Dr. Meenal Shrivastava
Associate Professor & Academic Coordinator,
Global Studies & Political Economy
Contact
Email: meenals@athabascau.ca
Phone: 780-244-6017
Toll free: 1-866-500-2924
Fax: 780-497-3416
Education
M.A. (Rajasthan University)
M.Phil. (Jawaharlal Nehru University)
Ph.D. (Jawaharlal Nehru University)
Biography
Meenal Shrivastava joined Athabasca University in April 2006 after spending nine eventful years in South Africa. Currently, aside from coordinating the Political Economy program and developing a Global Studies program at AU, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Parkland Institute, and is an Adjunct at the Political Science department at the University of Alberta.
Her life provides many examples of her field of research — agents and processes of globalization. Born and brought up in Jaipur, a 500 years old city of forts, palaces and colours on the edge of the Great Indian Desert, she studied at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, for her MPhil and PhD in International Studies.
Marriage took her to balmy South Africa where she briefly taught at the University of Transkei in the Eastern Cape, home to Nelson Mandela. Subsequently, she lived with her Physicist husband in one of Africa's greatest cities, Johannesburg, where they both taught at the University of the Witwatersrand, or Wits University, from 2000-2006. During her exciting six years at Wits University, she taught Graduate and Post-Graduate courses in the field of International Political Economy and International Relations, supervised more than twenty research projects, and periodically conducted guest modules for trainee diplomats at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Pretoria.
Currently, with her husband and two big dogs, she is enjoying the exciting challenges of working at a Distance and Open University, adjusting to the sub-arctic climate, and managing family on three continents.
Her research interests include various aspects and agents of globalization and span from the World Trade Organization, Environmental Management/Politics, to Development and Gender Studies. Her research has led to many academic publications, paper presentations, media opinion pieces, interviews, and guest lectures in South Africa, India, Canada, and the US.
Editorial Experience
1) On the Editorial Boards of Athabasca University Press; Politikon; Interdisciplinary Environmental Review; The Ardent: Anti-Racism and Decolonization Review
2) Editor of Politikon: South African Journal of Political Studies (Routledge) 2007-2009
3) Book Reviews Editor for Politikon: South African Journal of Political Studies (Routledge) 2004-2006
4) External Reviewer for numerous international conference papers, book manuscripts, and research proposals.
Research Publications
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles:
1. 'India in Africa: From Political Alliance to Economic Partnership' Politikon: Special Issue on Emergent Powers in Africa, Vol. 36(1), 2009, pp. 117-143
2. 'Globalizing 'Global Studies': Vehicle for Disciplinary and Regional Bridges?' New Global Studies, Vol. 2 (3), 2008, (Berkley Press), pp. 1-22 http://www.bepress.com/ngs/vol2/iss3/art4
3. 'South Africa in the Contemporary International Economy: India's Competitor or Ally?', South Asian Survey, Vol. 15(1), 2008, (New Delhi: Sage), pp. 121-142
4. ‘Limits to Democracy: Transparency in International Economic Institutions' South African Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 12 (2) Winter/Spring 2005 (Johannesburg: SAIIA), pp.113-125
5. 'Indian Women and the Environment: Vulnerability, Efforts and Opportunities' with Vijaya Gupta and Neelima Naik, Interdisciplinary Environmental Review, Vol. VI (2) 2005 (Massachusetts: Rowman & Littlefield), pp. 14-36
6. 'International Media Regime and News Management: Implications for African States' with Nathalie Hyde-Clarke, Politikon: South African Journal of Political Studies (Oxfordshire: Routledge), 31 (2) November 2004; pp. 201-218
7. 'Environmental Politics: Relevance for the South' South African Journal of International Affairs, Vol.8 (1) Summer 2001 (Johannesburg: SAIIA), pp. 107-114
Peer Reviewed Proceedings
8. 'Political Implications of Information Technology: An International Media Regime?' with Nathalie Hyde-Clarke, International Conference on Politics and Information Systems: Technologies and Applications- Proceedings PISTA 2004 (Florida: IIIFS, 2004), Vol. II, pp.321-326
9. 'International Environmental Regime from Stockholm to Johannesburg' Interdisciplinary Environmental Review – Proceedings 2002, Vol.4, No.2, 2002 (Massachusetts: IEA, 2002), pp.144-158
10. 'Environmental Issues in the Trade System' Interdisciplinary Environmental Review – Proceedings 2000, Vol.II, No.2, (Massachusetts: IEA, 2000), pp.158-171
11. 'Globalisation and Democracy: Reconciling Economic and Political Liberalism in South Africa' Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Seminar Report: Consolidating Democracy in South Africa (Johannesburg: KAS, 1999), pp.83-86
Chapters in Books
12. ‘Global Perspectives: What's Left Out? ChIndia and Transnational Social Movements – Challenging the Inter and the National in the International System', in Janine Brodie, Malinda Smith, Sandra Rein (eds.) Critical Concepts (Pearson) (forthcoming).
