About the Author

Born in Jaipur, Meenal Shrivastava now lives as an uninvited immigrant settler in the ancestral home to the Wsáneć Peoples of the unceded Coast Salish Territories, or what is also known as greater Victoria, BC. Meenal is Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Professor of Political Economy and Global Studies at Athabasca University, Canada. Her academic research on the processes of globalization has so far led to more than one hundred and fifty publications, including three books. Currently, aside from serving on several professional boards, Shrivastava regularly speaks on the erasure of women in historical narratives and contemporary issues in the global political economy.

In Amma’s Daughters: A Memoir, her first book of creative non-fiction, Shrivastava weaves together interviews, her mother and grandmother’s writings, and archival research to tell the story of some of the forgotten foot soldiers of the independence movement in India. The story behind the writing of the book can be found here.

Details of the archival research and the literature review related to Amma’s Daughters can be found in an article that appeared in the journal Globalizations.

Speaking Topics

Meenal Shrivastava has spoken to audiences in literature festivals, academic conferences, classrooms, and book clubs. She has been interviewed on CBC Radio, New Books Network, and other media. She can speak to a range of topics, including:

• Memoir research and writing: How do you write a character related to you? What happens when you find unexpected surprises during the research process?
• Feminism and women in history: Why do we so often forget women’s roles in revolutionary movements? What are some of their achievements?
• Intergenerational discoveries: The process of discovering, then writing, her family’s fascinating and intense story. How do you write the legacy of an incredible person? Who has the right to tell a family’s history?

To book Meenal as a speaker, please contact Athabasca University Press at aupress@athabascau.ca or 780-497-3412