rabble radio Critiquing Asian representation in Canadian pop culture
It’s Asian Heritage Month in Canada – and this week on the show, we’ll be joined by Sadaf Ahsan and Sarah Sahagian to discuss Asian representation in Canadian pop culture.
From books and television to music, the Canadian cultural landscape has made significant strides in embracing diversity—offering richer, more nuanced portrayals of Asian characters and (mostly) moving away from stereotypes and tokenism. Yet, as our conversation reveals, we still have a long way to go.
In this conversation, Sarah and Sadaf share some of their recent favorite films, TV shows, books, and music. They also discuss why diversity should be viewed as a valuable opportunity—not a risk—by investors, and emphasize the vital role of behind-the-scenes representation in shaping authentic stories.
About our guestSadaf Ahsan is the senior editor at 3 Magazine, co-host of Frequency Podcasts’ The Reheat, columnist at The Globe & Mail, contributing editor at RepresentASIAN Project, and a Humber College journalism professor. Her work has appeared in The Walrus, CBC, The Cut and more. She previously worked at The Juggernaut, Canadian Press, The Discourse, NOW Magazine, and the National Post. More about Sadaf here.
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