Shabnam Sukhdev

I am a graduate student pursuing my MFA in Film.  Spurred by the notions of Normality and Otherness, I am interested in studying  extragenetic and cultural patterns of acceptance across the Asian diaspora.  Through a feminist lens, in my research I am examining cultural interpersonal dynamics that manipulate mental wellbeing, impacting patterns of accepted behaviour.  My thesis enquiry is an ethnographic study in which I am adopting an interdisciplinary approach to examine the parameters of wellness and mental health as defined by the medical community.  I am questioning the boundaries that prevent participation, all the while investigating avenues of inclusion by adopting a community-centric model of involvement.   Given my background in filmmaking, I am using Art as a via-media to present a neo cultural model, more inclusive and participatory.