Kavyta Raghunandan
Kavyta (#mynameis Ka-vee-ta) is a Senior Lecturer in Race and Education at Leeds Beckett University and an Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London. With a PhD in Sociology and a background in media and higher education, her research unpacks the intersections of race, gender, space, and power—from developing racial literacy through comics to examining the green space gap for South Asian communities in Britain. Her commitment to decolonial practice extends beyond academia through advisory roles, including serving as an Advisory Panel Member for Leeds Art Gallery (2021-22) on 'Shifting Perspectives'—an exhibition exploring representations of African, Caribbean and Asian heritages through the lens of decolonial thought and themes of subjectivity and representation.
Her work champions stories as tools for empowerment, whether in peer-reviewed journals, graphic novels, curatorial contexts, or reimagining inclusive futures where classrooms, cultural spaces, and green spaces belong to everyone.