the Golden Cage” by Julianne Hing, Sep 2017.
• Quoted in The Economic Times, in the article entitled:  “Why children of H-1B workers may now have to leave America” by Ishani Dattagupta, Oct 22, 2017.
• Quoted in The Calgary Herald in the article, entitled: “Calgary bucking the national trend of couples with fewer kids, census data.”  by Alana Smith, August 2, 2017.
• Interviewed by The Council on Contemporary Families entitled: “Immigration/Politics/Talk” published in The Society Pages, December 20, 2016.
• Quoted in The CBC NewsCalgary inn the article, entitled: Women make up the vast majority of those leaving Alberta, Statistics Canada data suggests,  Sep 29, 2016.
• Quoted  in The Calgary Metro  in article, entitled: Hate graffiti on Calgary school a danger to refugee and non-refugee students,  Feb 21, 2016
• Quoted  in The Economic Times Blog, entitled: Punjabi Canadians won 18 seats in the recent election in Canada, Oct 25, 2015
• Research cited and quoted in The Economic Times Blog, entitled: For H-1B visa holders, double income will be a reality soon. July 13, 2015
• Research cited and quoted in The Huffington Post Blog, entitled: Work Permits For Spouses of H1-B Visa Holders Will Help Families, Economy. July 7, 2015.
• Interviewed by the Uptown Radio, New York City: The End of the “Trailing Spouse” Visa. By Adelie Pontay, April 17, 2015
• Research cited and quoted in The Economic Times blog, entitled: US Visa: Spouses of H-1B work permit holders to be eligible for employment authorization. March 2, 2015
• Research cited and quoted in The Washington Post blog, entitled: Spouses of Spouses of high-skilled immigrants aren’t allowed to work. That’s finally changing. May 9, 2014

1. Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Insight Development Grant ($66,265) 2018-2020. 
2. Nominated for the University of Calgary Internationalization Achievement Award, 2017
3. University Research Grant Committee, Seed Grant, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada ($12,548), 2017-2018
4. David P. Street Dissertation Prize for Outstanding Dissertation and Research in Engaged Sociology, The University of Illinois at Chicago, 2014
5. Dean’s Scholar Award, the University of Illinois at Chicago ($20,500), 2011-2012

• Courses
• Supervised Students