13. 'Inventions and Discoveries: Why and How do they Matter to Global Studies', in Mark Juergensmeyer, Helmut K. Anheier (eds.) Encyclopedia of Global Studies (Sage)(forthcoming)
14. 'Gender Bias and the Environment' with Vijaya Gupta and Neelima Naik, in V.B Jugale (ed.) State of the Indian Economy (New Delhi: Serial Publications, 2007)
15. 'South Africa and the International Economic Institutions' SA Yearbook of International Affairs 2000/01 (Johannesburg: SAIIA, 2001) pp. 145-153
Book Reviews by Invitation
16. Review of Nivedita Menon and Aditya Nigam (2008) 'Power and Contestation: India since 1989', Labour/Le Travail, Vol. 62, Fall 2008, pp. 291-297
17. Review of David A. McDonald and Greg Ruiters (eds.) (2005) 'The Age of Commodity: Water Privatization in Southern Africa', Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 45, No.1 (Cambridge), 2007, pp. 180-182
18. Review of Anthony Turton and Roland Henwood (eds.) 'Hydropolitics in the Developing World: A Southern African Perspective' Politeia, Vol. 22, No. 3 (Pretoria), 2003, pp. 87-88
19. Review of Bakut Tswah Bakut and Sagarika Dutt (eds.) 'Africa at the Millennium: An Agenda for Mature Development', Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 40, No.1 (Lancaster), March 2002, pp. 159-160
20. Review of George Soros' 'The Crisis of Global Capitalism: Open Society Endangered', Global Dialogue (Johannesburg), Vol.6.3, Nov. 2001, pp. 27-28.
Contributions to Policy Report
21. 'South Africa's Changing Position in the International Economic Environment' William Davidson Institute (University of Michigan) Policy Brief No.40, December 2005 (http://www.wdi.umich.edu/files/Publications/PolicyBriefs/2006/PB40.pdf)
22. Suggestions on the terms of reference of Tiger Task Force in preparation of Joining the Dots: Tiger Task Force Report (New Delhi: Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, 2005) http://projecttiger.nic.in/TTF2005/contents.htm
23. Open Sesame: Looking for the Right to Information in the Commonwealth the 2003 report by the International Advisory Commission of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Chaired by Prof. Margaret Reynolds (New Delhi: Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, 2003), ISBN 01-88205-03-6
Opinion Pieces in National Newspapers* and Newsmagazines#
1) "Close encounters of the urban Aboriginal and multicultural kind" published in the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences blog, Equity Matters, August 9, 2011 (http://blog.fedcan.ca/2011/08/09/close-encounters-of-the-urban-aboriginal-and-multicultural-kind/) and Canadian Women Writing Non-Fiction (http://pomegranatewomenwriting.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/close-encounters-of-the-urban-aboriginal-and-multicultural-kind-by-meenal-shrivastava/) on August 24, 2011
2) 'Eyewitness Account: Total Recall – Ayodhya in Raj' Daily News & Analysis* (Mumbai, 29 September 2010)
3) 'The Cancun Crash' The ZCA Monitor# (Harare, 3 October 2003)
4) 'Will Cancun get us to first base?' Sowetan* (Johannesburg, 16 September 2003)
5) 'Tapping into Change: SA in the New Economy', Sowetan* (Johannesburg, 3 September 2003)
6) 'Civil society in the Earth Summit' with Nathalie Hyde-Clarke, Sowetan* (Johannesburg, 27 August 2002)
7) 'Poverty Gives Purpose: Review of the Commonwealth Report on Human Rights and Poverty Eradication' Sowetan* (Johannesburg, 13 December 2001)
8) 'WTO springs surprise' Sowetan* (Johannesburg, 19 November 2001)
9) 'New Issues in WTO: Seeking to Set Rules' Sowetan* (Johannesburg, 2 July 2001)
10) 'Regionalisation and International Trade: A New Urge to Merge' Sowetan* (Johannesburg, 16 May 2001)
11) 'There's Nothing for it but to talk' Economic Viewpoint in the Financial Mail# (Johannesburg, 23 March 2001) p. 16
12) 'Free Market, Strong State' article by invitation in the Financial Mail# (Johannesburg, 11 August 2000) p. 21
13) Several radio interviews, a few Television expert commentaries, and online commentary.
Research Supervision
Degrees awarded under my sole supervision (2000-2006): Four PhDs; two Masters by Research; eight Masters by Course Work and Research Report; and Six Honours Research Projects.
Student & Academic Services - Last Updated November 22, 2010
